Meat of the Word: The Book of Mark

Mark is identified by early church fathers—Papias, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria—as a close associate of Peter. The conclusion is that Mark recorded the life of Jesus according to the eyewitness account given by Peter and other apostles. John Mark was the son of Mary, whose home in Jerusalem seemed to be a center for Christian leaders (Acts 12:12). Mark went with his well-to-do cousin Barnabas (Acts 4:36–37) to Antioch in Syria (Acts 12:25), from where both accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey. Mark, however, left Paul and Barnabas at Cyprus and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Later Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus, while Paul departed for Asia Minor. About ten years later (A.D. 60) Mark was with Paul in Rome (II Tim. 4:11; Col. 4:10). Mark’s close association with Peter is indicated in I Peter 5:13, where the latter speaks of Mark as “my son.” It may have been during Peter’s lifetime, or shortly after his death (A.D. 55–65), that Mark wrote the Gospel bearing his name.