FaithMarks on April 25, 2025: Who Was Mark—the Man Behind the Gospel?

On this day, April 25, many remember Mark, the man traditionally credited with writing the Gospel of Mark. In more liturgical traditions, today is the Feast Day of St. Mark. So it's worth taking a moment to appreciate his legacy in spreading the good news of Jesus.

Mark—also known as John Mark—shows up early in the New Testament. He was the cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10), traveled with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13), and later became closely associated with the Apostle Peter (1 Pet. 5:13).

According to early Christian tradition, Mark wrote his Gospel based on Peter’s firsthand accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. His Gospel is the shortest, most action-packed, and possibly the earliest of the four. Mark’s writing style is fast-moving and urgent—using the word “immediately” more than 40 times. He puts more emphasis on what Jesus did than what He said—a perfect Gospel for action-oriented believers.

Some stories we only find in Mark include the parable of the growing seed (Mark 4:26–29), the healing of the deaf and mute man (Mark 7:31–37), and the young man fleeing at Jesus’ arrest (Mark 14:51–52)—possibly Mark himself!

Church tradition says Mark later brought the Gospel to Alexandria, Egypt, where he helped establish one of the earliest Christian communities. He likely gave his life there as a martyr, remaining faithful to Christ until the end.

Mark’s legacy reminds us of two big things: First, God uses people with imperfect pasts (he once deserted Paul). Despite his rough start, John Mark proved himself useful to both Peter and Paul, who later speaks highly of him as “useful in ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11) and a “fellow laborer” (Philemon 23-24). The Gospel has power to transform lives across cultures and centuries.

So today we can thank God for the Gospel of Mark—a Spirit-inspired book that still brings people to Jesus. And we can be thankful for the example of Mark. May we, like him, live boldly and tell others what Jesus has done!

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” – Mark 16:15