Acts 13:13
From Paphos,
Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to
return to Jerusalem.
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.
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