Chapter 2 of John Mark’s Remarkable Career—Relation and Position in the Church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:12)
We left John Mark huddled in his home in Jerusalem. We discover him again in the same exact location about twelve years later. Not only is the place the same, the occasion is similar. It is another occasion of threatening persecution. Acts 12:12 reads: “And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.”
Remember that James, the brother of John and one of the Sons of Thunder, had just before this prayer meeting been put to death by Herod. Peter himself had then been arrested and imprisoned just before Passover. This was the very same time of year that Jesus had been arrested. It was probably about twelve years later. Herod was probably waiting till after Passover to bring him to trial and then execution. Many Christians were gathered at the house of Mary the mother of John Mark to pray. This Mary must have been the aunt of Barnabas if John Mark was Barnabas’s cousin. I am persuaded that this was very likely the very house in the upper room of which the Last Supper had been held. Luke makes a point of introducing John Mark in his account of the early church on this occasion.
You see how deeply John Mark was associated with the church in Jerusalem. He occupied a deep relationship to and central place in the original church at Jerusalem and among the original disciples of Christ. If we understand that, then what happens next will not surprise us!
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.
