Mark the evangelist

It is interesting to remember that the evangelists were all very human. We remember Mark the evangelist on April 25. He is John Mark, the young man who accompanied Paul and Barnabas on Paul's first missionary journey. Mark seemed to give up half way - and as a result the next time round Paul refused to take him along, leading to a sharp dispute between Paul and Barnabas.

It is interesting to know Mark's background. He was really like many of us - facing failure at some stage, yet getting up, going on and still being of value for God's kingdom purposes. Spiritual growth is never simple and linear. There are hiccups and wrong turns along the way. And yet, we learn and grow from failures in ways we could never do from success alone. Our weaknesses exposed, we realize how much we need to depend on God's strength and seek his grace.

Indeed, Mark did play his part in fulfilling Jesus' words at the end of his gospel: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation" (16: 15)