The Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist
Written by Suzanne Choi
“St. Mark” by Guido Reni, 1621
Celebrant I will make you as a light to the nations,
People That my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)
St. Mark the Evangelist is probably best known to us as the writer of the energetic 2nd book of the New Testament: The Gospel According to Mark. Interestingly, in ancient times, his record was less esteemed than the other three gospel accounts, as it was considered to be an inferior narrative. Indeed, the Gospel of Mark is still not known for its “literary polish,” but rather for its brevity, its focus on Jesus’ actions rather than his words, and its frequent (almost comic) use -- 41 times -- of the word “immediately.” Mark rapidly and unceasingly drove his narrative forward -- bypassing Jesus’ early years and back story by jumping straight into his ministry -- and then focusing more than the final third of his documentation solely on Passion Week.
Mark is the earliest of the gospels, written before the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, and is, therefore, the framework upon which Matthew and Luke, the other synoptic gospels, are based. Historical evidence indicates that Mark was Peter’s secretary and thus wrote his gospel narrative based both on the eyewitness testimony of Peter and on Peter’s sermons, and did not, therefore, always follow the chronological order of events. Because of Mark’s heavy reliance on Peter’s testimony, some even consider the Gospel according to Mark to actually be more like “the Gospel according to Peter”.
Mark wrote his account in Greek (acting thus also as an interpreter for Peter, who is not believed to have been fluent in Greek, but rather only in Aramaic), with the intent of a reading audience outside of the Jewish community. In my estimation, his authorship of this gospel alone, for a Gentile audience, in the lingua franca of the Mediterranean world of that time, would have been enough to earn him the title “St. Mark the Evangelist.” But it is believed that he went on in his later life (in AD 49, about 19 years after Jesus’ ascension) to establish the first network of churches in Africa – specifically centered in Alexandria, Egypt. Many aspects of the modern Coptic liturgy are said to be traced directly back to Mark, and as the first bishop of Alexandria, he is recognized as having established one of the five most important episcopal sees of early Christianity.
Like many others, I love the gospel of Mark and have personally spent more time in it than in any other gospel. And I very much admire Mark’s commitment both to write the message of Jesus in a way that was accessible to the wider Greek-speaking world and then, by deciding to move to Egypt, to even personally accompany that message, to other continents and cultures. Mark was indisputably a committed servant of God.
But what makes Mark also such a relatable human to me are some of the less honorable events in his life. For example, as Jesus’ time on earth drew to a close, and his final prayer session with his disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane was brought to an abrupt end by the arrival of his enemies, Mark records that “everyone deserted [Jesus] and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind” (Mark 14: 50-52). It is commonly understood that the unnamed young man was Mark himself! We can try to imagine the scene: Chaos ensues as Jesus is arrested, violence erupts as some disciples take matters into their own hands (see John 18), people are running away at top speed, someone apparently roughly grabs Mark as he seeks to maintain contact with Jesus in the crowd, and so Mark ends up likely fighting his way out of the situation, finally ducking out of his clothing, that he might escape in the nude. This must have been such a humiliating memory for him! The fact that he records it at all speaks to both his own sense of culpability and his profound diffidence.
Extreme disgrace arose again for Mark years later when he accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. Mark ended up either deserting these partners on that trip or in some other way leaving them against their wishes. This caused such controversy that, on their second missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas sharply disagreed about whether to risk taking Mark with them again. They eventually decided it was an irreconcilable dispute, and they parted ways! Paul left Mark (and Mark’s advocate, Barnabas) behind, choosing to travel instead with Silas (Acts 13-15). It is true that in later years, Paul’s writings indicate that he and Mark either worked out their differences or Paul had simply forgiven Mark, for Paul speaks fondly of Mark, giving him credit for his meaningful lifetime ministry. But it still must have been mortifying to Mark in his younger years when his mentors were arguing about whether he was reliable and trustworthy and then Paul decided that the answer, at least at that point, was a definitive “No!”.
All this to say, St. Mark is certainly to be ultimately revered for much of what he did and for all the ways both the church in his time and the church in the millennia since, including we ourselves, have benefited from his various ministries. In fact, much more than what little I’ve written here could be said of Mark in order to justify his position of venerated sainthood. But the written record also clearly indicates that he was by no means perfect. He gave in to discouragement. He succumbed to fear. He left both Jesus and other ministry partners when they needed him. One couldn’t always count on him. He did things that were embarrassing to himself and others. In other words, albeit a saint, he was also clearly a person simultaneously in deep need of a savior, even as he glorified and made that savior known to others.
A Collect for St. Mark the Evangelist (BCP 2019, p.628):
Almighty God, by the hand of Mark the evangelist you have given to your Church the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God: We thank you for this witness and pray that we may be firmly grounded in its truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Reflection
What is your legacy so far? In what ways is it mixed? What main things, positive or negative, would people remember about you if you died tomorrow?
Is there anything you need to confess, any area of your life that needs redemption? Don’t despair. Mark made some big mistakes, too, but he was still used by God in powerful ways.
With the time you have remaining on earth, in what ways can you increase the favorable impact of your legacy? (It is never too early or too late in life to make big moves, in faith and obedience to Jesus.)
Mark was an evangelist in unique ways, using his own personal gifts and talents, his background, and his personal experiences for the purposes of God’s kingdom. What are your gifts, talents, background, and personal experiences that God can use to make you “________ the Evangelist” in our world today?
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