Acts 15:36-41
Notes
Transcript
Acts 15:39 “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.”
That is where our passage today ends, but before we explain the situation that Paul and Barnabas are in, we have to understand how they got to this point.
So, we’ll work our way backwards in a sense.
BUT FIRST, LET’S PRAY
What are you most passionate about?
I will tell you.
I know exactly what you are passionate about.
You are passionate about the things in your life where you think you’re right.
Am I wrong?
We hate being wrong and we love being right.
I could ask your best friend or spouse and find out!
We are passionate for the things in our life where we have convictions, and believe them to be true.
I believe that God created us all with freewill and that leads to making choices in our lives.
They are not always the best ones but sometimes we have to stand on our convictions when others around us say otherwise.
As believers we can all agree on our salvation and most basic truths of the Bible, but when it comes to implementing how to share the gospel, disciple others or live out the Christian life we may disagree from time to time.
OK, we WILL disagree from time to time.
It’s interesting to me that Acts 15 starts with debate and ends with debate.
The first part is within the church as they debated circumcision during the Jerusalem Council and the second and last part was when Paul and Barnabas clashed over a situation.
We’ll talk about that situation in a minute but let’s take a second to find out how they got there:
Barnabas’ name literally means “son of encouragement” and he definitely lived up to his name.
If we remember in Acts 9, he introduced Paul to the other believers.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Barnabas vogued for Paul, sticking his own neck out there.
He built the bridge between Saul and the other Christians attesting to Paul’s faith and ministry call from Jesus Himself!
Later on in Acts 11 news got out to the Jerusalem church that there was a growing church in Syrian Antioch and Barnabas was sent to that church to encourage them.
22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
As the church grew and more and more people were coming to the church to hear the gospel, Barnabas went back to Jerusalem to enlist Paul’s help.
Later in that same chapter, we read about a prophet in that church named Agabus who foretold about a famine, and so the church sent relief to the other Christians living in Judea.
And who brought those gifts to Judea?
Paul and Barnabas...
30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
Jumping to Acts 13, the Holy Spirit chose Paul and Barnabas to be missionaries
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
And so, the church of Antioch sent them off.
Paul and Barnabas were a team, they traveled together in their first missionary journey to the island of Cyprus and Asia Minor preaching the Gospel.
For that journey they decided to take John Mark along as a helper and so they traveled through many Gentile areas sharing the gospel.
Paul and Barnabas literally risked their lives together for the sake of the Gospel so that others could be saved.
But halfway through their journey, John Mark left Paul and Barnabas, and this obviously bothers Paul more as we can now read in our passage for today:
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
So, a question we might ask ourselves is who was in the right, and who was in the wrong?
As they began planning a second missionary journey, they disagreed on whether or not to take Mark again.
Paul was determined not to bring him, due to Mark bouncing out early but Barnabas, the encourager, was unwilling to leave John Mark behind.
Not only an encourager but a family member, they were cousins.
And blood runs thick in families.
Our text says that there was a “sharp disagreement” between them, and they parted ways.
From then on, Barnabas traveled with John Mark, and Paul chose Silas as his companion in ministry.
The mission was not in question, they both had a heart for the same thing.
They longed for seeing those that had come to faith in Jesus in their first missionary journey again.
In Barnabas’ mind he wanted to encourage them in the best ways he knew how and in Paul’s mind he wanted to preach and challenge them in their new faith.
The ministry and mission was not in question, it was the ministry volunteer.
That had to be an awkward conversation to be in the middle.
Mark is the kid in line waiting to be picked for the dodge ball game and is passed up by the captain who knew he was tagged out in the very first round.
But the best player on the captain’s team really wants the other guy on the team.
He wants to give him a second chance, because they are family.
The captain thinks he knows best and makes the decision not based on IF that kid will perform well or not but BASED on his past performance.
The game goes on and they win.
Or in another analogy...
Talk about my first job and not having any experience at all was hired when I was able to get my work permit.
My boss took a chance on me and it later led to my college path, and career, and still passion today.
I would’ve understood had my boss hired someone with more experience and not hired a kid who hadn’t worked a day in his life, but he took a chance and later it paid off.
Both situations are understandable; one where the Captain does whats best for the team and they have success but the other where my boss takes a gamble on me, and it ends up working out as I was mentored and matured helping the company out as best as I knew how.
Paul, not wanting to give John Mark another chance because he stood them up before goes on with Silas in order to...
41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
BUT what what Luke doesn’t record in Acts about John Mark’s later in his ministry, we can read other places...
John Mark was the son of Mary (a widow) and to whose house Peter went to after the angel freed him from the prison in Jerusalem in Acts 12.
Remember, Peter came knocking at the door and they shut it in his face the first time?
John Mark is later referred to by Paul so we know they not only spoke again but partnered in ministry...
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
And lastly towards the end of Paul’s life, who ask Timothy to bring with him when he is in prison for encouragement?
11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
Later we read in 1 Peter 5:13 that Mark partnered with Peter and helped him write his letter.
13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.
Obviously Mark had matured over the years and became a faithful servant of Jesus.
As Paul recognized his progress he counted him as a valuable companion.
Around the time of Acts 18-23 which was somewhere in AD 55-59, John Mark wrote the Gospel letter we know as the book of Mark.
Some scholars believe it was Mark writing about himself on the night of Jesus’ arrest in Mark 14:
51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
A then scared young man, turned out to be one of the greatest encouragers of the church.
But it wasn’t Paul who could take the credit for helping him get there, it was Barnabas.
There was certainly a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas in our passage.
Both believers, believing in the same Gospel message and doctrine, but not agreeing on their ministry team.
Paul went on with Silas and spread the Gospel having a successful life and ministry but then again, so did Barnabas and Mark.
God can take our disagreements and choices in life and turn them into amazing things in spite of our inadequacies or sometiems bad judgement.
We can learn a good lesson from the relationship of Paul and Barnabas.
Here it’s obvious there were two godly men, who were loved by the churches, filled with the Spirit, endured persecution together, seeing people saved, and enjoying an effective ministry.
But were imperfect, they were fallible and did not see eye to eye on everything.
They argued and both went their own ways.
You might say they agreed to disagree.
Even what we might consider the best and most faithful believers among us are not excluded from conflicts and mistakes.
We are all fallen human beings.
I’ll be the first to admit this and I’m supposed to be your Pastor.
I fail, everyday.
I sin, everyday.
I am in need of Jesus’ forgiveness and grace, everyday.
The ministries of both these men continued— in fact, the number of missionary teams doubled if you think about it!
Though often not planned and inconvenient, God can use even our disagreements to further His work.
Paul and Barnabas both continued to depend on God.
In matters of personal preference and ministry practices, Paul and Barnabas differed.
In matters of doctrine, they both saw the necessity of sharing the gospel with the world.
They were united in what is truly important and later we see that to be true as Paul partners with John Mark.
What can we learn from this passage?
A whole lot about dynamics of family and relationships, but mostly that the same God who put these men into ministry in the first place would accomplish His work whether they were on board or not.
Here’s some other practical take aways that we can learn from today’s passage:
When we are involved in a dispute we should pray for the ability to understand both sides, not just our own.
Its interesting that Paul later on writes,
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
It almost seems that he learned more about humility along the way.
2. If both sides of the argument seem to have reasonable support, try and compromise.
Again, Paul later goes on to write,
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
We need to as believers, among each other, distinguish between what is essential and what is nonessential.
We often would give our life for nonessential things and neglect whats most essential.
Something to think about.
3. If the conflict goes on and on, don’t give up, stay at it.
Rather than seeing each other’s point of views or seeing the greater good, we leave.
Hoping to find what we want somewhere else.
Don’t like the way things are done at church? Go find another.
Not a fan of the way your marriage turned out? No problem, Divorce and start over.
We live in a flight or fight world and we often react in the moment as opposed to praying and seeking God’d direction.
The saddest part is that we often leave just before the solution that God has prepared can present itself.
Just because conflict has gone on longer than we want it to, stay at it.
Don’t sacrifice a relationship because we are impatient or are camped out on a non essential reason.
God honors our faithfulness.
In rare times, yes, conflict comes to the point of impossibly being resolved and we may part ways for a season or for good.
In Paul and Barnabas’ situation we see that they part ways at the end of Acts 15, but later we see Paul references Barnabas in 1 Corinthians 9 in the context of self sacrifice in ministry.
I wonder if Silas and John Mark, both being somewhat caught in the middle of Paul and Barnabas’ conflict, ever became close friends?
As we close out Acts 15 it’s important to remember that when we face hard situations, times of conflict within our marriage, families or in this case, within ministry partnerships our first response should be to pray.
When we want the other person to change and the situation to go our way we should pray.
Pray that God would change our hearts and help us to see His bigger picture rather than just getting our way.
The only person we can change is ourselves, not our friend, or co worker, family member or spouse, ourselves.
God will work on them.
LET’S PRAY