Just Some Guy
Acts 13:13-34
“From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem”
What a great throw-away line. We hardly even notice his presence so we seldom think to wonder, who is this John? Why was he there? Why did he leave and what was the result? We know from 13:2,3 that Paul and Barnabas had been set apart by the church at Antioch by the Holy Spirit, “for the work to which I have called them.” We know from 13:5 that John went with them “as their helper.” We know from Acts 16:37-40 that John’s decision to leave them caused such bad feelings in Paul that it led to a rift between Paul and Barnabas on their next journey, so that they split up, Paul choosing Silas and Barnabas choosing his young relative John Mark. The general teaching of the Bible studies I’ve attended has been that John had some character flaw that caused him to leave, but I wonder.
“John” is known elsewhere in the Bible as “John Mark.” The church was meeting in John Mark’s mother’s house in Jerusalem when the angel delivered Peter from jail; we know, because that’s where Peter ran when he realized he was free. We also know that from the earliest days of the church, John Mark was accepted as the author of the Gospel of Mark, probably drawn from time spent with Peter, perhaps in Rome. So we know he wasn’t some lightweight.
As I’ve thought about this, I’ve tried to picture John Mark. He still lived with his mother, so he was probably young. He had just accompanied Paul and Barnabas on a sea journey from Antioch to Salamis, all the way across Cypress to Paphos and now on another sea journey from Paphos to Perga. Perhaps by then he’s had it up to here. “Really, guys, you’re going to go on?” I can think of all sorts of reasons for him to leave. Maybe he promised his mom he’d be home in time for Christmas. Maybe he had a girlfriend. Maybe he had bone-spurs. Heck, maybe he was just tired of following along behind two old guys listening to them kvetch. Whatever it is, he’s outta here and back to Jerusalem.
The point is that before these early leaders in the church were carved into marble and mounted n a pedestal they were real live people, God used “poor, ornery people like you and like me,” as the old carol has it , to do the work of establishing the church. None of them was perfect, except Jesus. If one turned back, the Lord raised up someone else. And in later years He gave John Mark a chance to write one of the most important pieces of literature we have, the gospel that Matthew and Luke drew on when they wrote their gospels. And happily, we know that Paul eventually forgave him and called him “very helpful to me,” 2 Tim. 4:11 so the rift between them wasn’t permanent.
It makes me think of that old bumper sticker, “Please be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet.” That’s a good word to know.