After the Jerusalem Council (AD 48/49), which endorsed Paul’s teaching of the Gospel and established a universal theology among Christian churches, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch and taught for some time (Acts 15:30–35). Then, it occurred to Paul to go on a second missionary trip to visit the churches Paul and Barnabas had founded and see how they were doing (Acts 15:36). Barnabas liked the idea, but he wanted to take Mark with them on the visit. Paul opposed this so strenuously that they had to work separately from then on (Acts 15:37–40).
This must have been an extremely painful decision for the apostle Paul. Barnabas had been his friend from the beginning.
In AD 33, when Paul first visited Jerusalem after his conversion (Gal. 1:18), no one in Jerusalem could believe that the murderous Saul/Paul’s had truly believed. They were still terrified of him (Acts 9:26). Only Barnabas trusted him, and only Barnabas was willing to befriend him. Just three years after Saul/Paul’s conversion, it was the beginning of one of the most important relationships in Paul’s life. But he could not remain in Jerusalem because his bold preaching provoked murderous opposition (Acts 9:28–29), so he was sent back to Tarsus.
Some years later, when Barnabas had been sent to Antioch to minister to the newly formed church, Barnabas himself went to Tarsus looking for Saul. When he found him (perhaps in AD 42) he brought him back with him to Antioch to work with him there (Acts 11:25–26). This was the beginning of their working relationship—initiated by Barnabas, the man who had trusted and befriended Paul when no one else would. After ministering in Antioch for some time, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to deliver funds to the church there because prophets had foretold famine. While they were visiting Jerusalem, Herod Agrippa, who had intended to kill Peter as he had killed James, faced God’s judgment and died (Acts 12:1–23).
When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, they took John Mark, who already had experience working with the apostle Peter, with them (Acts 12:25). Then, after Barnabas and Paul taught again in Antioch for an unspecified time, prophets spoke in the name of God calling the church to set the two of them apart for a special work (Acts 13:1–3). This would have been in the year AD 45. Though John Mark is not mentioned as among those who were commissioned, he did go with them and is described as an “assistant” (Acts 13:5).
When they arrived in Paphos, the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, called Barnabas and Paul to meet him so that he could hear the word of God (Acts 13:7). There was a sorcerer present, Elymas, whom Paul cursed with blindness. The proconsul was amazed at Paul’s message and the power of his ministry and so believed. Paul and “his party” came to Perga, but from that point John Mark went back to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). We are not told why.
When Paul and Barnabas finished their profoundly successful Galatian ministry, they returned to Antioch to discover that seeds of heresy had already been planted in their newly formed churches. Paul wrote a scathing letter to them to make the boundaries and basics of the Gospel very clear: the book of Galatians. This would obviously be before the Jerusalem council in AD 48/49, for Paul makes no mention of this momentous meeting in the epistle to churches for whom it would have been the most relevant.
Paul’s fiery letter apparently had an impact. And when he and Barnabas visited Jerusalem for the council, they were accepted and respected. Paul’s understanding of the Gospel—the Gospel that Jesus Himself had revealed to him—was endorsed by the church and the results of the council were published to the churches.
All seemed well, especially since Paul and Barnabas intended to go on another missionary journey (Acts 15:36). However, a problem arose when Barnabas suggested that they take Mark with them—the Mark who had abandoned them on the first mission. The disagreement was so severe that Paul and Barnabas could not work together any more (Acts 15:37–39). Such a severe disagreement after years of friendship sounds rather surprising to modern ears: why not just compromise and work it out?
An initial reading of thd text would suggest that Paul assessed correctly and Barnabas incorrectly. After all, though his name is mentioned (Gal. 2:1, 9, 13; 1 Cor. 9:6; Col. 4:10), we never hear of Barnabas’ ministry again in the New Testament. After their split, the book of Acts is devoted entirely to Paul’s ministry, with nothing more about Barnabas.
Yet, the apostle Paul himself refers to Mark later as his “fellow prisoner” (Col. 4:10), no small commendation. In 2 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy that Mark is useful to him in the ministry, again making it clear that there was an eventual reconciliation and that Paul was able to work with Mark in the ministry of the Gospel.
Perhaps the Scriptures, rather than give a one-sided polemic in either direction, reveal how little we understand the wonder of God’s ways: both Paul and Barnabas were following the lead of the Holy Spirit and were right in their decisions and convictions.
John Mark needed the kind of strict discipline offered by the apostle Paul for him to discern the depth of his problem and seriously repent and seek to be a better minister of Christ. Paul’s rejection of Mark, a public matter in Antioch, was a necessary ingredient in Mark’s spiritual progress. Without Paul’s inflexible stance, Mark might not have taken his failures so seriously.
On the other hand, Barnabas’ ministry to Mark was also no doubt no less essential to Mark’s future usefulness as a servant of Christ. Though we have no record in Scripture of Barnabas and Mark’s ministry or of how Barnabas encouraged and trained Mark, we do have an inscripturated record of the results of Barnabas’ ministry. His success is apparent. And it was Paul himself who endorsed Mark!
Based on the evidence in the text, we ought to say that both Paul and Barnabas were correct in their very different decisions. Both of their contrary perspectives were necessary for John Mark. Mark needed Paul’s harsh assessment in order to rethink his life and ministry. He was apparently humble enough to endure a public rebuke and to seek to reform his life and ministry. But no doubt, he also needed encouragement from Barnabas so that he would not be overwhelmed.
Jesus provided both ministries to Peter. Jesus not only told Peter ahead of time that he would betray his Lord (Mat. 26:34), He also looked him in the eyes when Peter was in the very act of betrayal (Luke 22:60–62). It is hard to be more severe than that. But Jesus had already told Peter that He would pray for him (Luke 22:32). After the resurrection, when Jesus met Peter, He asked him three times, “Do you love me?”. Peter’s affirmative answer was a restoration and Jesus accepted Peter’s repentance wholly, which is what we hope from the Lord who instructed us to forgive 70 times 7.
Jesus is both our Paul and our Barnabas. Jesus’ eyes like flames of fire overwhelm sinners because of His absolute holiness. But He is still the One who intercedes for sinners at the right hand of God. He is still our merciful and faithful High Priest: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).
Ralph Smith is pastor of Mitaka Evangelical Church.