Mark: the Man

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin introduces a new sermon series on the Gospel of Mark, following previous introductory perspectives on the gospels. He outlines the plan to first examine Mark the…

The four gospels are likened to four houses on a street of divine revelation. The sermon is about approaching the second house (Mark) and considering its builder and distinguishing traits, rather than immediately entering its rooms.

And finally, how should we approach our study of the gospels in general and the gospel of Mark in particular? Now, with those general introductory perspectives behind us, and I trust, in a sense, that you will be able to understand them, and with us, within us, we shall begin our concentration this morning on the gospel of Mark itself. And if I may use an analogy, it's as though we've been standing on the street for several Lord's Day mornings looking at four houses. And we have been considering those houses as a group of dwellings on this particular street of divine revelation.

1:08 - 1:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If Mark was indeed one and under that pressure when he's about to be apprehended please, surely this would have had a profound effect upon the spiritual history of Mark before he came to true faith in Jesus Christ.

Martin quotes a commentator who argues that the incident of the young man fleeing naked in Mark 14:51-52 is Mark describing himself, as it would otherwise be an insignificant detail in a grave account, but profoundly interesting to the writer if it marked a turning point in his own life.

And one of the commentators speaking to this very point says, Why was a circumstance apparently so trifling and certainly so irrelevant inserted in the midst of so grave an account? If the young man was the writer of the account and an eyewitness of the transaction at that time partly implicated himself in the danger of ourselves or our Savior mistaken for a follower or a disciple when not really such afterwards converted to the faith and finally St. Mark the Evangelist I think he might naturally look upon this incident as the most interesting circumstance of his life and its introduction into...

19:00 - 20:29 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details Mark's intimate associations with both Paul and Peter, emphasizing the significance of these relationships for his gospel writing. He traces Mark's journey with…

The Greek word for 'attendant' (Luke's description of John Mark) is explained as literally meaning 'an under-rower,' illustrating Mark's initial role as a servant under the orders of a superior, not an equal.

the Spirit of God calls Paul and Barnabas to this first missionary journey. And Luke tells us that when Paul and Barnabas went forth Acts 13.5 they also had John as their attendant. Now this word attendant literally means an under rower.

24:40 - 25:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details Mark's intimate associations with both Paul and Peter, emphasizing the significance of these relationships for his gospel writing. He traces Mark's journey with…

John Mark's departure from the first missionary journey is described as a 'spiritual soldier who went AWOL,' emphasizing the seriousness of his unapproved withdrawal from the work.

When Paul and Barnabas are about to depart on their second missionary journey and they have this dispute with respect to whether or not Mark ought to go with them notice what the dispute is. Verse 38 Paul thought not good to take with them him who withdrew from them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. This was a spiritual soldier who went AWOL. Now the reason for his going AWOL is not given but that he went AWOL and didn't have a proper leave is clear from the materials given to us in the word of God. But Barnabas decides that he's worthy to be taken out again in missionary ende...

27:02 - 28:23 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details Mark's intimate associations with both Paul and Peter, emphasizing the significance of these relationships for his gospel writing. He traces Mark's journey with…

The dispute between Paul and Barnabas is described as a 'gentleman's agreement,' where they held sharp convictions but acted as Christian gentlemen, not engaging in a physical or verbal fight.

When Paul and Barnabas are about to depart on their second missionary journey and they have this dispute with respect to whether or not Mark ought to go with them notice what the dispute is. Verse 38 Paul thought not good to take with them him who withdrew from them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. This was a spiritual soldier who went AWOL. Now the reason for his going AWOL is not given but that he went AWOL and didn't have a proper leave is clear from the materials given to us in the word of God. But Barnabas decides that he's worthy to be taken out again in missionary ende...

27:02 - 28:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Worship the God of special providence who wonderfully prepares a man for the task to which he calls him.

The modern age of 'instant everything' (potatoes, microwave ovens) is contrasted with God's unhurried process of forming Christian character, using examples like Moses, David, and Jesus himself.

who wonderfully prepares a man for the task to which he calls him from the humiliation of failure under pressure to the stability of proven worth now disciplined with the memory of that failure he becomes unusually suited to give us this portion of the word of God but you see what was true of Mark is also true of us we live in the age of instant everything and of arrogant presumption with regard to questioning what God is doing you got instant potatoes you've got instant cooking with microwave ovens we've got instant this and instant that but there's one thing you'll never have in instant pack...

37:14 - 38:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not question God's work in your life, even when it involves 'thorny' experiences, knowing that all things work together for good to mold you into Christ's image and fit you for your task.

God's work in our lives is likened to weaving threads into a fabric, where some threads seem like thorns but are later revealed to be gold at the core, illustrating how difficult experiences contribute to character formation.

shop is the God who is never in a hurry to mold and fashion the character of the man or woman that he purposes to use for his glory and as with John Mark so with us there are times when God weaves threads into the fabric of our lives that seem to be made of thorns and only years later do we see when the thorns have dried and dropped off that the threads were gold at the core and it's arrogance to rear back and be saying to God with every thorny dark that is woven into the tapestry of our lives business what God is doing in terms of knowing the particulars except to know that all things do work...

38:43 - 40:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Worship the God of special grace who makes something useful out of failures and flunkies.

Paul's view of Mark's unreliability is illustrated by a proverb comparing confidence in an unfaithful man in trouble to a broken tooth or a dislocated ankle, emphasizing the practical uselessness of such a person in critical moments.

to tell men that their hearts are a very sink of iniquity to tell proud religious Jews with all of their centuries of heritage that they're going headlong to hell unless they get a new heart and repent and embrace the immolated Nazareth as their God and Saint that's offensive business you're liable to lose friends you're liable to lose your neck risky business and all of the dreams and the romance of the seasons of prayer and perhaps even the tingles down the spine when they laid hands upon that company and set them forth that's all gone and now he's in the thick of the battle he smells the sm...

44:39 - 46:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Be comforted by the truth of God's restorative grace; every time you open the Gospel of Mark, let it thunder in your ears that God can restore you after grievous failure.

The concept of restorative grace is illustrated by God's promise in Joel to restore the years the locusts and cankerworms have eaten, showing that God can recover what seems irrevocably lost due to sin or judgment.

because of their sin had come under the judgment of God this is recorded in the book of Joel and God said I'll send an army of locusts and they'll strip everything bare all of your trees and shrubbery until you'll look out and see nothing but barrenness but God says if you repent and turn to me I'll not only forgive you he said I will restore the years that the locusts have eaten how in the world can you go back and restore a harvest once lost if the locusts come through the farms in eighty-three you may have a beautiful crop in eighty-four but you can't go and recover eighty-three's crop no y...

47:37 - 49:07 Read in full sermon