Acts 15:36-41 (ESV)
Paul and Barnabas Separate
And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
We have to love how honest and transparent God’s is about the struggles of His children. In God’s Word, the Spirit tells us about:
- Noah’s struggles
- King Saul’s struggles
- King David’s struggles
- Achan’s struggles
- Absalom’s struggles
- Peter’s struggles
- Paul’s struggles
The list can go on and on and on. In the above passage we read about the contention that was formed between Paul and his good friend (and mentor) Barnabas. God shows us that in the early church there were challenges. Remember, in Acts 5 we read about the death of the couple who lied about their offering. In Acts 6 we read about the challenge about serving the widows. In the beginning of this chapter in Acts we read about the struggle with Jewish believes about Gentile believers. Now, here, we read about Paul wanting to return to the mission field and not wanting to take John Mark vs Barnabas (his cousin) wanting to take him on this second trip. The reason? Because on the first missionary journey note what happened:
Acts 13:13 (ESV)
Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
Paul apparently took issue with John Mark leaving them. We aren’t told why John Mark left. The writer of Acts, Luke, may have known but doesn’t tell the readers. It is a pleasant reminder that we can point out a struggle without revealing all the sorted details. In the above passage we read that Barnabas wanted to take his cousin with them. The Greek tense here is in the imperfect tense, meaning he persistently and persistently persisted. The church will side with Paul in this situation. But the contention was strong enough that the church had to intervene. Three things should be noted:
1. Barnabas didn’t get bitter. He took John Mark with him back to their home town and he ministered to him. In fact later in Paul’s ministry here is what Paul wrote about John-Mark:
2 Timothy 4:11 (ESV)
Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
2. John Mark is so ministered by Barnabas he writes the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark was the first gospel story written. When one person is not fitted for one ministry it does not mean they can’t be fitted for another.
3. Paul learns a lesson. When he leaves for the missionary trip he takes young Silas. He also, at his first stop, finds young Timothy. Paul had some time to consider his own approach to the ministry. As Barnabas poured his life into John Mark, Paul started to pour his life into Silas and Timothy. It might be wondered how much of this story played later into the Spirit writing through Paul this point in his letter to young Pastor Timothy in Ephesus:
Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV)
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
The contention between these two gives us a lot of lessons to grow. Don’t let a contentious moment only be contentious. Let it also be educational and feed your spiritual growth.