Read: Acts 12:25 - 13:5
THEME: For much of his life John Mark appeared to be living on the edge of the action. For many this is an uncomfortable area to be in, but it can be an ideal place for God to shape us and mature us.
As we continue to follow John Mark’s story, we read in Acts 12:25 that he was selected to travel with Barnabas and Saul.
Barnabas was his cousin and in all probability Saul, the converted persecutor of the church, had become something of a hero for John Mark. Saul may have done great damage to the Jerusalem church, possibly affecting Mark’s own household, but young men tend to enjoy dramatic conversion stories, often wishing they were their own.
Arriving in multicultural Antioch from a largely mono-cultural Jerusalem must have been something of a shock, and given the busyness of Barnabas and Saul there must have been times when he wondered why they had uprooted him from Jerusalem. Before long, though, they were on the move again. Barnabas and Saul were being sent to Cyprus. They had been church leaders in Antioch whilst he had been sitting in the pews. Now they had been prayed on their way by the church leadership whilst he had simply joined the team to carry the bags.
It can be tough living on the edge of action but it is a good place to grow. There are advantages in not being the centre of attention.
May God fill us with joy in whatever way we serve him.