John Mark (4) - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

Barnabas proposed to take with them John also, called Mark; but Paul thought it not well to take with them him who had abandoned them, going back from Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. There arose therefore very warm feeling, so that they separated from one another; and Barnabas taking Mark sailed away to Cyprus.
Acts 15:37-39

John Mark (4)
These verses start brightly, but the "very warm feeling" that developed between Paul and Barnabas takes some of the shine off them. The devil cannot undo the fact that we are , but if we let him, he can divide us in a practical way to the detriment of the testimony (Eph. 4:27).

Paul's exercise was a good one and found a ready response in Barnabas but, as so often happens, a secondary matter assumed too much importance. Perhaps familial affection swayed him into thinking it would help his cousin Mark (Col. 4:10) to take him with them. Paul was wiser: the purpose of the visit was to build up the brethren and a backslider could play no part in this.

These verses convey the lucidity of Paul's argument, but Barnabas resisted it and they could not proceed in unity. He forced the issue by taking Mark back to Cyprus; this is the last we read of Barnabas in Acts. By contrast the Holy Spirit led Paul and Silas to go where Paul's first missionary journey had produced fruit in the form of assemblies, and they were "committed by the brethren to the grace of God" (v. 40). The proof the Spirit led them is that He was able to direct them to go farther than they expected by taking the gospel into Europe (16:6-10).

How did Mark feel about all this? His failure, separating from Paul and Barnabas, had borne sad fruit in their separating from each other. May we be kept from wrong words and actions that cause disunity among our brethren (Prov. 6:16-19).

Simon Attwood