37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.

We saw in the purposes of Paul that John Mark had failed Paul and therefore was rejected by Paul for further service on his mission trip. Rejection is a hard pill to swallow, especially when it is done in the open, in front of those you respect.

In John Mark I see a man who had not yet matured in Christ. He might have thought he was ready to serve with Paul. John Mark might not have been mature enough to understand what was going to be expected of him. This is a common dilemma of service, in that the desire to serve can come before one is prepared to serve.

Rejection does not mean you have failed Christ. Those men who failed the pastor example in the telling of Paul’s purpose have all moved on to serve the Lord faithfully having matured. This includes myself. I too was a John Mark as one time. It would have been really helpful to have a Barnabas to disciple me on my journey. This is why I disciple others. I know how important discipleship is in personal growth in Christ.

Two issues I find encouraging about John Mark’s purpose. One is that he tried to serve Paul and stretching out to do more is not a wrong thing. It was Peter who called out from the boat, “If that be you Lord, ask me to do that which I cannot do in my own strength.” The second is that John Mark went with Barnabas and did not let his past failures prevent him from growing in Christ.

In the end John Mark proved himself and was found useful to Paul and applauded by Paul in the growth John Mark had shown. Mistakes do not make you a failure, giving up does.