Who Is John Mark?
In “Another Man with Two Names” we talked about a guy known as John Mark. Although no one knows why he’s called John Mark, it does distinguish him from other men in the Bible named John.
John
In addition to John Mark, I count four guys in the Bible with the name of John:
- John the Baptist
- John the Apostle (and brother of James, sons of Zebedee)
- John [also called Jonah] the Father of Peter
- John, who was likely a religious leader or the relative of one, Acts 4:6.
John Mark
It seems there is only one guy called Mark. Mark is mentioned eight times in the New Testament (three times as John Mark, twice as Mark, but referring to John Mark, and three times as Mark, likely referencing John Mark.)
Mark
Lastly, John Mark (sometimes called Mark) may have been the author of the book of Mark. Wouldn’t it be confusing if we called his book John-Mark, instead?
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Acts 1-4 and today’s post is on Acts 4:6.]
Read about more biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Read more about the book of Acts in Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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