931
THE KING'S BUSINESS
and most highly esteemed member of the church next to the apostles. He was probably regarded as a prom ising young man. When Barnabas a nd Pa ul set out on their first missionary jour– ney, it was natural that they sho uld take him along. The first place t hey came to was Cyprus where th ey enjoy– ed the favor of the governor and Mark might have been the most enthusiastic of the party. Then they sailed to Asia and landing at Perga, Paul and Barn a– bas determined to cross the Taurus range of mountains and strike inland. These mountains were difficult a nd dangerous to cross and were infested with robbers. Mark's enthusiasm be– gan to cool. He thought his mother needed him in Jerusalem. In spite of the protests of Paul and the appeals of Barnabas, he left them at Pamphylia and went home. In a fit of enthusiasm he volunteers for the mission field but at the first sign of hardship he goes back. Mark's enthusiasm is good enough. We have too little of it in the cause of Christ. We have enough in worldly matters, in playing games, and seeking pleasure and making money but excessive zeal is not the fault of the average christian. If we put half the enthusiasm into our religion that we put into business or politics, more would be brought to pass. Even a rash enthusiasm is to be preferred to a cold respectability that never dares anything. There is an especial danger however in emotional religion. Feeling alone is an unstable foundation. It has a habit of disappearing in the presence of difficulty or danger. The Saviour describes a man who hears the Word and straightway with joy re– ceiveth it, but when persecution or trouble ariseth, straightway he is of– fended. Christ wants loyal, faithful, steadfast followers, whose enthusiasm is not like a fire of shavings but as the flame of oaken logs ever steadily and brightly burning. He that endur– eth to the end shall be saved.
parties were sent out instead of one, which is often more desirable. ( 3) THE PERSEVERANCE IN SER– VICE, 2 Tim. 4 : 11 "Take Mark and bring him with thee; for he is profitable to me for the min– istry." Mark is back in service now. Paul recognizes his usefulness and asks Tim– othy to bring him back with him. We are glad to read that. How often there are separations and heartaches in the Lord's work; how often there are losses to our Lord's glory through strife and dissensions. What a time the Lord has with His people, anyway! How good it is to read of Mark in association with Peter and to hear Peter call him his son ( 1 Peter 5: 13). Now, after it all, Mark is able to write the story of Christ's ministry– not from his own association with Him, but from his association with Peter. All that is known of John Mark is expressed in half a dozen New Testa– ment verses, viz. Mark 14:51; Acts 13: 13; Acts 15:37, 38; 2 Tim. 4:11. It is commonly believed DEVOrTIONAL that the young man COMMENT with the linen cloth is Dr. F. W. Farr Mark. ·This way of referring to himself is quite in keeping with the manner of the Gospel narrative. The minuteness of the incident favors the idea that the evangelist is giving a bit of his own his– tory. It reveals him as a man of noble impulse and generous enthusiasm but somewhat lacking in steadfast and resolute courage. Mark's family was prominent in Jerusalem. His mother was the Lady Bountiful of the early church who opened her palatial home for the church prayer meetings. It was a house with a porte cochere and there was a servant to attend the gate. His uncle Barnabas was the best known
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