Gospel According to St. Mark

Like St. Luke, St. Mark was not one of Jesus’ disciples.   He also was a follower of St. Paul.   He is identified as the son of Mary of Jerusalem whose home had become a meeting place for the apostles, and a cousin of St. Barnabas.

The Acts of the Apostles tell us that St. Mark traveled with St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their initial mission to Antioch.   We again hear about St. Mark visiting Paul during his first imprisonment.  Paul further writes to Timothy, at Ephesus advising him to “take Mark and bring him to Rome, for he is profitable to me for the ministry”.    St. Mark had a relationship with St. Peter who called St. Mark his son in his first letter.

Mark is the first of the 4 gospel writers.  It is believed he wrote his account shortly after the deaths of St. Peter and St. Paul.  His gospel is the shortest and St. Mark did not record Jesus’ birth narrative as Matthew and Luke did.   At the very beginning of his gospel, St. Mark proclaims Jesus as the “Son of God”.  His account goes straight to John the Baptist in the desert followed by the baptism of Jesus.  Mark remains focused throughout his writings on the miracles of Jesus.