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Who Wrote the Gospel of Mark?

by Wayne Davies  
9/13/2014 / Bible Studies

Christians believe that the second book of the New Testament, commonly known as "The Gospel According to Mark", was written by a man named Mark. However, the author's name is not mentioned in the book itself. So how do we know he wrote it?

We believe this because of the testimony of Christian leaders in the second century. Specifically, the bishop Papias wrote in 140 A.D. that "Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatever he remembered of the things said and done by the Lord." A second witness to Mark's authorship comes from Irenaeus: "Mark, the disciple of Peter, also transmitted to us in writing the things preached by Peter."

Even though the Bible itself does not indicate that Mark wrote this gospel, there are several references to Mark in the New Testament. Let's take a look at these verses to see what we can learn about him.

A Miraculous Prayer Meeting (Acts 12:12)
Mark is first mentioned in Acts 12. After Peter is miraculously freed from prison by an angel, "he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying" (Acts 12:12).

So here we learn that Mark is the son of Mary (a different Mary than the mother of Jesus), one of the key members of the early church in Jerusalem. It is possible that Mark was present at this prayer meeting and so he would have known Peter and the other church leaders.

A Missionary Journey That Ends in Failure (Acts 12:25, 13:5, 13:13, 15:36-41)
Next we see that Mark becomes a companion of Paul and Barnabas on what is known as "the first missionary journey". Prompted by the Holy Spirit, the church at Antioch sent these two men out to preach the gospel on the island of Cyprus and in modern day Turkey. Mark accompanies them on this trip "John was with them as their helper" (Acts 13:5).

But for some reason Mark does not complete the journey, for in Acts 13:13 we read that when the group arrives in Pamphylia, "John left them to return to Jerusalem". At this point, we are not told the reason for Mark's departure.

After the first missionary journey ends, Paul and Barnabas decide to go on a second missionary trip. "Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back to all the towns where we preached the word (on the first journey)' " (Acts 15:36).

Do you ever wonder if the early church leaders always got along? Well, here's an example of a disagreement that apparently never got resolved. Barnabas wanted to take Mark on this second journey, "but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work" (Acts 15:38).

Back in Acts 13:5 we are simply told that Mark "left them". There is no explanation given for the reason Mark left. We are only told that he left, but we are not told why.

But here we are given more information. He "deserted" them. That doesn't sound good, does it? Paul was so disappointed with Mark's departure during the first trip that he doesn't want to take him along on the second trip. Barnabas disagrees. The end result is a stalemate that resulted in Paul and Barnabas going their separate ways. "They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company" (Acts 15:39). Paul decides to take Silas with him back to Turkey, while Barnabas takes Mark with him to Cyprus.

It's also important to note that Mark and Barnabas were cousins (per Colossians 4:10), so there might have been some family bias as far as Barnabas was concerned. Perhaps Barnabas thought that Paul was being too hard on Mark. Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance. Paul did not.

So Mark got negative feedback on his first ministry experience, at least as far as Paul was concerned. He deserted the team and was the cause of friction between Paul and Barnabas.

Mark is not mentioned again in the book of Acts. Luke, the author of Acts, does not tell us anything about the trip that Barnabas and Mark took to Cyprus, or anything else about Mark's life from that time forward. He was part of Paul's team for a while, and now he's not.

I wonder how Mark reacted to this sudden turn of events. Was he discouraged? Did he think that he had let Paul down? Would Paul ever let Mark work with him again?

A Relationship Restored / A Ministry Honored
This story of Mark's role in the early expansion of the gospel ministry has a most happy ending! We don't know exactly when or how, but Paul and Mark do reconcile. Some years later, Paul is in prison in Rome and writes a letter to the church at Colossae. And who is with him in Rome? Mark!

"My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greeting, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him" (Colossians 4:10).

Paul also mentions Mark in his letter to Philemon, which was probably written at the same time as Colossians. "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner for Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers" (Philemon 23-24).

This is exciting! Paul refers to Mark as one of his "fellow workers". This is huge. Mark is once again part of Paul's team, and he has traveled all the way to Rome to be with Paul during his imprisonment there. This tells us that they have resolved their differences and are once again ministering together.

Paul even gives specific instructions about Mark to the Colossian church, telling them that Mark may be coming to visit them soon. What greater honor could there be than to visit one of the churches on behalf of the apostle Paul! This tells us how much Paul trusted Mark and the level of responsibility Mark now had.

We find another positive reference to Mark in Paul's writings. Near the end of his life while in prison yet again, Paul tells Timothy to "Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). Wow! Paul needs help and who does he seek out to provide that help? Mark, the former deserter, is now the one Paul wants at his side.

So we have much to learn from the life of John Mark and his relationship to both Paul and Barnabas.

Any relationship, no matter how strained, can be reconciled and restored. If Mark had indeed deserted Paul for no good reason, somewhere along the line, Paul forgave Mark and gave him that second chance. And if Paul had been too hard on Mark, Mark eventually forgave Paul and was willing to work with him again.

No matter what happens between any two people, by the grace of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit, reconciliation is available and possible. Since God reconciled us to himself when we were his enemies (see Romans 5:10-11), any damaged relationship can be repaired and brought back to life, provided that both parties are willing to love one another as Christ has loved us per Ephesians 4:32.

And assuming that Mark was primarily the one to blame for deserting the team on that first missionary journey, he provides a wonderful example of a Christian whose initial attempt at ministry ended in failure and disappointment. Yet he persevered and continued to serve with his cousin Barnabas and eventually became a key player in Paul's ministry.

I find Mark's story a source of great encouragement, don't you?

Looking for more Bible reading tips?

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