Acts 12:12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
It is common in families to find the same name repeated generation after generation. This can cause confusion because oftentimes it’s difficult to discern exactly which person by that same name is being discussed. When you have a man named George whose son is also named George and whose grandson is George as well, the stories about George all seem to run together at times. This is why people become known by their middle names, Senior, Junior, etc. It helps to bring clarity to the discussion and family history. And so it is in the Word of God.
In our study through the Book of Acts, in the 12th Chapter, we are introduced to another man named John. Prior to this, we know of John the Apostle and John the Baptist who are two different people. Fortunately, when we meet this new John (Acts 12:12) the Holy Spirit makes it clear that he is not John the Apostle nor John the Baptist but John whose surname was Mark.
This John Mark is the person who wrote the Gospel of Christ we know as the Book of Mark. To add to the confusion, John Mark’s mother was named Mary and is one of the six Marys found in Scripture. History books reveal that she was the aunt of Barnabas so their family was deeply involved in the Church.
It is believed that Mark came to faith in Christ under Peter and later served with Peter and the Apostle Paul. We read of him in 1 Peter, Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon.
The Scriptures tell us that when the Angel of the Lord escorted Peter out of prison, he went to Mary’s house. It is believed that Mary’s house was the Upper Room where many had gathered to pray for Peter while he was in prison. Herod had already killed James (not Jesus’ brother but James the Apostle) and they believed he planned to kill Peter as well. They were praying for God to save him from this, which He did. Peter therefore was kept in prison: But prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him. (Acts 12:5)
We are not told how Peter knew to go to Mary’s house, but I would venture to say that the Holy Spirit led him there. Upon his arrival, he found them all praying for him to be released from the grasp of Herod.
Mary, the mother of Mark, might have had a common name, but her house was far from common. She was a wealthy woman and her house was large but she gave it all to the Lord for His Purpose. She welcomed more than one hundred people into her home to pray day and night for Peter’s release.
In the 12th Chapter of the Book of Mark, we read of the poor widow who offered all she had to the Lord. It was only two mites but Jesus said, Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. (Mark 12:43-44)
The poor widow gave all she had. Mary gave all she had. Both understood that God had provided for them all they had and so, they gave it all back. Jesus died for the rich and the poor. He is worthy of all we have. It all belongs to Him anyway. “All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give.”
Give and God will…...….turn the tide……..in your life.
All to Him I freely give, Doreen
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