what is the moral lesson behind the mark man degree

The moral lesson holds forth to the desponding the encouraging thought that although motives may sometimes be misinterpreted by erring mortals, attainments underrated, and reputations traduced by the envious or malicious, there remains a higher judgment that sees not with the eyes of man and may yet make that stone which the builders rejected into the head of the corner 1.

In present practice, where being acknowledged as a Mark Man constitutes the first part of the Mark Master Mason degree, the ritual instructs the candidate using Holy Writ to contemplate human strengths and weaknesses, as the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons notes. Through allegory, the degree illustrates that hard work, skill, and ingenuity will ultimately be rewarded—even if the outcome is not fully appreciated by others at first—and demonstrates how what was initially cast aside can turn out to be the key to success. An article on the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons' website further explains that the degree teaches persistence in the face of adversity, the conviction that truth will prevail, and the duty to employ discipline, diligence, and learning judiciously for the benefit of fellow man.

Albert Mackey treats the Mark Man as an old rank or degree rooted in Masonic tradition, identifying the Mark Men as the Wardens at the building of King Solomon's Temple who distributed marks to the workmen and made the first inspection of the work, as an article on the Internet Archive records. While he notes in his Lexicon of Freemasonry and Encyclopedia of Freemasonry that it was a distinct degree from Mark Master and was not recognized in the United States, he makes no mention of a moral lesson associated with the Mark Man degree in his writings.