The Very First Church Kid Ever — A Large Group Lesson

We talk a lot in children’s ministry about churched kids and non-churched kids and maybe calling John Mark the first church kid is a stretch … but then again, not really.

Teaching your clubbers about John Mark, one of the first kids to grow up surrounded by people who loved the Lord Jesus Christ, can be an encouragement not only to kids, but to us as parents and teachers. John Mark grew up in a strong, godly environment, but he went through a difficult maturing process before he became “useful.”

Here are some John Mark facts that you can use in a lesson.

1. The name John means “Yahweh is gracious.”

2. John Mark’s mother, Mary, owned a large house in Jerusalem which was used as a gathering place for believers in Christ. This is where they gathered for prayer. (Acts 12:12) Because most people lived in small houses at the time, the largeness of her house (big enough for many Christians to gather) indicated that she was well to do. The Bible doesn’t mention John Mark’s father, so we assume that he had died and Mary was a widow. (Many Bible scholars think that the Last Supper took place in Mary’s house – at that time, however, the disciples were to follow the man with the jar of water to the home and talk to the owner – apparently the father. See Luke 22:10-11. But later in Acts, Luke writes that it’s Mary’s house. Scholars assume that John Mark’s father died some time between those two events and though we have many indications that this is true, it is not absolutely certain.)

3. John Mark knew and was surrounded by men and women of faith – right there in his own home. (Most likely he had met and known Christ before the crucifixion. He would have been a teen at the time.) Remember when Peter escaped from prison? (Acts 12) He went to John Mark’s house, knowing that’s where believers would be gathered to pray. The servant girl Rhoda came to the door and was surprised to see Peter. (After all, they were all praying for Peter’s safety in the other room … and here he was!)  In fact, she was so overjoyed, she ran back to those who were praying and forgot to let Peter in the door. The people did not believe her and told her she was out of her mind! (This, in itself, would be a great lesson!)  Rhoda is another indication that John Mark’s mother had money – she had at least one servant.

4. Peter was John Mark’s mentor and in 1 Peter 5:13, Peter calls John Mark his son. (This would be in in the spiritual sense, of course – the one who discipled the young John.)

5. Paul and Barnabas took the young John Mark with them on their missionary trip. (Acts 12:25) Barnabas was John Mark’s cousin. (Colossians 4:10).  John Mark has already been serving the Lord and ministering to people and Paul and Barnabas liked what they saw. So, he went as their assistant (and maybe interpreter) on the journey. (Acts 13:5). John Mark went with them to Cyprus and Paphos but when they left for Perga, John Mark deserted them. (Acts 13:13). Much speculation has been made as to why he left, but most likely it was immaturity. Paul demanded 100% faithfulness and focus and maybe John Mark was not mature enough to give it at the time.  (1Corinthians 4:2)

6. Later Paul, after much time of planting churches and reporting on their ministry, decided he wanted to take another journey back to the churches he had visited and again asked Barnabas to go with him. Barnabas agreed, but also wanted to take John Mark. Paul said “no,” John Mark had deserted them the first time and he didn’t want to chance it again. They had a major disagreement over it and went their separate ways. Silas went with Paul and John Mark went with Barnabas. (Just a reminder that Christians can disagree and still work out a solution for serving the Lord. In fact, because of the disagreement, the work of spreading the gospel expanded even further!)

7. Barnabas took his cousin John Mark and went back to Cyprus. The name Barnabas means “son of encouragement” and we can guess that he was an encouragement and helped John Mark in the maturing process, because we know that later Paul greatly appreciated the younger man. (Though we are told nothing of their reconciliation.)

8. For instance, when Paul was in house arrest in Rome, John Mark was with him. He tells believers at Colossae that if John Mark comes to visit them, they should give him a big welcome. (Colossians 4:10)

9. Paul once again is put in prison and this time he writes to Timothy and asks him to bring John Mark with him because of his helpfulness. (2 Timothy 4:11)

10. John Mark was able to use the eye-witness experiences of his life when writing the book of Mark, a detailed book about the life of Christ.

Why teach your clubbers about John Mark?

1. John Mark learned a lot as a kid by observing those around him and learning the Scripture. He was right there where all the events of Christ’s life and death/resurrection were happening. He had a mom (and probably a dad) who loved the Lord. He learned. He observed. He listened. Later he was able to be effective in ministry because of his background.

2.   Like many of your clubbers, John Mark grew up in a “spiritual bubble” being surrounded by Christ followers.  He found the real world tough (for whatever reason) when he faced it as a young man – just as it is for many church kids today. Yet he stuck with it and learned what true faithfulfulness to Christ was all about.

3. We are all human and we sometimes do what’s wrong, but with the Lord’s help, we can get back on track. He showed bad judgment in deserting Paul, but he continued to serve and listened to his cousin Barnabas and learned what faithfulness is all about. We, too, make errors in judgment, but we can continue to learn to do better.

4. Sometimes we are called to the “up front” people, but often we are given opportunity to serve “behind-the-scenes.” A servant’s heart is more important than fame. (This is an important concept for kids in our current culture when the #1 goal is to someday be rich and famous.) John Mark had a lot to do with sharing the gospel during those years when Christianity was rapidly spreading, yet he is not a “big name” in the Bible. He was more the behind-the-scenes assistant, interpreter, organizer, etc.