This is the 8th part of a 9 part series, you can find the other 7 parts here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Chapter 6 of John Mark’s Remarkable Career—His Subsequent and Significant Relation with the Apostle Peter
1 Peter 5:13 reads: “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.” No serious doubt may be entertained that Peter here refers to the John Mark we have been studying. And he refers to him in the most affectionate terms. He calls him “his son.” Most conservative scholars date 1 Peter around AD 64-65. Thus, this remark of the Apostle Peter may have taken place a year or two before that of Paul’s remark in AD 67, but at about the same time.
We learn, then, that John Mark’s reputation had been rehabilitated not only with Paul and the wing of the church that he led. It had also been restored in the part of the church led by Peter. What a clear testimony to the renewed usefulness and respected status of John Mark in the early church!
We learn that by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ you can receive deliverance from past sins and not be doomed by your past mistakes! The example of John Mark ought to encourage those who live with a sneaking suspicion that they have forfeited God’s best for their lives. It should give hope to those who think that their past mistakes have condemned them to a useless life and sad existence. If deliverance could come through Christ to John Mark, it can come to you.
But this statement is not the greatest testimony to God’s restoring grace in John Mark’s remarkable career. That is rather his authoring of the Gospel of Mark. We will consider that in the next blog.
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
