By Dr. Donald Hubbard

Acts 13:13

Failure! The word has an ugly ring to it, doesn’t it? It’s usually the last thing any thinking person desires. Almost everybody wants to be a success; very few would want to be failures. Although we all know that failure can and does happen, it still comes as a surprise and a shock when we realize it has happened to us. For many, failure becomes a trap robbing those whom it attacks of joy and blessing. Without question failure is a very demanding taskmaster. For a few it sadly has become a way of life.

When we think about failure, we realize that the subject is a very complex one. There are so many different kinds of failure, so many different levels to it. We read about financial failure when the stock market sharply declines and many lose value in their investments. We hear about moral and ethical failure when people cheat on their mates and on others who have placed trust in them. The Christian community is not exempt for spiritual failure occurs within it with distressing frequency. That’s why the subject of failure is so difficult to really understand.

So we must narrow our focus. We want to examine an aspect of spiritual failure that is very common with most Christians. We are not dealing with certain extreme kinds of failure that produce disqualification for continuing ministry (note Paul’s concern in 1 Cor 9:27) or is so severe that it results in physical death (as some of the Corinthians had suffered in 1 Cor 11:27-31). Those are special cases which require special treatment.

No, what we want to investigate is the spiritual failure we all experience in personal relationships and spiritual responsibilities. Churches divide, families separate, relationships dissolve as a result of this kind of failure. Why is this study so important? It is because we all are so prone to problems in these areas. And the problems are complicated by the fact that we have a tendency to emphasize the failures of others while at the same time ignore our own.

Because we have that awful tendency to view the failures of others as more serious than our own, it becomes relatively easy for us to rationalize our stumbling, to justify our failings on the basis of circumstances, environment or other people. We are so quick to excuse our own failures; we are so slow in accepting personal responsibility for them.

Of course it is true that all failure is potentially hurtful. And it is also true that there are some failures which cause more hurt and damage than others. Certainly the failure of Judas in betraying Jesus (Matt 27:3-5) seems to us to be far more serious than our failure in keeping our promises or in fulfilling our spiritual obligations.

Believers can and do fail. The sad truth is that the Christian landscape is dotted with any number of Christians who have experienced failures of one kind or another. That should not surprise us for the Bible is full of stories about men and women who have failed in one way or another.

In the Bible we read about the failure of Adam and Eve and their disobedience, of Abraham and his deceit, of Moses and his anger, of Saul and his pride, of David and his immorality, of Elijah and his frustration, of Jonah and his reluctance, of Peter and his denial, of Demas and his disloyalty...the list could go on and on.

They are all stories of people who at one time or another experienced failure. Some of them overcame their failure by God’s grace and enablement. Others did not. And the Bible is silent concerning what happened to still others.

We learn early in life the sorrowful truth that no one is exempt from failure. In fact, our awareness that we are sinners reminds us that we all have failed in one way or another. Because all sin represents failure and since we all have sinned, the inescapable conclusion is that we all have failed. That is the consistent testimony of Scripture. The Apostle Paul put it this way: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). We realize this truth and we acknowledge it. It is part of our spiritual inheritance from Adam. We are sinners; we have failed to meet God’s standard for righteousness. We cannot meet that standard.

We not only fail because we have a sin nature, we also fail by making bad choices for which we are responsible. We sin because we are sinners. Is there any hope? Can our sin failure ever be forgiven? The testimony of Scripture is that it can. God has done His part; Jesus Christ died for our sins (Rom 5:8). He sacrificially took our place on the cross. Yes, God has done His part; now we must do ours by responding to Him in faith.

If there is to be forgiveness, then we must admit that we are sinners, that we have failed in meeting God’s standard for righteousness. We all "fall short" of God’s glory. More than that, we confess that we do not have it within ourselves to ever meet that standard. That is the first step toward becoming God’s children and experiencing His forgiveness. We must confess that we have sinned and positively respond to God’s plan of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.

We know that our sins have been forgiven when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Savior (John 3:15). God has done something about our sin. He has promised to forgive us our sin when we have genuinely trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior. He has enabled us by His Holy Spirit to live a life of victory and blessing.

But what do we do when, after having experienced God’s love and salvation in Jesus Christ, we find subsequently that we have failed God, others and/or ourselves? What do we do when we realize that the spotlight of God’s conviction is not upon others but upon us? When we become aware that we have failed even as Christians, frequently it becomes so difficult to know what to do about it, how to respond to it, how to put our lives back together again. It is at this point that so many have a tendency to just give up.

I think that is why the life story of young John Mark, a follower of Jesus Christ, appeals to so many of us. He has walked the path of failure before us...and there is much we can learn from his experiences. That is the reason we want to walk with him, to probe into the life of this young man whom we meet in the Scripture. His failure was the failure of commitment and loyalty. He becomes a classic example of representative failures in the lives of Christians. By understanding his failure we can better understand ours no matter what they are.

We are introduced to John Mark for the first time in the Bible in Acts 12:12. There we are told that his mother’s name is Mary and that his name is John, also called Mark. Many Jewish men in that day possessed both a Hebrew and a Roman name. John was his Jewish name; Mark was his Roman name. He is a relative of Barnabas and a close friend of Peter.

Some believe that he was the nameless young man dressed only in a sheet recorded in Mark 14:51-52: "A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind." It is a detail that only the writer would have known since the young man was unidentified. It could be that John Mark was giving us an insight into himself. If he were that one, then John Mark showed a tendency to run away from difficult situations. In the midst of panic, John Mark’s choice was to run. This trait will become a problem for him later.

When his cousin Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus returned to Antioch in Syria from Jerusalem, young John Mark was invited to journey with them (Acts 12:25). When the Lord impressed the church in Antioch to release Barnabas and Saul to go on a missionary trip to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, the two men took with them John Mark as their assistant (Acts 13:5).

After they had been commissioned by their home church in Antioch in Syria, the group journeyed to Cyprus where they began their significant ministry. Dangers and threats were an almost daily occurrence for them.

Then plans were made to travel to the mainland to plant churches. It was at this point that John Mark departed from the group. Of this incident the text merely states "From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem" (Acts 13:13). Luke adds no other insight as to why it had happened. But two years later Paul strongly opposed John Mark’s rejoining their group. This would indicate that Paul considered what John Mark had done totally unacceptable (Acts 15:37-40). It became clear that John Mark had failed in keeping his commitment and had sadly disappointed others by doing so. .

What can we learn about spiritual failure from this incident in young John Mark’s life? Obviously there are important truths here which all of us need to learn. If we haven’t failed yet, take care. One day we may. Perhaps if we learn these truths well, we will recognize potential failure before it occurs and will be able to avoid it.

So let us walk with John Mark, a follower of Jesus, who failed and try to understand why he did so and what can be done about it. To begin with, consider John Mark as...

Young John Mark was a most likable young man when we first read of him in Scripture. To understand the full story, we must read between the lines to discern the details. We must get to know his background, the fertile soil out of which he would grow to develop to maturity.

To some degree we are all products of our environment. In this day of broken homes and dysfunctional families, it is certainly true that many start life out with much against them. It is essential to realize that while environment is important, it is not determinative. That is to say, bad environments can be overcome. On the other hand, good environments do not necessarily result in productive achievements. It all depends on what the individual does with what has been provided for him or her. The great lesson we must all learn is that spiritual advantages do not prevent the occurrence of failure!

What were the contributions his background made to his spiritual growth in his early years?

1. There was the environment of his godly family.

Evidently John Mark’s father had passed away for we read nothing about him. In a society where social standing was measured in terms of male achievement, the father’s death was a real loss. Mary, his mother, had undertaken to raise her son as a single parent.

There are a number of women named Mary in the New Testament. They all have a good record of spiritual commitment. John Mark’s mother was a spiritually resourceful woman who opened her home to others for prayer, worship and fellowship.

The description of the size of his home and the presence of a servant named Rhoda suggest that the family was financially prosperous. Evidently Mary’s husband had been blessed materially and had provided well for his family. Hospitality was high on their priority list.

Another relationship sheds more light on John Mark’s family connection. Paul tells us that John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10). Barnabas was a name that had been given to him by his friends. His real name was Joseph. He was a Levite from Cyprus. His designation as a Levite indicated his personal spiritual heritage.

He was one of the important figures in the early history of the church as told in the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 4:36-37 indicates that Joseph was a man of means who sold some land (perhaps on his native island of Cyprus) and brought the proceeds of the sale to the apostles for them to use. Such funds helped to alleviate a temporary problem in caring for the numerous pilgrims who had become believers and had remained in Jerusalem.

Many Jews had journeyed to Jerusalem from all over the world to attend the Feasts of Passover and Pentecost. While in Jerusalem, they heard the testimony of Peter and other believers. Hearing the good news, they came to faith in Jesus, their Messiah. As new believers, they remained in Jerusalem for worship, fellowship and instruction. Their presence strained the resources of the early church who provided food and housing for them. It was through generous givers like Barnabas that the need was met.

In fact, the name "Barnabas" was given to Joseph from Cyprus by the believers in Jerusalem because of his generous nature. It meant "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36). And that was what Barnabas truly was...one who was always encouraging others. In the absence of a father figure in the home, it might be hoped that John Mark modeled his life after Barnabas. It would have been a good choice.

So John Mark's family knew the Lord. He had the blessing of a godly family environment where Christ was known, honored and served. That is a marvelous foundation on which to build a life of effective Christian service.

Not every believer has been blessed with that kind of family environment. I was...the family that God gave me was a believing family. My mother and father were interested in spiritual things. My brother and I came to faith in Christ at a young age partly because our parents had created a godly environment where we were consistently confronted with the gospel. I was blessed.

But many of my acquaintances were not so blessed. Their families seemed to be spiritually shallow, if Christian at all. Others lived with unbelieving families. Yet we all know that it pleases God from time to time to reach into homes where ungodliness appears to prevail and bring a son or daughter to faith in Jesus Christ. I have met a number of Christians who are living effective and productive lives for Christ who came from difficult family backgrounds. Yet, the other side of the picture is also true. I have known a number of those who claim to be Christians, who come from solidly Christian homes, who only give "a nod to God" when it suits them to do so. It all depends on how we respond to the light God has given us.

We must never allow our backgrounds to become excuses for not being all we should be for the Lord Jesus.

2. There was the encouragement of his godly friends.

He was surrounded by a number of prominent and influential friends who encouraged him in his spiritual growth. Mary had made her home into "a home away from home" for many Christians. Apparently it was the headquarters for the young Christian faith in Jerusalem. John Mark had the privilege of meeting those believers, having fellowship with them, and learning from them. Such individuals included leaders such as James and Peter. As they would recount stories about Jesus or share the application of the spiritual principles they had learned from the Lord, John Mark would listen attentively... and learn much.

Many of us have been encouraged by other Christian servants whom we have had the pleasure of hearing and knowing. What a blessing it is to have such people of God enrich our lives. Two men were influential in the development of my Christian life, men who took the time to mentor me in the things of God. They spent time with me, answered my questions, encouraged me and discipled me. Even years later, I thank God for them. They made a great contribution to my spiritual life.

We not only thank God for friends like that whom God has brought across our paths, but also we need to ask ourselves the question, "Am I that kind of friend to others?" So many times we spend life receiving from others but never giving of ourselves in some significant way to assist others in walking with Jesus.

John Mark could thank God for such friends who not only helped him understand what growing in Christ meant but also were instrumental in his becoming involved in what God was doing in the world.

Friends need to be selected with great care. They exercise more influence upon us than what we realize. Knowing who a person’s friends are tells a great deal about what that person thinks, what is valued, and what that person may become in the future

3. There was the enrichment of his godly faith.

Peter evidently was the human instrument who was used of God to lead young John Mark to experience a saving relationship with Jesus Christ (1 Pet 5:13). All individuals must come to the Savior on a personal basis. Even though John Mark had a wonderful family and godly friends, it was still necessary for him to exercise his personal faith in Jesus Christ. No one becomes a child of God by proxy. Peter evidently shared with John Mark the plan of salvation and he believed. "...Faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17). We do not know where or when this took place, but we are assured that at some point it did.

Because Peter knew of John Mark’s genuine faith, his recommendation would lend great weight to Mark's becoming seriously involved in the work of God. So when his cousin Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus were led of God to depart on a missionary journey (Acts 13:2) and they needed someone to serve as their attendant, the most obvious (and promising) young man was John Mark. He would be the logical choice. He was related to Barnabas and his mother had the wealth to finance his part of the trip if need be. What a tremendous opportunity came for that young man as a servant in ministry.

How excited young John Mark must have been when he realized that he was about to undertake a new and potentially dangerous trip to share the gospel of Christ with others. He was standing on the threshold of a new chapter in the expansion of the church in the Book of Acts. But there is heartache ahead for John Mark. He would have to learn what many others have learned since.

There is nothing in the Acts account that would prepare us for the next step in John Mark’s life. He suddenly became...

And so with great hopes and aspirations, the missionary party departed from Antioch in Syria to begin their task of proclaiming the gospel of the grace of God. They proceeded to Seleucia (the seaport for Antioch) where they took passage to the island of Cyprus. Since Barnabas was a native of Cyprus, it made sense to begin their work there. After all, it was the closest destination. And, after having moved through the island with one adventure after another, the fateful moment came when the text simply tells us "...John left them to return to Jerusalem" (Acts 13:13).

It is at this point that we must pause and ask some important questions. Why would Mark quit so suddenly, so abruptly? Why would he leave the journey at that critical juncture? And, furthermore, why make such a big issue of his departure? Isn’t this really a rather minor issue in the big scheme of things?

Let’s briefly examine the last two questions first. By returning to Antioch with Barnabas and Saul, John Mark had indicated his willingness to take seriously his commitment to Christ and to what God was doing in the world. And when the church at Antioch commissioned Barnabas and Saul after they obviously had been selected by the Holy Spirit, it was no small thing for John Mark to accept that challenge as well. A pattern was being established, one that would live long after them: the importance of seeing a commitment through to its conclusion.

In Luke 14:5-35, Jesus taught that counting the cost in spiritual commitment is a vital part of that commitment. Such decisions should not be made impulsively or lightly. Jesus spoke about the cost of discipleship, the personal cost of sincerely following Him. That cost is more than most Christians think. Jesus laid down strong terms for those who would follow Him. He would have them think through the cost of commitment before such a commitment is made.

How we need to remind ourselves that Jesus Christ did not come into the world to make life easy; He came into the world to make people godly! The Lord Jesus is looking for followers who will be willing to commit themselves to Him anywhere at any time at any price.

However, the first two questions, why would John Mark so abruptly terminate his association with Barnabas and Paul and why would he do it at that juncture, are also important because, in finding out why, we may discover factors which will enable us to avoid such spiritual failure in our own lives.

The text does not tell us specifically why John Mark decided to depart, but several possible explanations come to light as we study the facts. As we study them, perhaps we can learn the warning signs that spiritual failure is ahead.

1. One possible reason may have been he was anxious for home.

Now I must admit that this does not seem likely, but we must mention it as a possible reason for John Mark’s odd and adverse decision to walk away from his spiritual commitment. I wonder...did he struggle with the problem of dependent relationships? That is, did young John Mark become homesick? Did he miss his family so much that he just had to return? He had been living in relative affluence at home. Even though Barnabas was a wealthy man, there may have been certain experiences for which young John Mark was not prepared. After a while, home may have looked better to him than this journey. He would not have been the first to have suffered from the malady of homesickness.

I’m not suggesting that John Mark’s mother wrote him and told him to come home. But I do know that the problem of dependent relationships is a difficulty for some of the Lord’s servants. This certainly needs to be mentioned as a possible reason for John Mark’s defection.

2. Another possible reason may have been he was afraid of his circumstances.

Did he struggle with the problem of fear when facing unknown circumstances? Did the trouble in Paphos, including contact with sorcery and witchcraft, cause him to become personally afraid? Christian service is seldom as glamorous as it is pictured to be. Was his idealism jolted?

Did the prospect of going into Pamphylia with its diseases in the lowlands and robbers in the highlands take away his courage? Some have thought that Paul may have become quite ill, possibly with malaria. The disease could have struck him in Perga for that city was known to be subject to malarial infections. If so, then the missionary group may have anticipated journeying over the highlands. This might have further discouraged John Mark.

It is strange, however, that those change in plans would destabilize John Mark’s commitment and loyalty. He had known physical adversity before through the persecutions which Saul of Tarsus had initiated in Jerusalem before his dramatic conversion.. While he himself may not have been the target for such abuse, he would have known many others who were. That would have been a very difficult time.

Perhaps there were so many trials that had come to him during this journey that he was not fully prepared to face others. So, when pressure came he ran, just like he had run before in Mark 14:51-52. This, too, is a possibility we must admit. Fear can make cowards of us all if we do not exercise real care.

How many times I have felt that gnawing of fear and inadequacy as I faced a situation that seemed to be beyond me. I have known others who have felt the same way. Yet I came to understand that that is how God stretches our faith. That is how we become spiritually stronger and stronger. As someone has said, "The bumps are what we climb on!"

If you are facing situations which have created a sense of fear, rather than looking at your circumstances, look up and see the God Who is above the circumstances. There are those who face terminal illnesses with a sense of desperation; others face the same situations with a sense of serenity and peace. It is God Who makes the difference. Mind you, it is not that our faith in the Lord will bring healing. It may...but, then again, it may not. Rather, it is simply the fact that God provides a sense of peace that is so comforting as His will is worked out in our lives.

If Mark did quit because he was afraid, I dare say he would have learned a lesson by this experience in such a way that he would never be afraid like that again.

3. Another possible reason may have been he was angry with Paul.

During the course of their ministry in Cyprus, the leadership of the group apparently was transferred from Barnabas to Paul. Did John Mark struggle with that? After all, Barnabas was his relative. Did he take offense on behalf of his cousin?

The leadership order at the beginning of the trip was "Barnabas and Saul" (Acts 13:2). Then it was changed to "Paul and his company" (Acts 13:13). And finally it became "Paul and Barnabas" (Acts 13:43).

Later, in Acts 15:12, the order was once again "Barnabas and Paul" indicating the respect which those in Jerusalem continued to have for Barnabas. It would seem clear that among the Gentiles it was "Paul and Barnabas", but among the Jews it was "Barnabas and Paul."

Did John Mark resent this change in leadership? Was he jealous for his relative, Barnabas? Apparently Barnabas did not have a problem with such a switch in leadership, but it may have upset John Mark. Jealousy and who is in control are the sources of more than one division within Christian circles. Perhaps John Mark just couldn't take it any more, so he just quit...and walked out on the others.

If this reason be the reason, isn’t it interesting that John Mark took offense in an area which was not his in which to become involved. I have found that this is a root cause of so much division and discord in churches and between people: people taking offense over what was said or done between others. It was no problem to Barnabas. John Mark made it a problem where no problem really existed. Such a tactic inevitably results in that person becoming part of the problem rather than a part of the solution.

4. Another possible reason may have been he was alienated by the gospel Paul preached.

Did John Mark struggle with the problem of theological immaturity?

Paul’s new strategy of preaching to the Gentiles that salvation was a matter of grace through faith alone was a great problem for many of the Palestinian Jewish Christians at that time. Perhaps John Mark may have had a problem in that area, too. What happened at Paphos with regard to Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:6-12) may have tipped the scales in Mark's mind.

How could this be? Let us note a curious fact in the unfolding of the story in the Book of Acts. When John Mark is first introduced in the narrative of Acts, he is referred to by both his Hebrew and Roman names, John Mark. However, in this section of Scripture, he is called only by his Hebrew name John (Acts 13:5,13). Did Luke do this to indicate his strong Jewish convictions (and perhaps reservations) about the new emphasis on reaching Gentiles?

After his return to Jerusalem from Cyprus (Acts 13:13), John Mark dropped out of sight. We do not meet him again in the Acts’ story until two years later when Barnabas wanted to take him on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:38). Paul refused. The disagreement between Barnabas and Paul became so strong that they parted company... over how to deal with John Mark. So two mission societies were formed. Barnabas took Mark with him and they departed on a missionary journey to Cyprus (Acts 15:39) and sailed out of the book of Acts.

It is interesting at this juncture that Luke, the human author of Acts, called the young man Mark, his Roman name, not by his Hebrew name John. Could this be Luke's way of telling us that Mark had straightened out his previous difficulty of the place of the Gentiles in the program of God?

While the use of John Mark’s names may be more incidental than deliberately planned by Luke, it is still a fact to be remembered that others had problems with the Gentiles being included in God’s plan. Even Barnabas, too, had misgivings at Antioch (Gal 2:13). He was influenced by Peter’s wavering on the issue when Judaizing visitors came from Jerusalem and challenged him about the Gentiles. Paul had to confront Peter...and Barnabas...that their thinking was faulty. Both had the good sense and the grace to see that Paul was correct and changed their viewpoints.

It is helpful to remember that Paul’s name was changed from Saul, his Hebrew name, to Paul, his Roman or Gentile name, in this same section of Acts when Paul began to reach out to the Gentiles..

This attitude of misgivings in reaching the Gentiles always brought from Paul the strongest of reactions. Paul’s refusal to accept John Mark as a participant in the second missionary journey, even to the point of separating from his friend Barnabas, indicated the depths of Paul’s convictions in this matter. This was a core issue to Paul.

Whatever the reason, it is clear from Acts 15:38 that Mark's failure in Acts 13:13 had broken fellowship between him and Paul.

Again, we do not know the exact reason why John Mark did what he did. There may have been not just one reason but a combination of reasons that led to his abrupt departure. And it could be that John Mark was looking for a reason as an excuse to walk away. Some people do that. If he had already come to the conclusion that he didn’t want to go any further with Paul, then any reason would do.

John Mark’s decision must have caught both Paul and Barnabas by surprise. Being so committed to the task of reaching others for Christ, they were focused on the work to which the Lord had called them. Not only were they surprised, but also those back in Jerusalem must have been surprised when John Mark suddenly appeared.

When John Mark quit the missionary party and returned home to his mother in Jerusalem, I wonder what he told her? As he gave his testimony to other believers in the city about the progress of the Christian movement through the island of Cyprus, I wonder what he said? Lingering in the back of his mind, no matter how he sought to justify it personally, had to be the realization that he had walked away from an area of responsibility to which he had made a personal commitment.

It is tough to be a failure. How will Mark react? For him...and for all who have experienced failure in one form or another...there comes another step. John Mark becomes an example of...

What happens to a believer who has failed? Is there any hope? Certainly John Mark's failure marred his present service, but it did not end his future service. For him...and for all failures...the truth stands that no person need stay the way he or she is. No Christian need remain a failure! What can be learned from the failure becomes critically important.

Remember, there are some failures that bring disqualification as we mentioned before. But that is not in view here; that is another issue altogether. But the larger question remains. How can failures turn their failures into successes? It is one thing to have failed; it is quite another thing to know what to do about the failure.

During those dark days after John Mark had returned home, when he began to realize the enormity of what he had done and that he had no one to blame but himself, I wonder how he became encouraged to pursue the way back? I wonder if John Mark did not turn to the Old Testament Scriptures to find a parallel story that would be a source of comfort, encouragement and inspiration to him? But where would he turn? It would seem logical that he would turn to the story of the prophet Jonah, the ambassador of God who had failed miserably but to whom God gave a second chance.

The story of Jonah must have been a familiar story to John Mark, steeped as he was in the Old Testament Scriptures. Jonah, the prophet from Gath Hepher, the son of Amittai, had been commissioned by God to go and preach repentance to the Assyrians at their capital, Nineveh. The Assyrians were a bitter enemy of the Israelites. They were particularly cruel to their victims. If the Assyrians were spared by God, then they might do further mischief to Israel.

It is the story of the prophet putting patriotic zeal for his country before obedience to God’s command. The truth was that Jonah did not want God to spare Nineveh; he desired God’s judgment on the Assyrians. He was afraid that, if he went and did what God told him to do, God would have mercy on them And that was the last thing that Jonah desired. So, instead of going at once to Nineveh in obedience, Jonah boarded a ship going in the opposite direction. God sent a storm that engulfed the ship on which His reluctant prophet was a passenger.

Jonah finally ended up in the belly of the great fish which God had prepared to swallow him. There, in the stomach of the ship, Jonah prayed...and the fish vomited Jonah up on dry land. Having learned at least part of his lesson, Jonah proceeded to fulfill God’s commission for him. But I particularly like the way Jonah 3:1 reads: "Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." For Jonah, God was the God of the second chance.

And that’s what John Mark needed to realize. What God did for Jonah He could also do for him. All was not lost; God is the God of the second chance. As there was a second chance for Jonah, so there very well could be a second chance for John Mark...if he would seek it with all his heart. And John Mark did.

Now John Mark’s story in Acts does not give any hint as to what he did to return to active Christian service with his cousin Barnabas, nor when he met Paul to remove the barrier which existed between them. But we do know that he did resume service with Barnabas. And we know that he renewed fellowship with Paul, eventually earning his trust. In 2 Tim 4:11, when Paul was in a Roman prison cell facing certain death, he wrote to Timothy, "Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry."

Once failure has occurred, how do we make the journey back? What must young John Mark have done so that his failure did not become final?

I would suggest that there are three prerequisites for all who would seek spiritual restoration after failure: humility and honesty that lead to a deep and contrite repentance. To me, John Mark became characterized by these qualities. We are not specifically told that he had them, but it is safe to infer from his restoration that he did. He must have done the three things humility, honesty and repentance require...

1. John Mark confronted himself with his failure.

This is the first step in the restoration process. This is what honesty and humility leading to repentance produces. This first step can be very difficult for it requires confronting one’s self with his or her own personal failure.

That is always the place to begin...to see ourselves as we really are and to see our failure as it really is. This calls for ruthless honesty and genuine personal investigation. All rationalizations must be removed; all excuses must be forgotten. It is a time for genuine, heart-felt conviction and repentance.

But what is conviction? Conviction is that inner voice telling us we were wrong. It is that inner awareness brought about by the Holy Spirit that brings a sense of deep disturbance to our souls, an inner realization that something is desperately wrong.

Isaiah saw himself as he really was when something happened in his life that startled him. Every age has its heroes...those to whom the people look with admiration. Isaiah's age was no different. Uzziah, the king, was the popular hero. He reigned for 52 years.

Uzziah's record is given in 2 Kings 15:1-4 and in 2 Chron 26:16- 21. There were two defects that marred Uzziah's life and reign: (a) He had a lack of conviction...2 Kings 15:4. He left unjudged what he should have judged as the leader of his people under God. He should have set the example for consistent spiritual expectations. (b) And he had a lack of consecration...2 Chron 26:16-21. He did what he should not have done. His life was not spiritually minded. Although he knew better, he did not commit himself as he should have to spiritual principles. Uzziah was struck with leprosy as a result of divine judgment. He remained a leper until his death in 740 BC.

It is recorded that Isaiah did not see God until Uzziah the King had died. Was Isaiah looking to the king rather than to God? Men do have their vision obscured because they are looking to men rather than to God. When God removed Uzziah, Isaiah began to see things differently. When Uzziah died, Isaiah "saw also the Lord." And when he saw the Lord, he saw himself. He saw his personal guilt...Isa 6:5-7. For the first time, Isaiah saw himself as he really was...and he did not like what he saw! It drove him to be ruthlessly honest about himself, declaring, "Woe is me! Woe is me!" Isaiah saw himself in a new way when he took his eyes off man and put them on God. Real conviction came to his heart...and he acted on that conviction.

We need to see ourselves as we really are. When we do, we will not only be convicted by our failure, we will also want to be delivered from our failure. And that is where repentance enters the picture.

What is repentance? Repentance is that response to conviction from the believer’s state of mind whereby he or she is willing to turn away from personal wrong doing and by doing so turn to God to seek His forgiveness and, where necessary, to also seek the forgiveness of others who have been offended.

To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "...Your sorrow led you to repentance..." (2 Cor 7:9). The sorrow of conviction leads to the changing of the mind and heart of repentance.

When Mark went back to Jerusalem, it surely did not take him long to realize that the problem was with his own heart. No matter what the external pressures and problems might have been, the real problem was with himself. At some point strong conviction that he was wrong began to set in. His repentance undoubtedly produced within him a sense of personal grief when the realization struck him as to what he had done and how he had done it.

We who have failed need to investigate, to understand, to know the reasons for our failures. And we need to be deeply and sincerely honest about this. We must face our failures squarely and call the failures what they really are.

Above all, we must not become bitter toward God or toward fellow Christians. We must not blame them. It is so easy to rationalize, to justify, our failures by blaming someone else. As long as we project the fault lying with others, we will never take that first step on the road to recovery.

In humility and honesty with repentance, we who have failed need to admit to ourselves our own failures, to repent of that failure, confess that the blame lies with us, and that, by the grace of God, we will do something about it.

The most crucial moment in the lives of believers who have failed is not the moment of failure. It is the moment after failure when they realize that indeed failure has occurred. The road to spiritual recovery truly begins here.

2. John Mark confessed his failure to God.

This is the second step in the restoration process. Nowhere does the text specifically state that John Mark did this, but we know that somewhere he must have. Why? Because his failure had broken his fellowship with God and that fellowship needed to be restored.

When we sense that God is far away, we can be sure that He has not moved; it is we who have moved away from Him, so to speak. We need to remember that God loves us. God’s love is not conditioned by our responses; His love is unconditional. God loves us just as much when we fail as he does when we are in spiritual triumph.

Surely this concept is made clear in the life of Elijah. The glorious moment for Elijah came when he stood atop Mt. Carmel challenging the hundreds of false prophets of the Baals which Jezebel had introduced into Israel’s worship. 1 Kings 18 tells us of that striking moment when one man stood against the multitude...and God answered by fire.

And yet, even after that triumph, when Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life, he ran away as far south as he could go, even a day’s journey into the desert beyond Beersheba. Tired, emotionally distraught and terribly discouraged, he wished that he might die. But there was God...meeting Elijah’s need, taking him to Horeb where God recommissioned him. We can always be assured that God loves us...and God desires His best for us.

God’s ear is always open to our confession; His hand is always outstretched to us to welcome us back home. The truth in 1 John 1:9 is very clear: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

But what does it mean to "confess"? The word itself means "to agree with." It carries with it the idea that we agree with God as to how God sees our failure, our sin. We know that the ultimate resolution of our problem is with Him.

God is more interested in forgiving us than we are in being forgiven. The promise is crystal clear: our humble and honest confession makes possible God’s forgiveness and continual cleansing (the force of the Greek verb carries with it this idea). God takes two steps to our one in meeting us on our journey back to Him and to His fellowship.

Just as the father waited for his prodigal son to return to him (Luke 15), so our heavenly Father waits for us. He desires us more than we desire Him. He sees our return before we see Him. And He rushes to meet us, to lavish His forgiveness upon us, and to restore us once again to fellowship with Him.

An important part of God’s forgiveness is to resume service as soon as possible. God put Elijah back to work. Evidently other Christian leaders were satisfied with John Mark’s restoration even if Paul was not. Barnabas felt there was just too much potential in the life of John Mark to let him go by the wayside, so he took him to Cyprus to serve the Lord Jesus under his supervision. He didn't let Paul's rejection keep him from serving Christ where he could in whatever way he could. He proved himself. One who has failed does need time to prove himself or herself. The right to continue service must be subsequently earned.

There is a cautionary note that needs to be sounded here. Certain types of failure produce different results. The issue is not forgiveness. All and any sin may be forgiven if the guilty person repents and turns to God in full confession. But we need to remember that there are some failures in Christian service which are severe enough to disqualify the offender from any further direct service as Christian leaders. The issue is not forgiveness; the issue in these cases has to do with God’s requirements for leadership positions and whether or not the individual has disqualified himself or herself. The forgiven failure may be used of God in His service in a different way. But for John Mark that was not the issue...he could be restored to active Christian service...and he was.

3. John Mark contacted Paul about his failure.

But there is still a third step in the restoration process. At some place, at some point, John Mark faced Paul with his failure. We do not know where he met Paul, or when...but it is clear that Paul and Mark did work out their differences. Eleven years later Paul would say of John Mark that he was a "fellow worker" (Phm 24; Col 4:10), that he was a "comfort to me" (Col 4:11), and that he wanted Mark to join him for he was "helpful to me in my ministry" (2 Tim 4:11). He wanted Mark with him. Here was restoration at its finest.

Restoration involves making things right with those whom we have wronged or offended, including both the Lord and other people. Jesus taught us that principle in Matt 5:23-24. And just as John Mark approached Paul about that which had divided them, Paul also must be willing to forgive and forget...he was and he did. They became respected friends. John Mark later enjoyed the fullest confidence of the Apostle Paul.

John Mark received the ministry of restoration not only from Paul but also from others. This is what Gal. 6:1-2 means: "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." "Restore" is in the present continuous tense. It means to continue restoring; we are not to give up on the sinning brother. And let us remember that "restore" in Gal 6:1 carries with it the idea of resetting a bone which has been broken, or mending a net which has been torn. May God give us the spirit of being "restorers" to those who have failed. It is action which will allow healing to take place.

This is where so many churches and Christians fail. What is my relationship to that sinning brother? Warren Wiersbe describes what we should not do, but we often do. There are those who rejoice over such sinning, for these are they who like to make themselves look good by making other Christians look bad. There are others who would reveal the sinning to others, forgetting the admonition "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). How frequently we enlarge the wounds of others when we repeat acts of sin under the guise of "praying more intelligently for it". Still others would reject the sinning brother, condemning him severely for his failure. Thus, they would turn away from that brother or sister in the hour of greatest need. What should we do? Paul is clear: restore the sinning brother! (from Moody Monthly, Feb, 1983, p 95)

Mark's last record was a good one. As someone has written, "Effective living is not measured as much by what we accomplish, as by what we overcome in order to accomplish it."

But does God have any work for a failure such as Mark? The answer is, of course, "Yes!" Decidedly so! John Mark not only served with Barnabas on Cyprus, he not only joined with Timothy and Paul in spreading the gospel, but also it is highly significant that God used John Mark in his later years to write a biography of the life of Jesus, the book that bears his name. We know it as "The Gospel of Mark." What a privilege! When we read the Gospel of Mark, we need to remember that it was written by a man who once had failed but overcome his failure to contribute a life of significant service to the cause of Jesus Christ.

So, we learn many principles from the story of John Mark’s failure. Among them we learn that believers can and do fail, that advantages are no guarantee against failure, that failures usually have causes, that what we do with our failure is crucial, that God is more than interested in our spiritual recovery, that what is done immediately after a spiritual failure is a critical time, that we must admit the truth about ourselves, that we must seek God’s forgiveness, that we must make things right with others we may have hurt or damaged, and that we must resume as soon as possible our walk with Him.

As we learn from the followers of Jesus, let us be aware that we could fail. We need to be cautioned not to take a casual attitude toward failure. Some believers seem to want to get as close to the fire as they can without getting burned.

And if we have failed, let us not think that everything is over, that our lives are useless and worthless. God is the God of all grace. God delights in taking broken lives and making them whole again. That is what God’s grace is all about.

If we have failed and are in the midst of our failure, let us seek restoration. God extends His hand to us. We need to take it by faith and walk the pathway of repentance back into His sweet fellowship again.

If we know of others who have failed, let us not be harsh, critical or judgmental...

they need help just as we needed help in the midst of our failure. Let us be bearers of mercy to all who need it.

Remember...God is the God of the second chance.

Remember...no person need remain the way he or she is.

Remember...failure need not be final.

Remember...there is hope for every failure.

Remember...be an instrument in God’s hand to help failures become successful.