“Acts 15:36-41”

Saturday, January 23, 2016

“After some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.’ Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

---End of Scripture verses---

Sometimes even the best of friends and most godly of brethren can have “sharp disagreements” (verse 39). This does not necessarily mean that one is right and the other is wrong. Sometimes good people just see things differently. The contention between Paul and Barnabas was obviously the result of personal judgment and not issues concerning the truth of the Gospel. “Paul did not think it wise” to take along John Mark after he had abandoned them so quickly during their first preaching trip together (Acts 13:13).

I can personally understand the reasoning behind the firm stance that both of these good men took, even though an explanation for Mark’s departure is not revealed to us. I can see why Paul would be hesitant to take along someone who proved himself to be undependable on such a spiritually important and physically demanding venture. And I can also completely understand why Barnabas, who was given the name “the son of encouragement,” would want to give a fellow a second chance to make things right—Especially when it was his own cousin (Colossians 4:10).

The great thing about this distressing rift between two exceptional Christians is that everything turned out well in the end. It is obvious from the way that Paul wrote of Barnabas in 1 Corinthians 9:6 that he still considered him to be his companion in the faith; and Paul wrote that Mark was “useful to him” (2 Timothy 4:11), and called him a fellow worker who was an encouragement to him (Colossians 4:10-11). But even more importantly, God took a troubling situation and turned it into a blessing, like only He has the ability to consistently do. When Barnabas took Mark and Paul took Silas and both parties went their separate ways, the Lord then set two powerful tandems to work for the Gospel, covering twice as much territory then they originally would have been able to.

We surely do serve a powerful and awesome God who always makes things work out for the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). “The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:5).

Please Read Acts 16:1-13 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

-Louie Taylor

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