Faith Works Summer Devotions

Background of the Gospel of Mark: 1. Mark is the shortest, simplest, and earliest of the four Gospels. It was composed by John Mark in AD 55-65 to a Roman audience using primarily Peter’s firsthand accounts and reflecting his own action-oriented personality. 2. Mark uses the “historic present tense” 151 times and the word “immediately” 42 times! 3. Mark’s Story: · Mark’s mother Mary had a large house in Jerusalem that was used as a meeting place for believers (Acts 12:12). Peter was at this house often, because the servant girl recognized his voice at the gate (12:13). · Many scholars believe that John Mark anonymously writes about himself as the “rich young ruler” (10:17-22) and as the “young man” who flees without his garment in the Garden of Gethsemane (14:51-52). · Barnabas was John Mark’s cousin (Col. 4:10), but Peter might have been the person who led him to Christ (1 Peter 5:13). · Barnabas and Saul took Mark along with them on their first mission journey (Acts 13:5) but for some reason, Mark turned ba