“And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed into Cyprus, 40. And Paul took Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. 43. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.” Leading up to the text, Paul suggested that he and Barnabas go back through Asia Minor to see how the churches that they started there were doing. The ever-encouraging Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, but Paul disagreed because John Mark left their first mission tour at Perga of Pamphylia before they went through Asia Minor. It evidently became heated between Paul and Barnabas, so they decided to split up, with Barnabas taking Mark and going back to Cyprus. First, we see the difference between Paul and Barnabas. Paul had a difficult time with what he considered quitters, and would not take Mark. Barnabas disagreed and took Mark with him to Cyprus. Paul had a “go get’em” personality, while Barnabas was more settled and encouraging. We will see that Jesus used both men to get His work done. Second, we note that instead of one missionary effort, because of the disagreement there were now two missionary efforts. It is not recorded what Barnabas and Mark accomplished in Cyprus, but Paul and Silas had a great mission beyond Asia Minor and were guided by the Holy Spirit to go into Macedonia, where they won people to Jesus. But we can assume that Barnabas and Mark had some success in Cyprus, because they too were led by the Spirit of God. Third, we will notice that Mark and Paul were later fellow companions in future missions, and that Mark became a valuable worker in the kingdom. Note the following references to Mark: Colossians 1:10: “Aristarchus my fellow prisoner salutes you, and Marcus (Mark), sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom you received commandments: if he come unto you receive him…” ) In Philemon 24, Mark is listed as one of Paul’s fellow laborers. (Evidently Mark visited with and worked with Paul while Paul was in prison in Rome, since Philemon was written from prison.) Mark was also mentioned by Peter in 1 Peter 5:13: “The church that is in Babylon, elected together with you, salutes you, and do does Marcus (Mark) my son.” (The note in the NIV Study Bible says: “Peter regards Mark with such warmth and affection that he calls him his son.”) In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul’s last letter before his martyrdom, he wrote this about Mark: “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” Then, of course, we have the book of Mark in our New Testament. Fourth, I want to give you my conclusion as to why Mark became a great worker for Christ after his failure at Perga in Pamphylia. I believe that this happened because the great encourager Barnabas did not give up on him. Barnabas saw in Mark what he could become with a little encouragement. We don’t know what happened between the two after they went to Cyprus, but we do know that after that Mark became a great follower of Jesus Christ. Let this encourage you today to either recover from your own failures, or to become an encourager with someone who is struggling. Do it! I repeat: “We need more people like Barnabas.” Bro. Joe
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|