SECOND CHANCES

 Acts 13:13

From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

                 In my devotions today, I came across the story of John Mark’s failure to continue in the ministry with Paul and Barnabas. It is passed over lightly in Acts 13, but we know that it became a real point of contention between Paul and Barnabas. In Acts 16, we read that Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them on their second missionary journey, but Paul was dead set against it. Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas taking John Mark to Cyrus and Paul taking Silas as his new traveling companion. But that was not the end of the story. Somewhere along the way things changed between Paul and John Mark.

                Mark is mentioned in positive terms by Paul in Colossians 4:10 and 2 Timothy 4:11.

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) (Colossians 4:10)

    Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.     (2 Timothy 4:11)

                It is obvious that after Paul’s initial rejection of John Mark, he gave Mark a second chance, in which he proved himself as a worthy ministry companion. If that was the end of the story, that would be enough, but there is more. There is credible evidence that the author of the Gospel of Mark is none other than John Mark, the young man who disappointed Paul. God gave John Mark an enormous second chance to make a difference for the Kingdom, and he did.

                We tend to give lip service to second chances in our world today, but we rarely actually grant them. More often, we are looking for a reason to cut our ties with the one to whom we say we are giving a second chance. The old adage, “three strikes and you’re out,” is pretty universal.

                Jesus calls for a different approach. In fact, He insists on unlimited second chances. In Matthew 18 there is an interchange between Peter and Jesus that changes the dynamics of second chances.

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

                Peter thought that he was being very generous when he offered to forgive seven times. But Jesus blew the doors off of that. Instead, He said that forgiveness needs to be unlimited. Actually, that is really good news for all of us, because Jesus set the standard for His forgiveness. When it comes to second chances, Jesus has an unlimited supply. If we will honestly come to Him and ask for forgiveness, He will always grant it, no matter how many times we have come back.

                I am greatly encouraged by the story of John Mark, because I have needed many second chances in my life. I am so glad that God has not applied the “three strikes and you’re out” rule to my life. If He had, I would have been gone a long time ago. Instead, He continues to offer me forgiveness and reconciliation every time I come back to Him in genuine repentance.

                Of course, this is not license to go on disappointing God at will. As Paul says, we have died to sin, so we should no more live in it. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:1-2) What it does offer us is a safety net for when we fail; a place to go and be restored.

                Just as John Mark was given a second chance, so we have been given it as well. And because we have experienced the grace of God in this way, we should extend that grace to those around us as well. God did not give up on John Mark. He eventually used him to write one of the Gospels. God has not given up on us as well. We are all the recipients of Jesus’ second chances.     

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.