The Profound Influence of Spiritual Mothers and Fathers

Did you remember to make much of Mother’s Day during the month of May? Moms and grandmas warrant significant attention all year long but particularly on the day set aside each year to honor them. This is in no way meant to disparage mothers or Mother’s Day in any way, but it does seem anecdotally to get a little more gravitas than Father’s Day. Perhaps it’s because kids are still in school during May and teachers go out of their way to equip young children with all the hand-made handprint crafts to take home and share.

In terms of annual emphasis, spending on Mother’s Day trends towards $25 billion as opposed to $16 billion on Father’s Day. All comparisons aside, have you ever considered that it’s not just moms and dads who are being celebrated on their respective days? Rather than move completely past moms to shift our focus entirely to dads, what if we considered spiritual parents rather than biological mothers and fathers for a moment? There is an easy opportunity afforded to us in Acts 12.

Setting the stage, this interaction happens after the Apostle Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. Herod has arrested several leaders in the church, followers of the Way. James, John’s brother was put to death. Because the Jewish rabble found this favorable, Herod imprisoned Peter as well. As the church huddled up in homes and prayed for Peter, an angel of the Lord visited him, removed his chains, and led him out. Now free, he goes to the family home of his companion Mark. Here’s what happened:

Mark, recognized as Peter’s companion, is unquestionably named by the early 1st and 2nd century church fathers to be the gospel writer.

• Bishop Papias of Hierapolis claimed that Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome, ascribing the preaching of Peter.

• Justin Martyr, writing in 150 AD, referred to the gospel of Mark as the memoirs of Peter.

• Ireneus, writing in 185 AD, referred to Mark as the disciple and interpreter of Peter.

Peter, himself, accounted for the mentorship in his own epistle, referring to Mark as his own son.

Sidenote: Don’t get bogged down by any confusion regarding “she who is in Babylon.” Think of “she” as the church of faithful believers and “Babylon” as a codename for Rome. Both were really rough and wicked empires, so the correlation stands.

Did you read 1 Peter 5:13 and see the “son” part? There it is, a possibly ill-timed, indication of why this article features the idea of fatherhood. Was Peter offering up a twisty soap-opera surprise or Star Wars sized reveal? Was he “really” John Mark’s dad? Certainly not. The Greek word Peter used is definitely that of biological sonship but was also widely used to refer to anyone who depended on another or lived as their pupil or follower. As a spiritual son, Mark was a coheir in Christ. As the author of Peter’s gospel, Mark passed on to us the legacy entrusted to him.

That’s the remarkable thing about sonship, whether it be biological or simply relational. Sons receive. Sons pass. As parents, our biological kids are certainly on the receiving end of the equation. They gain our character traits, attributes, ideals, and eventually our inheritances. They also take on our sinful patterns and systemic problems, too. Mentorship and those who learn from us isn’t much different. Our spiritual sons and daughters are always gleaning and receiving and ultimately one day transmitting whatever it is they take from us.

Paul wrote so clearly, “Follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The implication is that, as Paul sought hard to know and follow Jesus, anyone in his footsteps would both intentionally and inadvertently be moving closer to Christ.

Don’t consider only adoptive or biological children you may have or desire. Who are your spiritual children and are they moving closer to Jesus simply because of their proximity to you?

Go back to Acts. Although this is likely her only mention in Scripture (Mary seems to have been a pretty popular name according to the biblical record, though — lots of Mary’s to keep straight), a lot can be gleaned from this simple passage. Plus, it is May after all. And she’s listed as a mother.

Being the mother of John Mark, she was likely the sister or aunt of Barnabas who was declared to be Mark’s cousin [sometimes interchangeably in antiquity his uncle] as referenced by Colossians 4:10. Barnabas was known as the “son of encouragement.” Fun fact about him: He donated the proceeds from a field he sold in Acts 4. He was a landowner, indicating wealth. According to this passage, Mary was a homeowner and had a servant girl, also indicating prosperity. The fact that Peter thought to go to her home, immediately after his miraculous release, meant that she was also known for hospitality and generosity.

The fact that Christian leaders were gathered in her home praying indicated her own faith as well. This faith would have been passed on to and entrusted into her son John Mark, who now followed along with and studied under Peter. Oh, the honor to have been the mom of a young man so closely connected to the core of apostles and founders of their faith-filled church.

There is certainly more happening in the life of young Mark than we realize. Consider his mom. Consider his cousin. Consider his mentor. Consider even who his other friends and associates were, being mentioned as a traveling partner of Paul as well. So far, we’re up a minimum of four. Add Silas and possibly Timothy. Now we have six. Line up the names in the remainder of Acts and even Romans 16. There really is no counting the number of people investing in Mark’s life as a believer.

Are you a mom or dad of kids living at home? Your kids need you, but they need more than you. Who is your son’s Peter? Who is his Barnabas? Who is his Paul? Who is your daughter’s Mary or Phoebe or Lydia?

Are you a faithful believer seeking to follow Jesus? Who are your spiritual sons and daughters? Who is your Mark or your Timothy? Who is your Rhoda?

Whether you are a parent or not, you are making an investment and leaving a legacy. Your memoir is the person you mentor, whether they write anything down or not. Who is your son in the faith? Who is your daughter in Christlikeness? What are you leaving them that will impact others in an equal or, better yet, greater measure of faith for generations to come?