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He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.(Mark 16:16)
The Church throughout the centuries has set aside April 25 as a date to commemorate Saint Mark, the Evangelist. So, since this date falls on a Sunday, we will recognize him today.
It is good to remember Saint Mark, the Evangelist, for three reasons. First, we thank God that Mark has been a faithful servant and a blessing to the Church. Second, since God has been merciful to Mark, our faith is strengthened knowing that God will be merciful to us as well. Finally, Mark is an example by which we may imitate both his faith and his holy living according to our calling in life.
But today will not be a eulogy about Mark. Our focus will be on Jesus. Our focus should always be on Jesus. The Gospel of Mark is about Jesus — His death, His resurrection, and the forgiveness of sins found only in Him.
Let me begin by giving to you what we know about Mark from the Scriptures and, then, from church history.
According to the book of Acts, Mark was originally from Jerusalem. His mother's name was Mary. Her house was often used as a place where the early church would gather together for prayer (Acts 12:12). We learn from this that, at least, Mark and his mother believed in Christ's death and resurrection; they were a blessing for the early Church; and they cared about the Gospel.
Mark was not one of the twelve disciples, nor was he later an Apostle. But he is called an evangelist. According to the book of Acts, Mark assisted Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey (Acts 12:25). They faithfully proclaimed the Word of God in the cities of Salamis, Paphos, and Perga (Acts 13:5). They told people that a man by the name of Jesus was the Son of God. He fulfilled the law in our place, and He died as a sacrifice for our sin in our place upon a cross outside of Jerusalem. They called the people to repentance and to faith in the forgiveness of sins. They established churches and trained pastors to shepherd these churches where they were baptising, preaching, and administering the Lord's Supper.
But, for some reason, while in Pamphylia (i.e. Perga), Mark “left them and returned to Jerusalem” (Acts 13:13). We don't know why he left them in the middle of a missionary journey. But it was not a good thing.
Two years later, Paul was ready to go out on a second missionary journey. On this journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them again. Acts 15:38 says, “But Paul thought best not to take [Mark] with them because he had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia.” So, there was a strong disagreement between Paul and Barnabas regarding whether they should take Mark along with them or not.
Well, Paul chose to take Silas with him on his missionary journey. Barnabas took Mark with him on his own missionary journey. They sailed to Cyprus.
There was a conflict between Paul and Mark and between Paul and Barnabas. Was Mark the cause of this conflict?
Unfortunately, there is conflict within the church today, within families, between husband and wife, and between friends. Conflict today is the result of sin which Satan brought into our world through Adam and Eve. Do we like it? No. Neither does our one true God.
Confession of sin — saying, “I am sorry” — is vitally important. But it is also important to hear Absolution and to believe in the forgiveness of sins. God's will is for there to be peace and reconciliation between two erring parties. The ultimate peace was brought to us on account of Jesus. Christ's death reconciled us with our holy God. There is now peace with God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, eventually, the disagreement between Paul and Mark was resolved. There was reconciliation between them, thanks be to God. Mark worked alongside Paul and assisted him in proclaiming the Gospel to all nations. In our Epistle reading today from 2 Timothy 4:11, we learn that Paul regarded Mark as “very useful” for him in ministry. Plus, in the book of Philemon, Paul calls Mark a “fellow worker” (1:24). There is much joy where there is peace between one another.
Mark also worked with the apostle Peter in Rome. In 1 Peter 5:13, we learn that greetings were sent not only by Peter but also by Mark. Peter calls Mark a fellow son in the faith.
The greatest contribution that Mark brought to the church was the Gospel which he wrote which bears his name. The Gospel of Mark is one of four written accounts of the person and work of Christ, along with the Gospels Matthew, Luke, and John.
Since Mark was not one of the twelve disciples, he got his information about Jesus from Peter. Mark wrote down Peter's sermons, teachings, and stories about Jesus. You might say that the Gospel of Mark could be called, the Gospel according to Saint Peter, but written down by Mark. An early church fragment written by Papias reads, “Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatever he remembered. Mark accompanied Peter. He wrote these things as he remembered them.” And Eusebius, and early church father, said that Mark composed a Gospel after listening to Peter preach.
At some point in Mark's life, tradition says, he traveled to Alexandria in Egypt and established a church there. He became their first pastor. He remained there until his death. He was martyred for the sake of Christ in the year 64 A.D.
Again, we thank God for all that He has done in and through Mark for the sake of the Gospel and the establishment of the church.
What have we learned from all of this? We learned that Mark was a sinner just like us. It was wrong for him to leave Paul and Barnabas in the middle of their missionary journey. Was the work too hard? Could he not take the persecution? Was the pay too low? Was his heart set on worldly things rather than on the Gospel? We don't know. We do know that leaving Paul and Barnabas was not a good thing.
The hymn that we just sang put it this way, “For Mark, O Lord, we praise You; The weak by grace made strong” (Lutheran Service Book #518, verse 15). Mark was once weak, but he was made strong only by God's grace. He was sinful, but he was also forgiven in Christ.
Like Mark, we too are weak and sinful. In what or whom do you trust in above all else? Do you fear God's wrath, avoiding every sin? Is your trust in God evident in your daily living? Do you worry, doubt, complain, or feel unfairly treated when things go wrong? Do you withhold from God what is rightly His? Do you deny Christ in order to avoid persecution? Have your sins caused others to sin? Are you the cause of conflict within the church or within the family?
In repentance, we confess, “I, a poor sinner, plead guilty before God of all sins. I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most. My Lord's name I have not honored as I should; my worship and prayers have faltered. I have not let His love have its way with me, and so my love for others has failed. There are those whom I have hurt, and those whom I have failed to help. My thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.” Dearly beloved, are these words your confession, too?
The Good News is that, in Christ, you are forgiven. Jesus voluntarily gave His life as a sacrifice for sin upon the cross. Mark, the Evangelist, writes in his Gospel: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45).
Jesus bore the wrath of God in your place, and He reconciled you with the Father. Christ's resurrection proves that there is the forgiveness of sins. God has declared the world justified in Christ. By grace you have been saved through faith in Christ.
This Good News is written down in the Gospel of Mark. Mark wanted you and many others to know and to believe in Jesus. Mark's Gospel clearly identifies Jesus as the Son of Man and the Son of God. Mark, in his Gospel, emphasizes repentance and faith in the forgiveness of sins. He talks about us who are unclean and about Jesus who cleanses us from our sin.
How are we cleansed from all our sin? Mark 16:16 reads: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” In Holy Baptism, God gives faith to believe in Christ. God saves by means of baptism. The blessings of the cross and resurrection are given in the waters of Holy Baptism.
Furthermore, in Holy Communion, our Lord gives us His precious body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. In this meal, He strengthens our faith and gives us heavenly food for our journey to heaven.
Saint Mark, the Evangelist would say, “It's all about Jesus — His baptism in the Jordan river, His deeds of healing the lame, the blind, and the leper, His fulfilling of the law, His death upon the cross for our sins, His resurrection from the dead, His ascension to the right hand of God, and His eternal blessing in the Word, water, bread and wine.”
We thank God that Mark, the Evangelist, has been a faithful servant and a blessing to the Church especially through the Gospel which he wrote. Also, since God has been merciful to Mark — in forgiving him all his sins — so also, God is merciful to us through His Son, forgiving us all our sin. This strengthens our faith. Finally, Mark is an example by which we may imitate both his faith and his holy living. As Mark persevered in the faith, so also, God give us the strength to persevere in the faith even in the midst of persecution. May God give us the strength to live out our lives in our various callings all to the glory of God and for the sake of the Gospel.
It's not about Saint Mark. It's about Jesus. So also, in our own lives, it's about Jesus. May others believe in Christ, come to the waters of Holy Baptism, and be saved. May our Lord's precious Gospel and Sacrament continue among us and be spread to all nations. Amen.
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