This gospel was obviously written by the person whose name it bears. Although Mark, also known as John Mark, was not one of Jesus’ twelve disciples he received a firsthand account of Jesus’ ministry from the Apostle Peter. We learn much of what we know about Mark through reading the book of Acts. Luke, the writer of Acts, reveals that John Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but somewhere along the way deserted them. John Mark’s actions caused a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas which resulted in the two separating as ministry partners. Through time, John Mark matured and restored his relationship with Paul, once again becoming useful in the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). It was probably due to his connection with Peter which brought spiritual maturity to John Mark.
History teaches us that it is likely that John Mark wrote his gospel from Italy sometime in the early 50’s possibly making it the earliest gospel. Mark’s audience seems to be mainly Roman or Gentile believers. He focused on presenting Jesus as the suffering Servant and centered much of his writing on Jesus’ acts of service and sacrifice. Most of his gospel focuses on the ministry of Jesus with an emphasis on the human side. Mark reveals a Jesus who experienced feelings such as compassion, grief, and disappointment while also exposing His limitations (4:38; 11:12; 13:32). Probably one of the key verses in the gospel of Mark is found in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom [price paid to free slaves] for many.” Mark’s emphasis on Jesus’ servanthood should cause us to evaluate our own lives in service to others. If the very Son of Man committed His life to others, than we also should devote our time to humble service.
