The Story of Barnabas, Paul, and John Mark

I want to tell you a story about Joseph and John Mark. Like John the Baptist and Jesus, Joseph and John Mark were cousins. Joseph was the older cousin, so we’ll start with him.

Barnabas and Paul

Acts 4:36-37 there was a man named Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.

Barnabas. That is an awesome nickname. He was an encourager. His spiritual gift was encouraging.
I wonder what your nickname would be? What’s your spiritual gift? (Son of Love, Daughter of Grace, Speaker of Mercy, Mentor of the Outcasts.) 

Jesus says He’ll give us a name that no one knows except we and Him. Jesus has a nickname for you. He knows you that well. He knows what He’s chosen you to do. Barnabas was known for encouraging. Maybe you can ask Jesus, what especially do you want me to be known for?

It says that Joseph-Barnabas was from the tribe of Levi, which means he was in the Jewish priestly clan, but he was also a follower of Jesus. He knew and upheld and taught the tradition of the Old Testament but then accepted the message that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and Prophets. He was able to use his knowledge of the traditions to inform his understanding of Jesus, and he was able to use the message of Jesus to inform his understanding of the Old Testament. He was able to mesh the two, old and new, tradition and new revelation, into harmony.

That’s what we do as Christians. We read the Old Testament with the knowledge that it points to Jesus. It’s all one God telling one story.

We also see that Barnabas was wealthy but generous. It says he sold a field and gave the money to the Apostles to use for those who were in need. He took a blessing God had given him and used it to bless others.

What are you doing with the resources God has given you? Are you using them to bless others and make an impact for the Kingdom of God?

Understand what I’m saying here. What did Barnabas sell? A field. It doesn’t say he sold his house and his horse and his clothes and his…whatever else he owned. It says he sold a field that presumably he had decided he didn’t need to live off of and so he put it to better use.

Do you have anything you don’t actually need that someone else could use more than you?

Now Paul enters into the story. We remember who Paul is, right? At this point in our story, Saul or Paul is a young Pharisee. Like Barnabas, Paul was very dedicated to the religious traditions. But unlike Barnabas, Paul was so into the traditional message from God that he couldn’t accept the new message from God. He was so zealous for the Old Testament Law, he says, that he was going around like a police officer arresting Christians and then voting for them to be put to death.

Until Jesus appeared to him and told him to knock it off. That’s basically what happened. Jesus appeared to him in blinding light. Three days later, scales fell from Paul’s eyes. Do you ever feel like that, when you start to see spiritual truth, like scales are falling from your eyes and you’re seeing clearly for the first time?

Acts 9:26-27 - When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

Barnabas was the first one to accept Paul and vouched for him to the Apostles. He’s the first one who gave Paul a chance. Has anyone ever taken a chance on you? Have you ever extended that grace to someone else?

A little while later, the Christian faith was spreading among the Gentiles in Antioch.

Acts 11:22-24 - When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.

Barnabas had such a reputation among the Apostles that he’s the one they sent to oversee the ministry in Antioch, another city in another country, and he was successful. He became a missionary, didn’t he?
He also became an apostle at that point. The word apostle means sent. Jesus sent the Apostles to do His work. Now the Apostles send Barnabas. Barnabas becomes an Apostle, not one of the 12, but an apostle.

Acts 11:25-26 - Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

Barnabas recruited Saul. He wanted to help someone along in ministry. He wanted to invest in Paul and bring him along. Is there anyone in your life you can take under your wing and invest in? 

The church is to invest in new ministers and lay leaders. We’re to take a chance on and train people up for ministry. That’s part of what we’re supposed to do as a church, isn’t it? Raise up new leaders to do God’s work.

So, would you say Barnabas was someone we want to emulate? Absolutely! But, let’s not think Barnabas was perfect. He is to be highly respected, but Scripture is careful to point out at least one mistake he made.

Galatians 2:11-13 - when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Barnabas, one of the main missionaries to the Gentiles, stopped eating with the Gentiles because he was afraid of what the Jewish Christians would think! He made a mistake and had to be corrected. The younger Christian, Paul, held the older Christians, Peter and Barnabas, accountable. Age doesn’t matter as much as maturity in Christ. Speaking the truth for Jesus is what matters.

Barnabas was corrected and didn’t let it happen again. Just know that Barnabas, highly spoken of as he is, wasn’t perfect. Only Jesus is perfect.

Then, While Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch, a prophet named Agabus warned them a famine was coming, and the Christians in Antioch wanted to take up an offering for the Christians in Israel to help them buy food. Guess who they picked to take the money? Barnabas and Paul!

They were entrusted with a large sum of money, to take cash from one country to another. Are you trustworthy enough that someone would entrust you with a large sum of money like this?

While Paul and Barnabas were in Jerusalem delivering the offering from Antioch, they met up with Barnabas’ younger cousin John Mark.

John Mark

John Mark is not John the Baptist or John the Apostle. He’s better known as Mark, the author of the second Gospel, which was actually the first Gospel written.
The first time we see Mark is the Gospel of Mark, in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus is being arrested.

Mark 14:50-52 -  Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away. One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.

This is an embarrassing moment for the young man John Mark. But one thing you can say about John Mark is that he’d give you the shirt off his back!

Then we see him in this scene:

Acts 12:12 -  When [the angel freed Peter from prison], he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.

So it sounds like John Mark was young enough not to have his own home. He was living with his mother in Jerusalem.

First Missionary Journey

Acts 12:25 -  When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem (bringing an offering for the poor), they returned, taking John Mark with them.

John Mark traveled with Barnabas and Paul to Antioch of Syria, and then when Paul and Barnabas were appointed to be missionaries, John Mark went with them.

Acts 13:4-13 - So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant.

Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing.

Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.

When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem.

Mark went with Barnabas and Paul as they set out on their first missionary journey. At the first stop, Mark saw Paul strike Elymas the Sorcerer blind and convert the Roman governor of Cyprus, which was a great victory, but then he left at the next stop to go back home. Why would he go back home at that point?!

Acts 13:14 - But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland…

Barnabas and Paul continued winning many converts and having great adventures for Jesus, like being mistaken for Greek gods, and then getting stoned for not being Greek gods… It was great! And John Mark missed it. He missed the suffering, but he also missed the victories in the Lord, because he quit.

What do we miss out on when we quit early? When we don’t follow the Lord to finish all He’s called us to?

I wonder, what work does the Lord still have for this church to do? What victories does He want to give us as we follow Him? What do we not want to miss out on?

Conflict

Later, Barnabas and Paul Came back to Jerusalem for the Council of Jerusalem, to decide whether people had to follow the laws of the Old Testament to be considered Christian. Then after the Council of Jerusalem…

Acts 15:36-40 - 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. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.

Mark was the reason Paul and Barnabas separated. Barnabas wanted to give John Mark a second chance, but Paul didn’t trust him. That’s interesting, because remember that Barnabas was the one who gave Paul a second chance too, when the other apostles didn’t want to trust him! And now Paul doesn’t want to give Mark a second chance.

Reconciliation

But that’s not the end of the story for Paul and John Mark, Later we hear…

Colossians 4:10 - Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way.

Paul commends Mark as a missionary to the Colossians!

2 Timothy 4:11 - Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry.

Philemon 1:24 - So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers.

Mark was later useful to Paul in his ministry, and was counted as one of Paul’s co-workers!
Then…

1 Peter 5:13 - Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark.

Mark was with Peter! Christian history tells us Peter told Mark what to write in the Gospel of Mark
How did Mark reconcile with Paul, and then eventually team up with Peter?

1 Corinthians 9:6 - Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves?

Paul mentions Barnabas being with him again in Corinth! Acts tells us Paul went to Corinth a couple of years after he and Barnabas separated. Paul took Silas, Barnabas took Mark, but then they all met up again toward the end of that second, long, missionary journey!

So, when Paul and Barnabas got into a fight over John Mark and separated, who was right? Well, we have to be careful because the Bible doesn't say. Both Barnabas and Paul had a valid point. John Mark had quit on them. But did that mean he would quit again? 

Was Mark sorry he had quit? It seems so. After all, he wanted to go with them again.

Whoever was right in the argument doesn't really matter. A lot of arguments end that way, don't they? It doesn't really matter who was right, and most of the time both people have some right and some wrong. What matters more is, what do you do when the fight is over? Do you forgive and reconcile, or do you stay bitter against that person?

Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to reach out to and reconcile with?

Mindy and I recently had the opportunity to work through some hard things and reconcile with someone, and I can tell you that it's worth it to do that hard work. It’s difficult to reach out to and apologize and forgive and talk through things that you don’t want to talk about and… it’s worth it. It’s godly to do those things.

After Barnabas and Paul split, just imagine what Mark would have learned traveling with Barnabas for those couple of years. By the time he and Barnabas met up with Paul and Silas, Mark had matured and Barnabas and Paul had probably matured some more by then too. I wonder, how many times did Paul think of his old friend Barnabas and his young cousin Mark while he was traveling around starting churches without them? How many times did Barnabas wish Paul was there with him?

So, Barnabas and Paul reconciled, and Mark and Paul reconciled, and Silas…  well, Silas never had any problems with anyone so he was okay.

Summary Application

Let's look at a little more application for us and then we'll be done for the day.

Mark - he had an embarrassing beginning, and made mistakes, but look at how God used him. Look at how he earned the trust back of the people he disappointed. You can do the same. Isn't it good to know that whatever your past, you can finish well? You can be redeemed, you can mature, you can give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, you can be used mightily for God. You can do it.

Barnabas - Son of Encouragement, generous, a teacher, known for giving people second chances. What kind of reputation do you want to have? Who can you encourage? Who needs you to give them a second chance? Let me ask that again. Who needs you to give them a second chance?