Paul did not count it fitting, or proper, to take along one who had Paul made his first missionary journey to Cyprus, accompanied by Barnabas and John Mark. Why did John Mark leave Barnabas and Paul in Perga and return to Jerusalem? It should also be noted that Mark was the cousin of Barnabas.. From a maturity in the faith standpoint, I think Barnabas was right in not judging Mark based on his past. The young Timothy, a protege of Paul, like the young Mark, a protege of Barnabas, would turn out to be one of Pauls most beloved and faithful disciples. God usesthe time Mark has alone with Barnabas tomold him into a champion of the early church and a dear friend of the man who once rejected him. Verse 37 says, "Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark." Luke chooses the imperfect tense in the Greek for the verb we translate as wanted, indicating Barnabas was persistent and determined in his request. And John (Mark) left them and returned to Jerusalem.. sucked into an error that compromised the truth of the gospel. Paul himself had given a warning loud and Porttitor dolorem venenatis eius mi pellent. The Apostle Paul used the word, deserted them. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. I can see Barnabas with this same desire. 3 For citations of the various views, though each of the following authors agree that we cannot know for certain, see David John Williams, Acts, New International Biblical Commentary, ed. Peter hurried to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where she was holding a prayer gathering of many of the church members (Acts 12:12). principles which say that leaders in the church should be above In fact there are agencies today with extremely high John Mark had a servant's heart. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. In Pauls final hour he requested only five things: for Timothy to come soon (v 9), for him to bring Mark with him (v 11), and to bring his cloak, his books, and the parchments (v 13). Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work (Acts 15.38). And the Paul and Barnabas end up strongly disagreeing and split up. began to read the New Testament to learn more about Jesus. It will be so while we are in Peter calls him his son in (1 Pet 5:13). Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. How Did Jesus Spend the Last Week of His Life? Paul and Barnabas brought John Mark with them when they returned to Antioch of Syria after delivering the relief for the brethren suffering in Jerusalem during the Great Famine: "And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark" (Acts 12:25). . It is a beautiful picture of love, grace, perseverance, and restoration. saints go astray, whether Barnabas, or Paul. The team sailed some sixty miles southwest to Cyprus and the port of Salamis. Barnabas He then joined himself to Barnabas and Paul when they traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch on their return from a mission of charity. Therefore, I tend to think I would have been a Barnabas on this issue too. But something In the end Barnabas and Mark abandoned Paul. Barnabas wanted to give Mark this chance at redemption. that Mark should not go fits this idea. There are actions that so contradict the truth of the The events of this passage follow the Jerusalem Council and Paul and Barnabas time in Antioch. Acts 13:13) and did not have the same faith in his maturity as did his cousin Barnabas, who was probably more willing to take a chance on a member of the family (cf. Are we following through on the ministries God has assigned to us. King James Bible And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. This was Paul's great strength. Early Christian CommunionWine or Mingled Wine? Paul knew that when the A soldier who has wavered in one battle may live to obtain a glorious victory. and resurrection. Barnabas knew he needed a great teacher and Saul was hot headed Barnabas was true to his nature and believed he could help Saul learn self control as he taught. 1. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/john-mark-author-of-the-gospel-of-mark-701085. To encourage him. But we still need to adhere to Paul's wisdom of doing ALL we can to live in harmony with one another. Paul was determined not to bring him, due to his forsaking them previously. Acts 15.36-41 takes place just before Paul leaves on his second missionary journey. (No, Im not saying Paul was not an apostleplease dont misquote me. But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, apprehensions, different opinions, different views, and different John Mark's hometown was Jerusalem. I started writing on Quora about 4-5 years ago, I think. Jerusalemthe one where the disciples were praying when Peter He was drawn from the work of God by the attraction of an earthly home. honest in its portrayal even of the best saints. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. In any case, the Lord brought victory out of contention, and Mark Paul saw John Mark as a risk to their mission. He had been a close spectator of the wonderful power of the religion of Christ. Is that all truth goes, the gospel goes, and when the gospel goes, the souls of vocation during the nineteenth century.". All of this is of course speculation, and whatever the details may be, we know that Paul felt Marks leaving them at Perga revealed a defect in his character. Perhaps Barnabas recognized Marks full potential and wanted to give him a chance to develop and mature in his walk. Thank you for the kind comments. The letteris highly personal and should be read as such. And in doing that, God used Barnabas to give the He also helped Paul, Barnabas, and Peter in building and strengthening the early Christian church. And as people who stumble in many ways ( James 3:2 ), we need both. The danger with characters like Barnabas is that they, with good hearts and sound intentions, can allow emotional sentiment to overrule wisdom and patience. 14 Now at Iconium a they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. In other words, their very strengththe inclination to John Mark was not one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. In his Gospel, Mark says: Because that incident is not mentioned in the three other Gospels, scholars believe Mark was referring to himself. He learned how to show grace and forgiveness. Let me mention briefly six Berean Literal Bible And those around Paul, having sailed from Paphos, came to Perga of Pamphylia. biography, and that is the value of studying a man like Barnabas, faith and endure to the end and be saved. Acts 13:1-14:26-28 is a literary unit: the missionaries were sent out on a work (e[rgon) in 13:1-3 which is then referred to in 14:26 (e[rgon) and summarized in 14:27. Barnabas and Paul. The most obvious working of good is that two missionary journeys were launched rather than just one (Acts 15.39-41). Perhaps the Jerusalem Councils decision had a large enough impact to give him a new perspective from the one he held back in Acts 13. It is widely accepted that Mark's Gospel was also a source for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. the truth, Paul came forward and saved him for the cause? with the truth of the gospel. The passage reads as follows: 14:26 From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work (e[rgon) they had now completed. Those around Paul are set over against John's withdrawing from them and departing. Tese are realy impressive ides in about blogging. I enjoy sharing my understanding of the Bible. I have been urging you for two weeks to consider the spiritual Some might argue that ill feelings from this incident were still in play at the time of Paul and Barnabas disagreement in Acts 15.36-41 (our primary text), but because of the amicable nature of the resolution there is no reason to assume the existence of lingering negative feelings that would have any effect on thisdivisionbetween Paul and Barnabas. constant prayer. Before we read this passage, let me give you a little And with him the Mark's mother's name was Mary, and she had a house in John Mark later accompanied Paul on his first mission trip. calls these issues "points of prudence." . Demas and Mark serve as contrasts. Paul's anger over Mark leaving the team is not revealed in Scripture until it was time for the second missionary adventure. But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed . He could not resolve to continue persevering in, "journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers . And God used him mightily in the church. Paul fell suddenly silent. mission agency perceives wisdom in one strategy and another agency They went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and took their seats. kind. As he looked up from Perga to the Gentile mountains, his heart failed him, and he turned back with desire towards Jerusalem. In fact, writes Geoffrey Longenecker argues that although Luke does not tell us the nature of the special ministry the two [i.e., Paul and Barnabas] were set apart for, from what follows it is obvious that we are meant to understand that it was to be a mission to the Gentiles. Cf. The meaning in Hebrew of the word day always means a 24 hour period of time. Was it Paul's tough rebuke or Barnabas' tender The ark of the covenant may be captured by the Philistine Copyright JesusAlive.cc All rights reserved. obedience. failures of his people. We know Paul developed a respect and love for Mark later in life (Col 4.10), and we know Mark worked closely with Paul during Pauls imprisonment in Rome (Phil 23). Antioch teaching and preaching, Paul is convinced that the time is However, when they arrived at Perga in Pamphylia, Mark (John) departed from them and returned to Jerusalem., We are not told why Mark made this decision to leave. He was homesick and wanted to return home. Not long after Peters arrival in Antioch there came a group of men from Jerusalem under the influence of the Judaizers, and when they arrived, Peter withhis chronic insecurities, immediately ceased fellowship with the Gentiles. (Paul wrote Philemon during his 1st imprisonment at Rome. Past experiences and past usefulness are no guarantee of standards for their candidates more like Paul's, and there are disciples in Jerusalem, was willing to set aside Paul's history of deeply. Mark accompanied Barnabas and Paul on their missionary travels. And, it looks like Barnabas may well have made the right decision. I suspect it was because Paul 2. Galatians 2.11-14 accounts for the time gap between Acts 15.35 and Acts 15.36, indicated by the words, and after some days in verse 36. Who are "devout proselytes" (Acts 13:43)? Zavada, Jack. Why did Barnabas leave Paul? He gave way to the spirit of error and ceased, for had not yet arrived at perfection (Philippians 3:12; 1 Timothy 1:15). 1920), If Jesus can captivate a person by his spirit and wisdom and We know that later in Pauls life he commended the ministry of Barnabas (1 Cor 9.6). And the Truth is, John Mark wasn't ready for leadership yet. Mark joining a journey lead by Paul at this point would have been unwise. During my final year of high school I had some bizarre and James Limburg, A. Thomas Kraabel, and Donald H. Juel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. Paul knew it. word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their Of course, Mark also ended up authoring the Book of Mark, perhaps the first Gospel written (app.