Intro The Apostle Paul wrote to Pastor Timothy, “Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the Ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).
Many saints of old are often larger than life. Some seem holier and stronger than we could ever be. Think of John the Baptizer. He wore rough clothing and ate grasshoppers. He shunned prestige and preached with such backbone and fire that he was beheaded because of it. Think of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. She had a quiet faith that never seemed to waver, even while a teenager, even if it meant that others would think she was but a tramp who slept around. Deacon Stephen was the first martyr of the New Testament Church. He prayed for his tormentors, even while they were throwing rocks at him, stoning him to death. Compared with these saints, we seem pallid, pale, and cowardly! Main Body But some saints are, like us, not as impressive. St. Mark, whose feast day we celebrate today, is a saint for the rest of us. Mark is one of the four evangelists. That means he wrote one of the 4 Gospels in the New Testament. And in case if you’re still confused, he wrote the one called “The Gospel of Mark.” The writers of the 4 Gospels rarely spoke of themselves in glowing terms. Matthew would never let you forget that he was once a horrible tax collector. John wouldn’t even mention his own name. He called himself “the other disciple” or “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He wasn’t boasting. For John always seemed surprised that Jesus would even love him or call him to discipleship. Mark is like that. He’s in his own Gospel, but he’s never named. You’ve probably heard his stories, not realizing that Mark was in them. In the Parable of the Sower, Mark receives the seed of faith among the thorns. But when He heard the life-creating Word of Jesus, “the worries of this life, the seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things came in and choked the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). According to Church tradition, Mark was the rich young ruler who asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” . . . “Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing: Go and sell everything you own and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me.’ Stunned at this statement, the man went away grieving, because he had many possessions” (Mark 10:17, 21-22). It was at Mark’s home, we believe, where Jesus ate His last Passover with His disciples on the night when He was betrayed, when Jesus made His Supper the core of His new covenant with His people. Later that evening, when the disciples all left with Jesus to go to the Garden of Gethsemane, Mark cautiously followed them. But still, Mark couldn’t get too involved. Jesus intrigued Him; he knew Jesus was different and special. Jesus spoke with power; He forgave sins; He even raised Lazarus from the dead! But beyond being drawn to Jesus, that was as far as Mark would let it go. And Mark’s personality was that he wasn’t a risk-taker. Mark liked to be safe and comfortable. Don’t tell Mark to make monumental sacrifices if it means discomfort or danger to life and limb. And so Mark ran away when he became scared. And that’s what Mark did, late Thursday night, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus at Gethsemane. When things got rough, when they grabbed Mark, he ran away fearing for his life, naked, the expensive linen garment still in the soldier’s hand. (Mark 14:51-52) But the Holy Spirit eventually brought Mark to faith. And later, Mark even traveled with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey. But Mark, being true to his nature, bailed out when things got rough, and went back home to Jerusalem. Listen to what happened when Barnabas wanted to take Mark on another missionary journey. “Paul didn’t think it was right to take along the man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and who had not continued with them in the work. The disagreement was so sharp that they parted ways, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus” (Acts 15:38-39). This was no minor squabble. But Mark still grew as a man and grew in the faith. He changed from a coward to be despised, at least by the Apostle Paul, to become the writer of the second Gospel text in the New Testament. And Mark wasn’t even an Apostle! For a book to make it in the New Testament, it had to have apostolic authorship. So what gives? Mark was never of the Jesus’ 12 disciples, and Jesus never directly made him an Apostle--but there’s the book of Mark in the Bible for all the read. In the early 2nd century, Papias, the Bishop of Hierapolis, noted that Mark was the disciple and interpreter of Peter. Mark followed Peter to Rome, and wrote down Peter’s sermons, teachings, and stories of Jesus. Peter and Mark were so close that in his First Epistle he even called Mark his “son.” So one could call the second book of the New Testament as “The Holy Gospel according to St. Peter, through the hand of St. Mark.” I suppose that principle is even at work today in some strange way. You could call this sermon, “The sermon of Pastor Futrell through the mouth of your elder” (or deacon if we want to use biblical terms). Well, back to St. Mark--but even more--on to Jesus. We see how much Mark messed up, and how he was, at first, so unreliable, that he wasn’t even fit to assist the Apostles and Church’s first pastors. But Mark recognized his cowardly nature, and realized that he was cowardly because he was afraid to die. While running away in fear, he was also running away from Christ toward his own self-made god. Mark repented, and became like Peter--not in his hotheadedness--but in his faith in Christ. For Mark finally realized, and it finally sunk in, that only Jesus had done what he, the former rich young ruler, could not do. Only Christ kept the Law without flaw, and because of that, those who receive Christ’s work for them also receive Christ’s righteousness. And that’s the message the Apostles went out to preach. That’s the message that Christian pastors continue to preach. And that’s the message this elder is now preaching under the authority of your pastor. That Gospel, that message of mercy from the God, is the message the Apostles were sent out to proclaim. Not with eloquence, rhetorical flourish, or great learning did they go forth, but with a single proclamation: Jesus of Nazareth, truly God in the flesh, was crucified to atone for our sins, and rose again. That has changed everything for us, for by it the entrance to the kingdom of God is now open. That Gospel of forgiveness is what makes a greedy, useless coward like Mark a great saint. That means that you and I can also be saints. For a saint is not a saint by his own achievements, but by the grace of God. The rich young ruler who went away grieving came back. The naked runaway returned. The coward who abandoned Paul in Pamphylia visited him in a Roman prison. Mark became Peter’s scribe, took careful notes of his sermons, and compiled the second Gospel. He even gave us these words from the mouth of Jesus: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35). Mark later proved it by writing one of the Gospel texts and, yes, losing his life. So what happened to Mark after he and Paul made up? For later, Paul did tell Pastor, or Bishop, Timothy to “get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for the Ministry.” After Mark had finished his work with Paul, he traveled to Alexandria, Egypt where, according to Church tradition, he founded the Coptic Church and was became its first Bishop. Later, when opposition to Christianity grew, Mark was martyred for the faith. He died for the faith, for the sake of the Gospel, the Gospel he came to bring. But we should neither remember Mark for his martyrdom, nor for his earlier cowardice. We should remember him for his Gospel: the true, faithful, accurate, inspired account of the words, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is the Good Shepherd, Mark was one of the good Gospel writers. Mark wrote of repentance, salvation, and peace. That is the Gospel that Mark wrote, and the same Gospel that saved him. That’s what turned him from someone useless into one, in Paul’s words, “useful to me for the Ministry.” Mark is a saint for the rest of us. We can identify with him. Mark loved his money. He wanted to be comfortable; he didn’t what his “lifestyle” to be turned upside down. Mark didn’t want to make big sacrifices. And when he finally he set out for service, he went back home. All Mark wanted to do was to be a comfortable Christian, just like you and me. But God always has others plans for us. He had other plans for Mark. And thank God that He did. For God’s grace won out in Mark, in spite of Mark! For even when greed and hypocrisy were ruling his life, the Lord still looked on Mark and loved him. Even when Jesus spoke stern words to Mark, He did so out of love, putting him on the path to salvation. Conclusion Mark is the saint for everyone. He was afflicted with our weaknesses of faith, and yet God’s grace won out in the end! By God’s grace, you also cling to the same Gospel that Mark preached, and in the end, died for. “What will it profit a person if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? What can a person give in exchange for his life?” “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of [Christ] and the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:36-37, 35). Thank God that He has given us St. Mark’s Gospel to point us to Christ, and that by believing in Him we have life in His Name. For Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen. -- Rich Futrell, Pastor Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Kimberling City, MO Where we are to receive and confess the faith of the Church (in and with the Augsburg Confession): The faith once delivered to the saints, the faith of Christ Jesus, His Word of the Gospel, His full forgiveness of sins, His flesh and blood given and poured out for us, and His gracious gift of life for body, soul, and spirit. ___________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author (as long as no charge is made for the work and it is not made part of a compilation), as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. 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