May 6 – John Mark – Acts 13:1-13
Here we have the story of Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark in their missionary journeys. John Mark got to witness when Paul called out the sorcerer named Elymas and cause blindness to come upon him.
However, in verse 13, John departs from them. It is not said why he left Paul and Barnabas. It may have been homesickness, difficult times, or a number of things that caused Mark to quit. We do know that Paul did not respect his decision. If we look over at Acts 15:37-38, we see that Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with him, but Paul thought it not good to take him. His reputation of being a quitter influenced Paul’s advice. What does your reputation say about you to those who’ve known you for years and years?
I have good news though!!! In 2 Timothy 4:11, as Paul is writing some of the last words he would ever write, he deliberately asked Timothy to bring John Mark to him because he was profitable to him! Wow. What had John Mark done to redeem himself that Paul would think to ask for him during one of the hardest trials of his life? And isn’t that great news for us? There is forgiveness, there is redemption through Jesus. If you still have breath, it’s not too late to change, to grow in grace, to develop character, to make your reputation one that would please the Lord and be a joy to those around you.
