[Photo by Amritanshu Sikdar from Unsplash]
When we left our study of John Mark we saw a young man who had a great start in the Christian life and he was engaged in worthwhile service assisting two great followers of the risen Jesus. Today we will see that something happened which caused a dispute between Paul and Barnabas and John Mark was at the centre of this quarrel. In the last Day Share we studied John Mark's Circumstances, his Companions and his Commission. Today we want to focus on him as a Cause of Conflict.
Cause of Conflict John Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on Paul's first missionary journey and he went as far as Cyprus. Then we read this striking verse.
From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. [Acts 13:13 NIV]
We are not given any reason for John Mark's decision and this has caused speculation. Some have suggested that Mark may have been lacking in courage and was afraid of venturing into the hostile territory ahead. Some have suggested that it was the change of leadership which upset him. Barnabas was John Mark's relative and it may be that he is uncomfortable with Paul taking over as leader. A third suggestion is known's as Ramsay's theory which speculates that Mark was suffering from malarial fever and Paul had also been affected by this too. Another suggestion is the one I think the most probable because it fits in so well with other references in the Acts and the epistles. This theory is that there was a doctrinal reason behind Mark's reluctance to continue on this journey. Mark was associated with the mother church in Jerusalem which was heavily influenced by the James (the writer of the letter bearing his name). Paul had been preaching to Gentiles and this conflicted with the prevalent teaching of the mother church in Jerusalem that the Gospel was primarily for the Jews. Paul's letter to the Galatians deals with the current conflict in the church where there were those who taught that Gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to become Christian. So maybe Mark was uncomfortable with the way that Paul was welcoming non-Jews into the church on the same footing as Jews.
The reason for the decision to leave may be debated endlessly. The impact on Paul and his companions is significant. They are left without the services of this able-bodied young man and someone else has to do the work which he had been doing. This was the reason for a major dispute between the two big names in the first century church - Paul and Barnabas.
After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. 39Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. 40Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. 41Then he travelled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.
[Acts 15: 36-41 NLT]
Notice that Paul is remembering how John Mark had left them in the lurch previously and so he does not think he can be trusted. There is no suggestion of a second chance. He has let us down previously and he has had his chance so he cannot be part of the missionary party. However, was Barnabas influenced by his blood relationship with John Mark who was probably his cousin. And yet his assessment of John Mark was proved to be right. The statement is a stark reflection of the weakness of human nature. It is very sad when two good men part company and there is no chance of reconciliation. Did both men sit down together and make this a matter of prayer? There is no record of any such attempt at reconciliation or negotiation. I was once severely criticised at a Bible teaching meeting because I had suggested that Paul was not blameless. One member of the audience felt that I was verging on blasphemy because I was implying any form of criticism of the apostle Paul. It is true that the name Barnabas never appears again in the New Testament but John Mark does and it is a positive reference
Commendation. John Mark is given a special mention in the catalogue of loyal supporters of the apostle Paul when he is in prison. He is listed alongside Tychicus (described as a dear brother, faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord) and Aristarchus (described as a fellow prisoner). It is clear that Paul is enjoying the company and support of John Mark at this time and he commends them to the church at Colossae and tells them to welcome him when he pays a visit to the church. Paul is even more explicit in his commendation of John Mark in the second letter he sent to Timothy. He gives this assessment of John Mark - he is helpful to me in my ministry. So this man who had failed so miserably is again recognised as having an important role to play in Paul's service for the Lord. There is a lesson for us today. We should not be too quick to write someone off - as Paul seemed to have done previously with John Mark. There is always a second chance. The prodigal son in Luke 15 was given a second chance. Peter, who denied Jesus three times in the courtyard of the high priest, was given a second chance.
It may be that there is a reason for the particular slant of the second Gospel which features the perfect service of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus is portrayed as the servant who never failed. John Mark was glad to uplift Jesus as the One who did not fail in His service. Furthermore, Peter was almost certainly involved as an eyewitness providing the material for Mark's Gospel record. So Peter was able to tell Mark about the tireless unstinting service of the Lord Jesus - God's perfect servant.
Isaiah presents Jehovah's perfect servant who is, of course, Jesus the Messiah. It is Jehovah's assessment of this perfect servant that 'he will not falter or lose heart' and Jehovah is pleased with His Son and describes Him as His Chosen One. Interestingly, one of the features of this perfect Servant is his grace towards those who are weak and failing. (Isaiah 42: 1-4 )
He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle. [Isaiah 43:3 NLT]
There is much more that could be said about the passage from Isaiah and I have spoken from it several times. For today, it is a useful yardstick for us to assess how to treat those who have failed or have let us down. At the time of the missionary journey, John Mark was a 'flickering candle' and 'a broken reed.' It was Barnabas who urged giving him a second chance while Paul was less tolerant. I am going to suggest that Barnabas had the right attitude.
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