When Paul, during his second imprisonment in Rome about 65 C.E., wrote to call Timothy from Ephesus, Paul added: “Take Mark and bring him with you.” (2 Tim. 4:11) So Mark was then in Ephesus. And how can we doubt that he responded to Paul’s summons to return to Rome with Timothy? Travel was not easy back then, but Mark made those journeys willingly.

“Useful to Me for Ministering”

Writing his Gospel was by no means the only thing Mark did in Rome. Remember what Paul told Timothy: “Take Mark and bring him with you.” Paul’s reason? “For he is useful to me for ministering.”​—2 Tim. 4:11.

This mention of Mark​—chronologically the last in the Scriptures—​says much about him. Nowhere in his theocratic career does Mark appear as an apostle, a leader, or a prophet. He was a minister, that is, one who waited upon and served others. And in this moment, shortly before Paul’s death, the apostle surely could benefit from Mark’s assistance.