Power in Weakness
The moon hangs low and solemn over the garden.
The air is cool. Olive trees stand in dark silhouette, their twisted branches casting long shadows across the ground. Somewhere, a torch flares—its light trembling as it is carried closer.
Footsteps approach. Many of them.
Leather sandals scrape against stone. Roman boots crush leaves beneath their weight. Metal catches the firelight—swords, spears, and helmets—hard and unyielding against the garden’s fragile quiet.
Jesus stands there.
He does not hide. He does not run. The hour He spoke of has arrived.
Judas steps forward, moving through the shadows toward his Teacher. His greeting is gentle. Familiar. A kiss—and with it, a signal.
The stillness breaks.
Voices rise. Hands reach. The disciples panic. One draws a sword. Another cries out.
Everyone starts to scatter. Those who had followed Jesus closely are running in every direction, afraid, confused, and unsure.
And there is one young man, wearing nothing but a thin linen cloth. The soldiers try to grab him—but he slips free. The cloth is left behind in their hands.
And the young man runs. Naked.
Wait…what?
Isn’t the Bible full of surprises?
It sure is—especially when the story is told by a man named John Mark.
Mark’s Fast and Exciting Gospel
John Mark is best known for writing the Gospel of Mark—the second book in the New Testament.
It’s the shortest of the four Gospels about Jesus’ life. But even though it’s short, it is full of action!
Every time something happens in Mark’s Gospel, he writes “immediately.” Over forty times! It makes the stories feel fast and exciting, like a detective trying to figure out a mystery before time runs out.
But Mark isn’t asking, “Who did it?” like in a mystery. He asks a much bigger question: Who is this man, Jesus?
And Mark doesn’t hide the hard parts. He shows fear, confusion, and even failure—especially from the people who followed Jesus the closest.
Who Was John Mark?
John Mark was not one of the Twelve apostles, but he was still well connected to the early church.
The Bible tells us that many believers gathered at his mother Mary’s house. That means his home was probably an important place where people prayed, learned about Jesus, and encouraged each other. Some people even think it could have been the upper room where the disciples met after Jesus rose from the dead!
Mark was also the cousin of Barnabas—a leader in the early church who worked with Paul to take the good news about Jesus to people far away.
And Mark even joined the apostles Paul and Barnabas on their first big missionary trip. But the journey was hard. Things didn’t go as planned, and the Bible tells us that Mark went back home before the trip was finished.
We don’t know why Mark left halfway, but it seemed Paul was not happy about it. When Paul planned another missionary trip, he didn’t want to take Mark again. But Barnabas disagreed so strongly that Paul and Barnabas decided to go on different trips. Paul took Silas, and Barnabas took Mark.
It looked like failure—but it wasn’t the end of the story. God still had big plans for John Mark.
Two Gardens, One Story
Let’s go back to the Garden of Gethsemane for a moment.
Mark is the only Gospel that tells the story of a young man running away naked. That’s a really strange detail, especially when so many important things were happening at that time!
Some people think this young man might have been Mark himself and that’s why he includes it. The Bible doesn’t say for sure, but if that’s true, it’s actually very brave of him to record down something so honestly.
But even more so Mark happens to also be a great storyteller and he’s including this young naked man to remind us of another story with naked people in a garden.
Think about the very first garden—the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve made a choice that went against God’s instructions. When they realized what they had done, they felt ashamed, hid, and ran because they knew they were naked.
Now, think about the Garden of Gethsemane. Betrayal happens again. Judas betrays Jesus. Jesus’ closest friends run away. And a young man, who’s also naked runs away too.
Just like Adam and Eve fled from God, this young man fled from Jesus in His moment of suffering.
This shows us that even people who love God can make mistakes or run away.
Another Young Man
But Mark’s gospel doesn’t end there.
At Jesus’ resurrection, some women go to the tomb—and Mark tells us they see another young man.
But the young man at the tomb is different. He is clothed in white, full of hope, and speaking boldly about Jesus’ resurrection.
Mark is very clever with his words. He calls both the scared young man in the garden and the brave young man at the tomb a “young man.”
By using the same words for both of them, he is showing us a connection.
The first young man is naked, afraid, and running away. The second young man is fully clothed, and full of courage and hope.
The two young men together teach us an important lesson: following Jesus can change us. Even if we make mistakes or fail, God can use that mistake or failure to help us grow into someone brave and full of faith.
Mark, Transformed
We don’t know for sure if Mark was the young man who ran away in the garden that night. But we do know that later in his life, he faced a similar kind of fear and failure.
On his first missionary trip with Paul and Barnabas, Mark left before the trip was finished. He probably felt ashamed, and Paul was disappointed. But Barnabas gave him another chance.
This time, Mark most likely did better. Later, in Paul’s letters, we see him praising Mark and calling him a “fellow worker.” Paul even tells the church to welcome Mark, and near the end of his life, he asks Mark to come to him because he is useful in ministry.
Mark wasn’t just close to Paul—he was also very close to Peter, another man who knew a lot about failure. Peter even called Mark his “son.” And church tradition tells us that Mark also spent a lot of time with Peter and that Mark’s Gospel—the stories about Jesus—was based on what Peter taught him.
Why Mark’s Story Matters
The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about John Mark as a person. But Mark wrote a whole book to tell us something really important.
Jesus is the Messiah
From the very beginning of his Gospel, Mark tells us the good news: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
But Mark wrote his gospel in a unique way. In Mark’s stories, we see Jesus teaching, healing, and showing His power—and we also see how people react to Him. Sometimes, the disciples seem confused or don’t understand what Jesus is really doing. Mark is very honest about this. He shows us their weaknesses and failures over and over again.
Defeat Brings Victory
Mark also writes with something we call irony—which is kind of like a joke, but not the funny kind. It’s when something happens in a way that’s the opposite of what people expect.
Here’s an example:
When Jesus is on the cross, it looks like everything has gone wrong. He is suffering, people are yelling at Him, and it seems like He has been defeated. Everyone watching might think, “Oh no! The Messiah has lost!”
But then—surprise!—right there at the moment that seems like the worst, a Roman soldier looks at Jesus and says, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)
That’s irony! When Jesus was alive and performing signs and wonders people couldn’t see who He was, it’s right when everyone thinks it’s all over, that God’s truth is revealed in the most unexpected way and the most unlikely person recognizes Jesus is the Son of God!
Mark is telling us that God’s ways are not like our ways. Sometimes what looks like failure or defeat is actually part of God’s plan for victory.
Power in Weakness
And it gets even more interesting because some versions of Mark end with the young man clothed in white linen, boldly telling the women at the tomb that Jesus has risen. But here’s the twist—when the women heard this, they ran away, afraid! The story ends with them fleeing.
Is John Mark using irony again? Yes! Just like at the cross, things are not what we expect. You might think, “Wait! They just heard the best news ever! Shouldn’t they be celebrating?” But Mark shows us something worth pondering: following Jesus isn’t easy, and sometimes even the best news can feel and seem scary.
The lesson here is that as humans, we are often afraid and we run away. But this is exactly where God’s power comes in. He works despite our fears, our mistakes, and even the times we run, and transforms us into someone who can bring Him honor. That way when people see our story, they don’t see how amazing we are, but through our weaknesses, they see how amazing God is.
Key Scripture
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIRV – 9 But he said to me, “My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ’s power can rest on me. 10 Because of how I suffered for Christ, I’m glad that I am weak. I am glad in hard times. I am glad when people say mean things about me. I am glad when things are difficult. And I am glad when people make me suffer. When I am weak, I am strong.
And that’s what Mark is trying to show us – Christ’s power. Jesus isn’t just powerful in His miracles—He is powerful even in human weakness. Even when Jesus hung on the cross, helpless and in pain, He was strong enough to save the world. Likewise, when we are at our lowest and weakest points, that’s when God’s power can shine the strongest through us. Jesus is here to give us His grace and help, so we never have to fear failures, disappointments, or setbacks!
Takeaway
Church tradition records that Mark later preached in Egypt, particularly in Alexandria, and became an important figure there. He is sometimes identified as the founder of the Church in Alexandria, one of the earliest Christian centers outside Israel.
This week, take some time to think about how God’s power is the strongest in us when we are weak.
Thanks so much for listening! If this episode encouraged you, please share it with a friend.
Also, if you want to dive deeper, you can download a free episode companion guide that includes a mini devotional, fun activities, and other topics related to Mark. You’ll find the link below in the show notes.
And remember—the cross and the empty tomb remind us that God’s power shows up even when things seem impossible. Just like Jesus’ power shined the brightest when He looked the weakest on the cross, when Jesus lives in us, whenever we are weak, we are strong!
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