A close friend of the early church leaders who wrote the Gospel of Mark. John Mark was both a companion to Paul and Peter, and a cousin of Barnabas.
Early Life and Family
John Mark came from a wealthy Jewish family in Jerusalem. They were early believers in Jesus Christ. John Mark had both a Jewish and a Roman name. The Roman name Mark could have signified Roman citizenship, like Paul. Or he might have adopted the name when he left Jerusalem to serve the gentile (non-Jewish) church in Antioch (Acts 12:25).
When an angel of the Lord freed Peter from prison, the apostle went “to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark” (verse 12). This house had an outer gate. It was large enough for a large group of believers to gather there. A servant girl named Rhoda worked there (verses 12–13). This indicates a wealthy family lived there. By the time of this event (around AD 44), Peter may have influenced Mark to become a follower of Jesus (1 Peter 5:13). Barnabas and Saul (who was also known as Paul) chose Mark to go with them to Antioch. This suggests that the church in Jerusalem had great respect for Mark (Acts 12:25).
Early Ministry and Challenges
John Mark joined Barnabas and Saul to help them preach the good news about Jesus (Acts 13:5). However, he soon left the apostles and returned to Jerusalem (verse 13). The Bible does not tell us why Mark left the apostles. The journey may have been too difficult for the young Mark.
There is another possible explanation. At Paphos, when the journey began, Paul became the main leader (verse 13). From this point, Acts speaks of "Paul and Barnabas" rather than "Barnabas and Paul" (except for verses 12 and 25). Mark might not have liked how Paul led. Or, he might not have been upset that his relative Barnabas was second to Paul in the work of the gospel. Barnabas was a follower of Jesus before Paul was (4:36–37). It was Barnabas who introduced Paul to the apostles (9:27).
But there may have been a more important reason for Mark to leave. Like Paul, Mark was “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5). Mark may have disagreed with Paul's teaching that non-Jews could be saved through faith alone, without following Jewish laws.
It is important to notice that in the story of this journey, the Bible uses only Mark's Jewish name "John" when talking about his time with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:5). "John" is also used when he left them at Perga in Pamphylia (verse 13). It is also important that John Mark returned to the place where he first served. This was the Jewish church at Jerusalem, not the gentile church in Antioch (verse 13).
Mark's decision to leave caused problems later. Paul and Barnabas had a serious argument about whether to take Mark on another journey. The disagreement was so strong that Paul and Barnabas split up (Acts 15:39). Paul was extremely passionate about teaching justification by faith. Barnabas had already shown his uncertainty about this teaching (Galatians 2:13). This difference in beliefs may have led to their separation. Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas as his new partner and went to Asia Minor to strengthen the new churches there (Acts 15:39–41).
Later Ministry and Reconciliation
Mark again appears in the biblical record about 11 years later. In Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 1:24, he is in Rome with Paul, who is now an old man and “a prisoner of Jesus Christ” (1:19). Paul and Mark had made peace. Paul says that Mark and others are “the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Colossians 4:11).
In his last letter before his death, Paul wrote his final words about Mark. Paul tells Timothy, “Make every effort to come to me quickly… Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:9, 11). Everyone else had abandoned Paul during his trial before Caesar Nero (verse 16). Earlier, Mark had also abandoned the apostle when he was young. Now, he traveled from Ephesus to Rome and attempted to come see his friend Paul with Timothy.
The Gospel of Mark
Mark also had a close relationship with the apostle Peter. According to 1 Peter 5:13, Peter sent a greeting to Mark and the church in "Babylon." Here, "Babylon" symbolizes Rome. Peter gives Mark the title, "my son." This shows that Mark had a close relationship with Peter (Galatians 2:9).
The most important and reliable church tradition (from writings outside the Bible) tells us Mark was the close assistant of Peter. The early church fathers said that Mark carefully wrote down Peter's stories and teachings about Jesus. Mark used these teachings to write the Gospel of Mark, which he probably wrote in Rome between AD 60 and 68.