Who Was John Mark
When it comes to the details of John Marks life, the Bible doesnt give us much to go on. For millennia, scholars have picked apart the passages that mention him, straining them for clues about this obscure, yet important biblical figure. Beyond a smattering of facts we can glean from Scripture and some conflicting accounts from the early church, were left to speculate who he was and what he did.
Heres what we know.
John Mark Locates The Apostle Thomas Who Had Secluded Himself In Depression After The Master’s Death
The Master put off the first morontia appearance to the apostles for a number of reasons. First, he wanted them to have time, after they heard of his resurrection, to think well over what he had told them about his death and resurrection when he was still with them in the flesh. The Master wanted Peter to wrestle through with some of his peculiar difficulties before he manifested himself to them all. In the second place, he desired that Thomas should be with them at the time of his first appearance. John Mark located Thomas at the home of Simon in Bethphage early this Sunday morning, bringing word to that effect to the apostles about eleven o’clock. Any time during this day Thomas would have gone back to them if Nathaniel or any two of the other apostles had gone for him. He really wanted to return, but having left as he did the evening before, he was too proud to go back of his own accord so soon. By the next day he was so depressed that it required almost a week for him to make up his mind to return. The apostles waited for him, and he waited for his brethren to seek him out and ask him to come back to them. Thomas thus remained away from his associates until the next Saturday evening, when, after darkness had come on, Peter and John went over to Bethphage and brought him back with them. And this is also the reason why they did not go at once to Galilee after Jesus first appeared to them they would not go without Thomas. ~ The Urantia Book,
The Transfiguration Of Jesus
1 And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” 2 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them 3 and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were talking with Jesus.5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”6 For he did not know what to answer for they became terrified.
Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, âThis is My beloved Son, listen to Him!â
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The Cure Of Peter’s Mother
29 And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. 31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. 32 When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
John Mark Becomes A Part Of The Masters’ 13th Resurrection Appearance
After the apostles had spent the afternoon and early evening of Thursday in waiting at the Zebedee home, Simon Peter suggested that they go fishing. When Peter proposed the fishing trip, all of the apostles decided to go along. All night they toiled with the nets but caught no fish. They did not much mind the failure to make a catch, for they had many interesting experiences to talk over, things which had so recently happened to them at Jerusalem. But when daylight came, they decided to return to Bethsaida. As they neared the shore, they saw someone on the beach, near the boat landing, standing by a fire. At first they thought it was John Mark, who had come down to welcome them back with their catch, but as they drew nearer the shore, they saw they were mistakenthe man was too tall for John. It had occurred to none of them that the person on the shore was the Master. They did not altogether understand why Jesus wanted to meet with them amidst the scenes of their earlier associations and out in the open in contact with nature, far away from the shut-in environment of Jerusalem with its tragic associations of fear, betrayal, and death. He had told them that, if they would go into Galilee, he would meet them there, and he was about to fulfill that promise.
Before taking leave of them this morning, Jesus directed that two of the apostles should volunteer to go to Simon Zelotes and bring him back that very day. And Peter and Andrew did so. ~ The Urantia Book,
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Who Was Mark In The Bible
Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 2 Timothy 4:11
As I was studying the gospels recently , my son asked me who Mark was. Was he a disciple of Jesus? Its one of those questions where you know the answer, but you never really thought about it. I knew who Matthew, John, and Luke were, but then I had to admit that I had no idea who Mark was.
That kind of mystery makes me insanely curious. And, of course, the more you study the Bible, the more it reveals things you never had any earthly idea about. Such is the case with Mark. There is more to his story than you expect, and his writings are much more than you can imagine.
The Calming Of The Storm
35 On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was and other boats were with Him. 37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
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The Cleansing Of A Leper
40 And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing be cleansed.” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 43 And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, 44 and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas and they were coming to Him from everywhere.
The Parable Of The Lamp And The Measure
21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you and more will be given you besides. 25 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
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The Second Prediction Of The Passion
30 From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.
The Demand For A Sign
11 The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. 12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.
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Biblical People: Mary The Mother Of John Mark
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In the book of Acts, we come across another Mary. The Bible clarifies her identity through the name of her son: John, also called Mark. Scripture sometimes uses both names, as in John Mark.
Peter is in prison, with his execution likely. Maryrisking imprisonment herself if shes discoveredbravely holds a prayer meeting for Peter at her home. God answers the prayers of the believers, and an angel escorts Peter from the prison. Peter heads to Marys house, expecting to find some of his friends gathered there. They welcome him and celebrate Gods goodness.
Though we can only assume, John Mark, witnesses his mothers faith in action and Gods supernatural answer to their prayers. What we do know is that John Mark later helps tell other people about Jesus. Though his first effort with Barnabas and Paul ends prematurely, he finishes strong. Many people credit him as the author of the book of Mark.
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A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 700-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and numerous books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
The Gospel Of John In Contrast To Matthew Mark And Luke
Mark, Matthew, and Luke retain something of the picture of the human Jesus as he engaged in the superb struggle to ascertain the divine will and to do that will. John presents a picture of the triumphant Jesus as he walked on earth in the full consciousness of divinity. The great mistake that has been made by those who have studied the Master’s life is that some have conceived of him as entirely human, while others have thought of him as only divine. Throughout his entire experience he was truly both human and divine, even as he yet is.
But the greatest mistake was made in that, while the human Jesus was recognized as having a religion, the divine Jesus almost overnight became a religion. Paul’s Christianity made sure of the adoration of the divine Christ, but it almost wholly lost sight of the struggling and valiant human Jesus of Galilee, who, by the valor of his personal religious faith and the heroism of his indwelling Adjuster, ascended from the lowly levels of humanity to become one with divinity, thus becoming the new and living way whereby all mortals may so ascend from humanity to divinity. Mortals in all stages of spirituality and on all worlds may find in the personal life of Jesus that which will strengthen and inspire them as they progress from the lowest spirit levels up to the highest divine values, from the beginning to the end of all personal religious experience.
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Jesus Chooses Twelve Apostles
13 And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon , 17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. 20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
John The Baptist Prepares The Way
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way3 a voice of one calling in the wilderness,Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.6 John wore clothing made of camels hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.7 And this was his message: After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
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John Mark Alone Witnesses Jesus’ Last Moments As A Free Man
Failing to disperse his followers, the Master left them and walked down toward the olive press near the entrance to Gethsemane Park. Although the three apostles, the Greeks and the other members of the camp hesitated immediately to follow him, John Mark hastened around through the olive trees and secreted himself in a small shed near the olive press. Jesus withdrew from the camp and from his friends in order that his apprehenders, when they arrived, might arrest him without disturbing his apostles. The Master feared to have his apostles awake and present at the time of his arrest lest the spectacle of Judas’s betraying him should so arouse their animosity that they would offer resistance to the soldiers and would be taken into custody with him. He feared that, if they should be arrested with him, they might also perish with him.
Though Jesus knew that the plan for his death had its origin in the councils of the rulers of the Jews, he was also aware that all such nefarious schemes had the full approval of Lucifer,Satan, and Caligastia. And he well knew that these rebels of the realms would also be pleased to see all of the apostles destroyed with him.
Jesus sat down, alone, on the olive press, where he awaited the coming of the betrayer, and he was seen at this time only by John Mark and an innumerable host of celestial observers. ~ The Urantia Book,
The Garden Of Gethsemane
32 They came to a place named Gethsemane and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death remain here and keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?38 “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words.40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy and they did not know what to answer Him.41 And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough the hour has come behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.42 “Get up, let us be going behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
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