First Missionary Journey and a Split Among Friends

Read Acts 15:36-41

Title in NIV: Division of Paul and Barnabas over John Mark

This starts Paul’s second missionary journey. He tells Barnabas he wants to “go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where [they] preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” The leaders of the church in Antioch chose Paul and Barnabas to take the gospel westward. They also took John Mark.

(I get confused with all the names so I tried to keep in mind that it is like saying Weatherford, Texas. That is the same as Perga, Pamphylia. I hope that helps.)

These are the towns and regions they visited on the first missionary journey: They boarded a ship in Seleucia, near Antioch. They went to Salamis (the largest city) and Paphos on the island of Cyprus. Then they sailed to Perga, Pamphylia. John Mark left them in Perga. Paul and Barnabas traveled to higher elevation in Pisidia, Galatia. When the Jews rejected the message, Paul preached to the Gentiles and they were forced to leave that town. They went to Iconium, Lycaonia. They had to flee from there so they went to Lystra about 25 miles away. Paul was stoned in Lystra, but they traveled another 50 miles to Derbe. Then they retraced their steps back to Perga where they had landed. They went to Attalia, the main port city that sent goods to Syria and Egypt. There they found a ship and sailed back to Antioch in Syria where they started.

John Mark only made it to about the third leg of their trip. When it was time to go on their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them again, but Paul did not think it was wise since he deserted them the first time. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted ways. Barnabas took John Mark on a missionary journey one way and Paul took Silas with him. So, Barnabas and Mark took the same route as the first trip, getting on a ship. Paul and Silas went by land through the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

The positive: There were two teams on missionary journeys spreading the word instead of one. 

I can see both sides of their argument. Paul wanted someone he could trust to ‘have his back’ and not desert him. He could not bring himself to trust Mark again for a journey so important: sharing the word of God. Barnabas wanted to give Mark another chance to prove himself…and Mark was his cousin (Colossians 4:10). I’m sure Barnabas wanted to have Mark’s back.

They did reconcile! In Colossians 4, Paul writes: You have received instructions about Mark. If he comes to you, welcome him. In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul says that Mark is helpful to him in is ministry. In 1 Peter 5, Paul calls Mark his son. In Galatians 2, Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem together. (However, in Galatians 2:13 it says that Barnabas was led astray because of fear and Barnabas is never mentioned again--except to say Mark is his cousin. Mark, however is mentioned all the way up to 1 Peter and he has a book in the Bible. 

Who can you reconcile with today for the glory of God. How many would see Jesus in you if you took the steps to ‘make it right’ with someone?