Mark and Luke
Why Are Mark and Luke Not Named as Disciples?
The fact that we have two prominent witnesses who were not chosen to be numbered with the twelve is both interesting and instructive. If only the twelve were prominent witnesses for the Lord there would be a stronger case for an official class of witnesses for the Lord. As it is we have these two examples to encourage each of us to be witnesses of the Lord’s work in our lives. Mark and Luke are quite different in the source of their witness and their role in carrying forward the testimony of Jesus.
Saint Luke
Saint Luke, in the Christian tradition, was the author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles.
He wrote in Greek and is considered the most literary of the New Testament writers.
By his own account, he was not an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus.
He was a companion to St. Paul, who called him the “beloved physician,” and he is believed to have accompanied Paul on missionary journeys to Macedonia and Rome.
Though little is known of his life, tradition holds that he was a Gentile and a native of Antioch in Syria and that he died a martyr.
According to tradition, St. Luke was a physician and possibly a Gentile. He was not one of the original 12 Apostles but may have been one of the 70 disciples appointed by Jesus (Luke 10). He also may have accompanied St. Paul on his missionary journeys.
From 1 Corinthians 9:1, it appears that an Apostle has seen the Lord.
Luke probably never actually met the Lord. So, he would never be included in the group of official Apostles.
It might also be noticed that the Apostle Paul never met the Lord Jesus during His ministry, but did meet Him at his conversion on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9:17) and in “the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2) and so was “untimely born” (1 Corinthians 15:8).
It appears that Luke interviewed those who had seen and heard the Lord. He may have examined whatever written material there was. So, in this way, he was a true historian.
He certainly was among those who knew the Lord since he traveled with the Apostle Paul and others.
In Acts 16:6, Acts 16:7, Acts 16:8, Acts 16:9, and Acts 16:10 the change of the pronouns from “they” to “we” suggests that at this point, at Troas, Luke joined the company. Luke would have had plenty of opportunities to learn from others about their experiences with the Lord.
The introductions to the gospel of Luke and the Acts illustrate Luke’s interest and careful investigations.
Luke’s close association with the Apostle Paul and devotion to the Lord is shown by the apostle’s comments (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy. 4:11; Philippians 1:23, Philippians 1:24).
So, Luke illustrates the Lord’s words in John 17:20,
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”
In this way, Luke becomes the pattern for each of us. May we diligently seek the truth of Christ even as he did?
Why was St. Luke influential?
As the traditional author of two books of the New Testament, St. Luke had a great influence on the development of Christianity.
His Gospel According to Luke is one of the three Synoptic Gospels and was written for Gentile converts.
The Acts of the Apostles document the early Christian church after Christ’s Resurrection.
According to ancient sources, St. Luke was martyred at age 84 in the Greek city of Thebes.
His remains were taken to Constantinople about 338 CE and later moved to Padua, Italy, where they are kept in the Basilica of Santa Giustina.
A rib is interred at his original burial place in Thebes.
Saint Mark
According to tradition, the author, Saint Mark is not an apostle himself. Not one of the original disciples, but rather the follower of one of them. Traditionally, he’s supposed to be the disciple of Peter.
We don’t know exactly where this Mark was or where he wrote.
However, tradition places him in Rome, but one more tradition also has him located in Alexandria, and it may be the case that the story that we call Mark’s gospel, which is supposedly derived from Peter, is also an example of this passing on of an oral tradition.
It owes its history to Mark, whether Mark is the person who wrote it down or not.
Mark was the son of a woman named Mary (Acts 12:12) and the cousin of the evangelist Barnabas (Colossians 4:10).
Mark was much younger than the other writers. His mother was a prominent follower of Jesus Christ.
Acts 12:12 tells us that her house in Jerusalem was used as a meeting place for other disciples. From this verse, we also learn that her son’s full name is John Mark.
Mark was also a follower of Jesus Christ but would likely have been in his teens when the Lord was in Jerusalem.
He may have seen and listened to the Savior on occasion.
After the Resurrection, as the Savior’s message was beginning to be spread, Mark traveled with the Apostle Paul. He then accompanied the Apostle Peter to Rome and stayed with him while he was in prison.
Mark is known as Peter’s interpreter, both in speech and in writing. As a fisherman from Galilee, Peter may not have spoken Greek fluently, so Mark interpreted for him.
Why is the Gospel of Mark important, in early Christianity?
Mark is the first of the written gospels. It’s the one that establishes the life of Jesus as a story form.
It develops a narrative from his early career, through the main points of his life, and culminat[es] in his death.
And, as such, it sets the pattern for all the later gospel traditions. We know that both St. Matthew and St. Luke used Mark, as a source in their composition and it’s also probable that even St. John knew something of Mark in tradition.
So, Mark is the one that sets the stage for all the later Christian gospel writings.
Who were Matthew Mark Luke and John?
These books are called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John because they were traditionally thought to have been written by Matthew, a disciple who was a tax collector; John, the “Beloved Disciple” mentioned in the Fourth Gospel; Mark, the secretary of the disciple Peter; and Luke, the traveling companion of Paul.
Are Mark and Luke Apostles?
While the periods to which the gospels are usually dated suggest otherwise, convention traditionally holds that the authors were two of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, John, and Matthew, as well as two “apostolic men,” Mark and Luke, whom Orthodox Tradition records as members of the 70 Apostles (Luke 10):
Even when this Gospel narrates the event of Matthew being called to become a disciple, it talks about “him,” not about “me.”
Read the account for yourself (Matthew 9:9). As for the other Gospels, Mark was said to be not a disciple but a companion of Peter, and Luke was a companion of Paul, who also was not a disciple.
Why aren’t Mark and Luke listed as apostles?
Mark and Luke were not in the inner circle of the Apostles. Mark became friends with Peter and then became a follower of Jesus.
Luke became friends with Paul and then became a follower of Jesus after Jesus’ death and resurrection.