Acts 15:35-41:  Barnabas and Paul

The Jerusalem and Antioch churches settled a dispute in Acts 15.  After that, a rift occurred between long time fellow laborers.  Here is the text (verses 35-41):

35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.

38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

I have heard at least 3-5 sermons in my lifetime on this passage and listened to many discussions on it.  In addition, I’ve read an abundance of commentaries and articles on this story.  Men take many, many different positions.  They describe it different ways.  The most common overall position I could represent with these following comments.

How To Take The Story

First, I don’t now who wrote this, but it mirrors the next three comments:

Either way, Luke does not write this account in such a way that puts Paul in the right and Barnabas in the wrong, or vice versa. They made a mutual decision to split ways because neither could agree with the other. In a way, they both were right. It wouldn’t have been productive for Paul to take Mark when he didn’t trust him, but Barnabas saw the long-term potential in Mark and gave him another chance.

Robertson

Second, here’s A. T. Robertson:

No one can rightly blame Barnabas for giving his cousin John Mark a second chance nor Paul for fearing to risk him again. One’s judgment may go with Paul, but one’s heart goes with Barnabas…Paul and Barnabas parted in anger and both in sorrow. Paul owed more to Barnabas than to any other man. Barnabas was leaving the greatest spirit of the time and of all times.

Gill

Third, I quote John Gill:

thus as soon almost as peace was made in the church, a difference arises among the ministers of the word, who are men of like passions with others; and though it is not easy to say which was to blame most in this contention; perhaps there were faults on both sides, for the best men are not without their failings; yet this affair was overruled by the providence of God, for the spread of his Gospel, and the enlargement of his interest; for when these two great and good men parted from one another, they went to different places, preaching the word of God:

Spurgeon

Fourth, here’s what Spurgeon said and wrote:

There was no help for it but to part. Barnabas went one way with his nephew, and Paul another with Silas. Mark turned out well, and so justified the opinion of Barnabas, but Paul could not foresee that, and is not to be condemned for acting upon the general rule that he who puts his hand to the plough and looks back has proved himself unworthy.

This separation, though painful in its cause, was a most excellent thing. There was no need for two such men to be together, they were each able to lead the way alone, and by their doing so double good was accomplished.

What Not To Do

What no one should do is to read into the text or the story and argue from silence.  No one should use this passage to show that he’s right and someone else is wrong.  It is a very weak section of a chapter to make strong, dogmatic application.  Even with quotes like the four above, some church leaders will read into Acts 15:35-41 application that just isn’t there.

Someone could say, “I’m Paul in this story, and the other guy is Barnabas.”  Well, how do you get to be Paul?  It reminds me of playing with my brother as a child.  I say, “You are him, and I’ll be this guy,” choosing the favorite for myself.  “Hey, let’s play these characters and I’ll be David and you get to be Saul. How’s that sound?”

The story of the divisive contention between two godly men says essentially the following to me.  This kind of division occurs between even two godly men, based upon differing opinions.  God does not come down on one side or the other in the story.  I could explain both men as wrong, or one or the other wrong, just using speculation.

Something to Learn

When a sad split occurs, one that we really, really wish wasn’t happening, this story with Paul and Barnabas says to us, “It even happened to Paul and Barnabas.”  It isn’t an example for division, an affirmation of fighting and severing a relationship.  God doesn’t leave out of His Word these types of events.  Almost anyone reading here know these kinds of incidents occur.

Later Paul and John Mark

Rather than depend on speculation, which is not rightly dividing or practicing scripture, the Bible gives non-speculative truth concerning the rest of the story.  A quite well-known fact, the rest of the New Testament says many good things about John Mark.  He wrote the gospel of Mark, which some call the gospel of Peter, even as the Apostle Peter was close to him (1 Peter 5:13).

The Apostle Paul also later speaks of John Mark well, working closely with Paul during his Roman imprisonment (Colossians 4:10, Philemon 1:23-24).  ,When the Apostle Paul is at the very end of his life, he writes 2 Timothy.  In that final state with his execution imminent, he says about John Mark in 2 Timothy 4:11:  “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”  In his final hours, of the few things he could request and of all people, he wanted John Mark.

Later Paul and Barnabas

The events of Acts 15 and the split between Paul and Barnabas occurred around 49-50 AD.   Paul wouldn’t have written 1 Corinthians until a few years after that at least, so at least 53, if not 55.  When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, he wasn’t traveling with Barnabas anymore. Yet, in 1 Corinthians 9:6 Paul writes the church at Corinth:  “Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?”

The Apostle Paul wrote for the continued financial support for the missionary work of Barnabas.  He treated Barnabas as an equal to him in the work of the Lord, not something lesser.  Pay Barnabas.  He had the right to forbear working.  Muzzle not that ox that treads out the corn (1 Cor 9:9).  For sure, Paul wasn’t laboring toward the discontinuation of support of Barnabas, arguing to the church at Corinth that Barnabas should not receive money from churches.  Just the opposite.  He uses his name in the argument after the rift between them.

Whatever the rift in Acts 15 between Paul and Barnabas, it wasn’t there in 1 Corinthians 9:6.  He advocated for Barnabas as a missionary and for his receiving support as one.  That didn’t mean they still didn’t have a difference between each other.  Men have differences.  I’ve never met a man that did not have at least one difference with another man.  Some men think they’re always right in every single difference.  Everyone needs to submit to them.  They’re pretty close to stop listening to anyone else.

Judging Situations

I know my heart, that I’m sincere when I look at situations to judge them.  In addition, I’ve prayed and maybe even fasted.  Everyone else has got to be wrong.  And then later I find out that I’m not always right.  This is why the Apostle Paul could write in Romans 7:19:

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Paul gets it wrong.  Everyone gets it wrong.  It’s even a law, a principle.  He writes about that in Romans 7:21:

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

When Paul would do good, a principle resides in him, like gravity, that opposes his doing good.  Always that law functions in his body parts when he would do good.  This is why everyone needs mediation, something Paul certainly understood by the time (60-62AD) he wrote Philemon.

Acts 15:35-41 is a wonderful group of verses in the Bible.  Everyone can learn from them.  At the same time, anyone could speculate about them too, and then go ahead and use them for personal reasons.