Death is not worse pain than an empty life. -- Lun Tha

The guy had attitude.

Young man, really.  Probably from a family with some money.  Not wealthy, but well enough off so that travel wasn't a problem for him.  Strong-willed.  Eager to be a part of things.

And then, for some reason folks can only guess at, he abandoned the cause with which he was working.  He left his friends and co-workers.  Disappeared from view for a while.  Later, though, he had a change of heart. Who knows why?  Did he miss the excitement? Was he recommitted to the cause? Did he have an attack of conscience?

No one really knows. But whatever it was, he was sincere enough to try again to join up, even when he wasn't wanted. His sincerity of heart and purpose was clear enough to at least one influential co-worker, who wanted to let him back in to the group.  A fight resulted. A temporary split of factions. It was probably not pretty. 

Stung, in all likelihood, and determined to prove himself, the young man went off after another leader in this same cause. There, he found acceptance. There, he grew older and wiser.  Eventually, he made a hugely significant contribution to the cause -- one that everyone knew of and everyone read.

At last, the breach was healed with the first mentor.  He was asked to return, welcomed with love and reconciliation.  He'd grown older. He had proven his worth.

But when he was a young man, he was likely considered a radical, a rebel and even a troublemaker.  Still, he wrote that book.  A biography of sorts. Filled with action! People knew that it was true -- many of his readers had witnessed the events in the book.

His name was John Mark, known today as Mark. He wrote the first (chronologically) account of Jesus' life.  Probably in the time between AD 50 - 60, before the fall of the Temple in Jerusalem.  Hotheaded fellow, he got on good terms with another reformed hothead:  Peter.

In seminary, when we were asked to choose "our Bible" -- the books we relied upon the most when we studied God's word -- most chose John as their Gospel.  At Christmas, people read from Matthew and from Luke. 

Mark is largely overlooked.  Yet his was the first Gospel of Christ.  Vibrant, active, dynamic, it is an accounting that should be studied. 

He wrote in the working-man's Greek: Koine.  He got the story of Christ from Peter, a friend of Jesus.  Perhaps twenty years after Jesus' death, Mark was the first to be prompted to share the history and deeds of a remarkable life.

I'm not sure how long my study of this book will be, but as I have done before, I'll make it up as I go along, here.