Who Wrote the Gospel of Mark?

Although none of the gospels names its author, each has had a fairly consistent testimony in church history. That John Mark is the author of the second gospel is the consistent widespread traditional view. Papias gives the first witness to Mark’s authorship of the second gospel. Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Rome, and Ignatius, as well as others, agree. The internal evidence for authorship is extremely weak. There is a brief incident in 14:50-52 that might refer to the author. In the confusion over Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane, a young man, grabbed by one of the soldiers, ran away into the night leaving behind the sheet that had been wrapped around his body. No other gospels record this. It is possible that the young man could have been Mark, and this was his way of saying he was there.

Ten references to Mark occur in the NT (Ac 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37, 39; Col 4:10; Phm 24; 1Pt 5:13; and 2Tm 4:11). The Jerusalem church met in his home so perhaps he came from a wealthy family (cf. Ac 12:12). When Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch for ministry, they brought Mark along (cf. Ac 12:25). He accompanied them as a “helper” on their first missionary journey (cf. Ac 13:5), but left in the middle of the trip and returned home (cf. Ac 13:13). This became the focus of controversy when the second missionary journey began (cf. Ac 15:37-39). As a result, Barnabas took Mark and went to Cyprus; Paul took Silas and headed overland for Asia Minor. That Mark became an effective servant cannot be denied. Mark was with Paul in Rome when the apostle wrote Colossians (cf. Col 4:10) and Philemon (cf. Phm 24) and also with Peter in “Babylon,” when 1 Peter was written (cf. 1Pt 5:13). Paul made a concluding admission concerning Mark when he told Timothy, “Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service” (cf. 2 Tm 4:11).

Although Mark was the writer of the second gospel, there is good indication the person behind the book was Simon Peter. That a relationship existed between the two is verified both outside and inside this gospel. Outside the gospel: (1) Papias commented: “Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatever he remembered of the things said and done by the Lord, but not however in order” (Cited by Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. III.xxxix.15). (2) Peter said Mark was with him in “Babylon” (cf. 1Pt 5:13). (3) The second gospel covers the same material mentioned in Peter’s report to the church at Jerusalem (cf. Ac 10:34-43). (4) Peter was aware of his imminent death and declared he was taking steps to ensure his brethren would be able to remember what he had taught (cf. 2Pt 1:13-15). Was Peter filling Mark’s mind with stories from Jesus’ life so he could write them down? Internal evidence also points to a relationship between Peter and Mark: (1) The second gospel basically begins with Peter’s call to follow the Lord. (2) The second gospel clearly has an eyewitness behind it. The stories concerning Jesus appear in the present tense, which pictures them as actually occurring. There are about 150 historic presents in this gospel compared with 78 in Matthew and only four in Luke. (3) The second gospel relates a number of facts about Peter not found in the other gospels, and some favorable details about Peter are omitted (cf. 1:36; 11:21; 13:3; 16:7). (4) This gospel gives special attention to the ministry of Jesus in Galilee, especially Capernaum, the place of Peter’s residence.