St Mark by the Rev’d Stuart Ansell

Mark 13:5-13 
Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. [6] Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. [7] When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. [8] For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. [9] "As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. [10] And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. [11] When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. [12] Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; [13] and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 
St Mark may have been the author of the gospel which bears his name, for Papias in AD 135 described Mark as "Peter's interpreter" and the gospel is thought to be based on Peter's recollections. But the gospel is more than just Peter's account of the events of the life and death of Jesus. The author has put together a number of different traditions both oral and written, to speak to the people of the day. The gospel is thought to have been written some time around AD 70, around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and when Roman Christians were facing persecution. Most modern scholars believe it to have been written not by Mark the Evangelist, but by an unknown Hellenistic Jewish Christian, possibly in Syria. 
But even if he wasn't the author of the gospel, we do know a good deal about St Mark the Evangelist from the pages of the Bible. He's thought to be John Mark, cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) and called "my son" by Peter (1 Peter 5:13) although he may actually have been the son of Peter's old friend Mary, from Jerusalem (Acts 21:12). Whoever his mother was, we know she was a prominent member of the Christian Church in Jerusalem, for it was to her house that Peter went on his miraculous release from prison (Acts 12:12-13). 
At around this time, Mark joined up with Paul. When Paul and Barnabas had finished their work in Jerusalem, giving alms to the Church to help out with the famine in AD 45-46, they took Mark with them on their return to Antioch (Acts 12:25). Soon after that they set out on what became know as Paul's First Missionary journey, and they took Mark along to learn the ropes and to help out in the background. He may have begun some preaching while on this journey (Acts 13:5). But when Paul decided to go on into Asia Minor, Mark gave up and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). 
It took a long time for Paul to forgive Mark for jumping ship, and he refused to take Mark with him on his Second Missionary journey. This in turn led to a split between Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas went his own way, sailing to Cyprus, and made a point of taking Mark along with him (Acts 15:37-40). 
We're not told what happened next for Mark, but we do learn that ten years later he was again with Paul, this time in Rome when Paul was imprisoned there in AD 59-61. He may have been there in Peter's company, but by now Paul had forgiven him for any past sins and recommended the Colossians to receive him (Colossians 4:10). And Paul sends greetings to Philemon from Mark, whom he names among his fellow-workers (Philemon 1:24). 
Shortly before his death, Paul wrote to Timothy at Ephesus and asked him to collect Mark and bring him to Rome, adding "for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). Clearly over the years Mark had grown enormously in stature in Paul's eyes, and Mark was probably in Rome with Paul when Paul was martyred. 
Although he refused to go with Paul in the early days, Mark may have reached Asia Minor eventually, for the first letter of Peter was addressed to the churches in Asia Minor and carries a greeting from Mark who was presumably known to many of the churches there. (I Peter 5:13). He may have gone to Egypt too, for a later tradition claims St Mark as the founder of the Church of Alexandria, although it's uncertain when he reached Alexandria. 
Interestingly, it's thought that Mark might have lost a finger joint at some point in his travels, for early in the third century Hippolytus referred to Mark as "stump-fingered". Some have suggested that after Mark embraced Christianity, he cut off his thumb to unfit himself for the Jewish priesthood, but others claim that his fingers were naturally short and stumpy. 
The date of Mark's death is uncertain. St. Jerome says it was in the eighth year of Nero (62-63) but if he was alive when the second letter of Timothy was written (2 Timothy 4:11), that can't be correct. Neither do we know with any certainty how Mark died, although the "Acts" of Mark and the "Paschal Chronicle" say that he died while being dragged through the streets of Alexandria. But since this information comes from as late as the fourth century, it may not be entirely accurate. Some say that St Mark's body was then removed from Alexandria to Venice, where it remained, giving a high profile to St Mark in Venice ever since. 
In Christian literature and art, St. Mark is symbolically represented by a lion, but this might be a surprising symbol given his earlier history. It's comforting to know that even saints were fearful at times, and that Mark turned away from the rigours and deprivations of following Christ. There were even rumours for quite some time that he turned his back on Jesus, and was one of those who gave up after the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:66). Be that as it may, Mark certainly returned to Christianity, and became one of our greatest saints, working for the rest of his life in the service of the Kingdom. 
He was loved by God even when he gave up, and was forgiven by God for all his faults. God's strength was made perfect in Mark's weakness, and Mark achieved the sort of success in spreading the gospel, which few would have dreamed possible. 
We can all take heart from Mark. He may have been the young man who ran away naked when Jesus was snatched in the garden (Mark 14:51-52), for running away seemed to be a pattern in his life for some time. But Jesus can change negative patterns and replace them with positive patterns, as he did with Mark. Jesus continues to do the same today. He can transform us into the people we might be, if only - like St Mark - we let him.