Daily Lesson for Monday 1st of July 2024

The reason for Paul’s rejection of the young man is given in Acts 15:38. Mark had withdrawn from them and had not continued in the work of ministry. Paul’s attitude is understandable, if blunt. Missionary life, particularly in the ancient world, was rough and demanding (compare with 2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Paul depended on his fellow missionaries to help carry the burden of such challenging work and conditions. In his perspective, one who deserted so quickly did not deserve a place in a missionary team fighting hand to hand against evil forces.

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Barnabas disagreed. He saw potential in Mark and did not want to leave the young man behind. Such a deep dispute arose between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark that they parted ways. Paul chose Silas to go with him, and Barnabas took Mark.

Acts does not explain why Barnabas chose to take Mark with him. In fact, this passage is the last place that the two men appear in Acts. But in­terestingly, it is not the last place Mark is mentioned in the New Testament.

An amazing transformation seems to have occurred in Mark. In these passages, Paul indicates the value of Mark to him and to ministry. Paul counts him as one of his fellow workers and wants Timothy to bring Mark with him. The book of 1 Peter indicates that Peter as well had a close relationship with Mark. These books by Paul and Peter were written likely in the early A.D. 60s, some 15–20 years after the experience in Acts 15:1-41. Mark clearly recovered from his failure, almost certainly through the trust that his cousin, Barnabas, placed in him.

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Daily Lesson for Sunday 30th of June 2024

It seems probable that John Mark, the most likely author of the Gospel of Mark, was a young man when the events in Acts 12:1-25 occurred, probably in the A.D. mid-40s. He is introduced in verse 12 as the son of a woman named Mary. She was evidently a wealthy supporter of the church and held the prayer meeting at her home, made famous in Acts 12:1-25.

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from the background are Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas looks worried and Paul looks angry.

The story of Peter’s escape from prison and the subsequent actions and then the death of Herod are replete with striking, even humorous, contrasts between Peter and the king. John Mark does not really play any role in the story, but the introduction of him at this point prepares for his later connection with Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 13:1-52 describes the first missionary journey of Saul and Barnabas, starting about A.D. 46. John Mark is not mentioned until verse 5, and his role is simply as a helper or servant. No other reference is made to the young man until verse 13, where the brief account notes that he returned to Jerusalem.

No reason is given for this departure, and the absence of any description of his feelings or emotions leaves to the imagination what motivated his withdrawal from the missionary effort, which no doubt was filled with peril and challenges. Ellen G. White indicates that “Mark, overwhelmed with fear and discouragement, wavered for a time in his purpose to give himself wholeheartedly to the Lord’s work. Unused to hardships, he was disheartened by the perils and privations of the way.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 169. In short, things simply got too hard for him, and so he wanted out.

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Daily Lesson for Sabbath 29th of June 2024

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Read for This Week’s Study

Acts 13:1-5,13; Acts 15:36-39; Mark 1:1-15; Isaiah 40:3; Daniel 9:24-27.

Memory Text:

“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel’ ” (Mark 1:14-15, NKJV).

Who wrote the Gospel of Mark, and why was it written? No Gospel lists the name of the author. The one that comes the closest is John, with reference to the beloved disciple (see John 21:20,24).

However, from early times, each of the canonical Gospels has been associated with either an apostle (Matthew, John) or with a companion of an apostle. For example, the Gospel of Luke is linked with Paul (see Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24). The Gospel of Mark is linked with Peter (see 1 Peter 5:13).

Though the author of Mark never gives his name in the text, early church tradition indicates that the author of the Gospel of Mark was John Mark, a sometime traveling companion of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2,5) and later an associate of Peter (1 Peter 5:13).

The first step this week will be to learn about Mark as reported in Scripture, to see his early failure and eventual recovery. Then the study will turn to the opening section of Mark with a look forward to where the story is headed and a look backward at why a failed and then restored missionary would write such a text.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 6.

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From the beginning of Mark, the reader knows who Jesus is–the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). However, people in the story struggle with understanding just who He is and what He is all about–except for those with demons. They know exactly who He is! The demons recognize Him and wither before His mighty words.

But Jesus rather consistently commands that they keep this information quiet. Why this command for secrecy? Bible students for centuries have mulled over this question. It even has a name in scholarship—the Messianic Secret. Why would a gospel want us to keep quiet about who Jesus is?

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What will become clear in this journey through the Gospel of Mark is that not only is there secrecy in this book–there is also amazing revelation. It can rightly be called the Revelation/Secrecy Motif, and it runs through the Gospel of Mark, though at the end all the secrecy is surprisingly ended, replaced with a powerful revelation of Jesus.

Mark can be divided into two distinct sections–halves, actually. Chapter one through near the end of chapter eight deals with the crucial question, Who is Jesus? The answer is displayed in His teachings and His miracles. Over and over He defeats evil, brings hope to the oppressed, and teaches compelling truths that cut to the heart of human existence. All this shouts to the reader that He is the Messiah, the Christ, whom the Hebrew people have long been awaiting.

However, it is not until the middle of the book that someone not demon-possessed rightly declares who He is, thereby answering the question of the first half of the book about Christ’s identity. And that person is Peter, who declares, “ ‘You are the Christ’ ” (Mark 8:29, ESV).

The second half of Mark, from Mark 8:31 to the end of the book, answers the other question, Where is Jesus going? The answer is shocking. He is going to the cross, the most ignominious and shameful manner of death in the Roman world. And it is such an unexpected destination for the Messiah, who His followers think will defeat Rome and establish Israel as a powerful nation.

Jesus’ bumbling disciples cannot fathom what He is saying. As the book progresses, they ask less and less about this painful topic, until finally they are reduced to silence in the face of the unwelcome truth.

Things look gloomier and gloomier when Jesus confronts the religious leaders who plot His demise. The disciples, hopeful of a glorious kingdom, are shocked by an arrest, trial, and crucifixion that defies their expectations.

But through all this, Jesus keeps a clear and consistent message of where He is going and what it means that He will die and rise again. The bread and cup of the Last Supper will represent His body and blood (Mark 14:22-25), and He will become a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

This does not mean He went to the cross in stoic calmness. In Gethsemane He struggles with the decision (Mark 14:32-42), and on the cross He cries out in despair, “ ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ ” (Mark 15:34, NKJV). The Gospel of Mark shows us the darkness that Christ experienced, the cost of our salvation. But the cross is not the end of the journey. After His resurrection, He plans a meeting with His disciples in Galilee–and, as we know, the Christian church began.

It is a most remarkable story, told in a terse, fast-moving style with little commentary from the Gospel writer himself. He simply tells the story, and then lets the words, the deeds, the actions speak for themselves regarding the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth.

Thomas R. Shepherd, PhD, DrPH, is senior research professor of New Testament at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University. He and his wife Sherry have two grown children and six grandchildren.

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Inside Story for Friday 28th of June 2024

By Andrew McChesney

Ukrainian pastor Vadym Krynychnny faced a major challenge finding a building for a Russian-speaking church in the Spanish city of Valencia. But, with prayer, he managed to lease a hall seating 100 people in the city center for a token 500 euros (US$550) a month.

“It is worth much more,” Vadym said.

The hall was large for the initial group of 26 worshipers, but Vadym got to work on outreach programs. The church began to host a get-together with a meal on Sundays. Russian-speaking children were invited to special activities. Additional programs were organized around such holidays as New Year’s and Easter. Concerts proved especially popular, filling the church to overflowing and sometimes requiring the rental of a larger hall.

The church forged strong ties with the local Russian-speaking community and became a center for Russian speakers. About 80 percent of Spain’s estimated 400,000 Russian speakers live in Valencia and along the nearby Mediterranean coast. Of those 400,000 people, at least 500 are Adventists.

But the first person baptized at the new church was not from Russia or another former Soviet republic. The woman was born in Iran and had been raised in a non-Christian world religion. She spoke Russian fluently after studying for 12 years in the former Soviet republic of Belarus, and she came to the church after someone invited her off the street.

After 25 baptisms and several former Adventist families recommitted their hearts to Jesus, weekly church attendance stood at 65 adults and 40 children when the conflict erupted in Ukraine in 2022.

Vadym realized with astonishment that the church was well positioned to help people fleeing the conflict. The church quickly used its local connections to establish a refugee center. In the first two months of the conflict, 200 people visited the center, receiving lodging and food. About half of them were Adventists. Since then, many more people have received assistance.

“Many have come to us, knowing no one in Spain,” Vadym said. “But they come to us because we speak Russian, and they seek something familiar.”

He credited God for positioning the church to help refugees even before the conflict started. He said he longed to share the hope of Jesus’ soon coming with them and all Russian speakers in Spain. “We are concentrating all our efforts on meeting the needs of these people,” he said.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this Sabbath will help spread the gospel in the Euro-Asia Division, the home of many Russian speakers. Thank you for planning a generous offering.

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