27th Mar 26 | 16:08
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02 Acts 12 20-25 THE WORD OF GOD GREW 19 Acts 12 25 Leadership lessons from John Mark
📖 Acts 12:20-25
19 – Wed, 12 Feb 2025 – *Leadership lessons from John Mark* - _Acts 12:20-25_ – THE WORD OF GOD GREW – _Acts 15:36-40_
_Acts 12:25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, *and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark*._
Barnabas and Paul took John Mark with them back to Antioch.
John Mark is an interesting figure in the New Testament. He is often identified as Mark the Evangelist, the author of the Gospel of Mark.
Here are some key points and verses related to his story:
*Family Background*:
John Mark's mother, Mary, had a house in Jerusalem that served as a meeting place for early Christians. _Acts 12:12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying._
*Missionary Journey*:
John Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Antioch; this is what we see in our Scripture passage today. John Mark went with Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey.
_Acts 13:4-5 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (5) And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. *They also had John as their assistant*._
For some reason, John Mark left Barnabas and Paul and returned to Jerusalem. _Acts 13:13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem._
Later, in the missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas, we see that this departure of John Mark caused a disagreement to take place between Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on their next journey, but Paul did not agree. As a result, Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas as his companion.
_Acts 15:36-40 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing." (37) Now *Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark*. (38) But *Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work*. (39) Then *the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another*. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; (40) but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God._
John Mark was the cause for the split between Barnabas and Paul, but in God’s plan, this division turned out to be a further growth of the Gospel
Paul saw John Mark as one who left them and had not gone to the work. Whereas, Barnabas was determined to take John Mark with them.
These are facts that we see in the Bible but let us try and get a closer picture of John Mark. He was a close observer of the ways of God. He had seen the release of Peter from prison and so he was very much a part of the growth of the early church.
Peter referred to John Mark as his son. _I Peter 5:13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son._
Tracing John Mark’s life, we see a young man, greatly excited and eager for the growth of the Gospel. He was fascinated with Barnabas and Paul and definitely with Peter. He had seen that these leaders were heroes, for they were not afraid to give their lives for the Gospel. James had just been killed, which John Mark would have witnessed. He saw that these early church leaders were not deterred. They were willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel.
His enthusiasm and excitement for the word of God were what caused Barnabas and Paul to take him along with them to Antioch.
It was a privilege for John Mark to be mentored by men like Barnabas, Paul and Peter. As young people in the Lord, there must be an eagerness to be mentored by godly leaders. It is important to seek out senior leaders and request them to be our mentors.
Senior leaders too must seek out younger leaders and proactively engage with them to mentor them. Mentorship is bidirectional.
John Mark’s early enthusiasm did not last for too long. He saw the drudgery of going from place to place. The strange places and people, their customs, clothes, food, and habits would have all been weird for young John Mark. In all of this, Paul, especially, would have been highly focused and relentless in doing the work of the Gospel. John Mark’s initial enthusiasm disappeared. He decided that it was time to go back home.
This is not an easy period in a person’s life. Many have been causalities in their faith journeys at these times of their lives. Let us learn an important lesson of leadership here. This is especially for younger leaders. *Leadership happens when we accept to do what we do not like to do*.
Inversely, leadership does not happen when we keep doing what is easy and comfortable. It is only when we are stretched that leadership growth takes place in a person’s life. Many fall on the wayside for they do not want to be stretched in life. They are looking for easy and comfortable options. *Be sure that choosing the easy options of life will make you mediocre*.