To the Ends of the Earth: Brotherly Love Strife

RPM Volume 17, Number 36, August 30 to September 5, 2015

To the Ends of the Earth: Brotherly Love Strife

Acts 15:36-41

By Dr. Derek W. H. Thomas

Now turn with me once again to The Acts of The Apostlesor The Acts of The Holy Spirit, or even The Acts of The Risen Christbecause as we have been studying this great book together it is indeed what we have been discovering: that the Lord Jesus, though risen and ascended to the right hand of God, continues to exercise His ministry that ministry declared so very clearly at Caesarea Philippi: I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

And as a consequence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (that event in itself as a consequence of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus), what we see in the successive chapters of The Acts of The Apostles is Jesus planting His church, spreading it from Jerusalem and to Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

We followed Paul and Barnabas, and for a while John Mark and others, as they made that first foray into Cyprus, and then across the Mediterranean Sea to Pamphylia, and then upwards to the region that we now know as Galatia, to which Paul will write a letter The Letter to the Galatians.

Weve followed the apostles as theyve made their way to places like Lystra and Derbe and Iconium, planting churches by the grace of God; watching as God the Holy Spirit pours out His blessing as tens and hundreds, and in some cases perhaps even thousands, are brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Weve watched as the apostles carefully chose elders in these churches, because Paul will take at least a year possibly a year and a half before he will be back again in the region of Galatia, and they needed oversight. They needed encouragement. They needed instruction, and so elders were appointed to do that very task.

Weve followed in more recent weeks something of a crisis that has developeda sequence of events weve been trying to piece together, piecing together the information in Acts, but also information that Paul gives us in the second chapter of Galatians: the incident in the city of Antioch where dispute has arisen, the work of men of James, important men (probably in an ironic sense as Paul refers to them in Galatians 2). Theyve come up from Jerusalem. Evidently theyve followed Paul and Barnabas in the regions of Galatia, too (we conjecture), as a result of which Peter, you remember, and also Barnabas, withdrew from table fellowship with the Gentiles. Peter, who had been given that vision, you remember, of the great sheet with all kinds of animals and being told so clearly by God that there was nothing clean or uncleanthat the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament now were abolished, that the middle wall of partition that had divided Jew and Gentile has been broken down through the mediating work of Jesus Christ.

But all of a sudden that has come to a crisis point once again in Antioch, and into the mix came the issue of circumcision: Should Gentile converts to Christianity be circumcised? Because there were certain Jewish Christians who had long since given such significance to circumcision as something that identified them as covenant people of God that they found it now difficult to imagine that under the new covenant that this sign and seal of the covenant of grace was now no longer a requirement. Weve watched as that has unfolded in a Council that took place in Jerusalema letter that was writtenthe immensely significant decision that circumcision is not to be required of the Gentiles. Four stipulations addedwe looked at that last week. It was all terribly complicated. We arent going to rehearse that again this evening, or Ill never get into the sermon that I need to get into this evening.

But theyve made their way back to Antioch. Judas and Silas have come up from Jerusalem. Evidently Judas and Silas have returned to Jerusalem. Some of your translations suggest that Silas never went back to Jerusalem. Well come to that in a moment. Bear with me; thats an issue of the text, and some of your translations have something in verse 34, and some of your translations have nothing in verse 34, and something by way of a footnote explaining that particular problem.

And then, another problem. Just when you think everything is fine and dandy and wonderful, and the roses smell beautiful in Antioch once more, and Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians have hugged (if I can take Brad Iricks talk a little further) and made up, all of a sudden another problem emerges. Its like that in church life, isnt it, that problems sometimes come in waves. Just when one thing has been resolved, another thing comes in its wake. Its like oh, Im not sure what metaphor to use plastering Jell-O to the wall? Holding down a balloon? Whatever metaphor you want to usebut there are problems emerging. Now its a personal problem once again, with Paulnot Paul and Peter, as it had been in Antioch, but now Paul and Barnabas. And we pick up the reading at verse 36 of chapter 15.

Before we read the passage together, lets ask for Gods blessing. Lets pray.

Father, we thank You again for the Scripturesthe Bible inerrant, Your authoritative word, profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in the way of righteousness, that the man of God might be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Help us, Lord, to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest by the help of Your Spirit and for Jesus sake. Amen.

Hear the word of God:

And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are." And Barnabas was desirous of taking John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

People who voluntarily punish themselves for their own offenses deserve gentle treatment.

Well, thats John Calvin. Hes quoting on this incident here. Hes commenting on this incident here. He is alluding to John Mark, who evidently has shown, according to Calvin, a measure of repentance. Hes come back evidently from Jerusalem where he lives with his mother in a house thats terribly significant for the apostles and disciples, and even at one point, I think, for Jesus: the place of the Last Supper, in all likelihood. And John Mark, having left, having abandoned the work in Pamphylia (hed gone to Cyprus with Paul and Barnabas and then crossed the Mediterranean mainland), but there in Pamphylia, in that coastal town of Pamphylia, made a hasty retreat presumably back home to Jerusalem while Paul and Barnabas went on ahead on what we now know as the first missionary journey.

Well, hes now back in Antioch. Hes probably traveled up with Paul and Barnabas and some others Judas and Silas following the Jerusalem Council and the decree, the letter, that had been written.

People who voluntarily punish themselves for their own offenses deserve gentle treatment. You get the impression immediately that Calvin is not on the side of Paul here. Calvin is suggesting (and well come to some stronger words by Calvin in a minute) that Paul is displaying something of an error of judgment in regard to John Mark.

I. The conflict.

Luke tells us that its a tense moment, just as the occasion that Luke doesnt record, but Paul records in Galatians 2, the occasion between Peter and Paul must have been a tense moment. You dont argue with the Apostle Paul. You need to be sure of your grounds to stand up to the Apostle Paul. Already hes not the Paul that he will be; he doesnt quite yet have the reputation and stature that he will have, but already he is certainly the leader of the Gentile movement. If James is probably the leader of the Jewish movement in Jerusalem, Paul by this time is by far and away seen as the leader, even from this point onwards outstripping Barnabas. (You remember how Luke had originally put Barnabas and Paul, but from now on its always going to be Paul and no sign of Barnabas.) A sharp disagreement in verse 39the Greek suggests a sickle, something sharp, something painful. Passions are aroused. You got the sense of that in verse 38 in the rendition of the New American Standard Version. Paul kept insisting you have to read into that a little and see that there was a debate here. No, there was a disagreement here, a strong disagreement, and arguments on both sides were being leveled. Emotions got probably engaged, and Paul stood his ground. He kept insisting on his point of view with regard to John Mark.

Who was correct? Paul or Barnabas? Were almost forced to ask that question. Luke doesnt tell us, you understand. You have to read hard into the text even to get a hint of what Luke himself thought. Now, Luke knew Paul. In a moment, in chapter 16 at the tenth verse, we begin those famous we passages. All of a sudden Luke is including himself in the journey. All of a sudden when the man from Macedoniathe vision, you remember, that takes Paul and Silas and others across the Aegean to places like Philippi and Thessalonica and Corinthall of a sudden Luke is there. Hes joined them. Hes in the story. Luke knows Paul. He knows his temperament. He could tell you things about Paul that you dont even want to know! He knows Paul from the inside out. Hes seen Paul at his weakest; hes seen Paul when hes tired. But Luke doesnt attempt here to pick sides. He just records the story. But its sufficient for us, I think, to get the sense that this is a really tense moment in the church.

Ive had tense moments in my thirty years of ministry in the church. I remember standing up one time to a deacon (not in First Pres!)I remember one time standing up to a deacon, and I honestly thought for a minute he was going to punch me! It was that tense! I remember sitting in the car outside his house it was nighttime shaking like a leaf. It takes something to make me shake like a leaf, but Im not ashamed to confess I was not fit to drive for about thirty minutes.

This is a tense moment. Paul is resolute: Barnabas, the son of encouragement, is resolute. What are the circumstances of the conflict, first of all? Because what we have here is a conflict. Its an interpersonal conflict. Its a conflict between two men, two leaders, two gifted individuals, two men of enormous usefulness, and they are in conflict. They are in disagreement. And there are consequences concerning their disagreement huge consequences, enormous ramifications will ensue (especially for one, I think) as a result of this conflict.

II. What are the circumstances?

Well, the circumstances are quite simple. Paul has returned to Antioch along with Barnabas, along with Judas and Silas. Theyve come to explain the Jerusalem decree. Theyve come to explain that circumcision is no longer required of Gentiles because it would be a violation of the gospel. It would be a violation of justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Paul had won this great and important victory for the gospel, for justification, for the place of works in justification. It has no place in justification. Its an important point, and Paul will make a great deal of it. Hes already made a great deal of it as hed written a letter to the Galatians, who are equally troubled about this issue.

But a year has gone by, maybe more than that (verse 36): After some days. You know, Lukes a historian, and hes not giving you precise details here. This suggests that perhaps the winter of 48 A.D. had given way to spring of 49 A.D., and spring is the time of travel. You didnt travel much in wintertime, but springtime has come, and maybe thats what Luke is suggesting here. If so, then 14-15 months perhaps have gone by since they were last in the province of Galatia. A lot can happen in a year, and Paul is concerned about the churches in Galatia. They had been ravaged by the Judaisers. Its all too possible that some of these Judaisers from Jerusalem had traveled in the region of Galatia insisting that the Gentiles be circumcised undermining, in Pauls mind, the doctrine of justification by faith aloneundermining the gospel. Thats why, I think, they had appointed elders, to ensure a certain stability for the church. But a lot can happen in a year. Were the churches growing? (Isnt that what we were thinking about this morning?)And Paul is thinking about that about the Galatian churches. Were they growing? Were they stable? Were they in trouble? Lets go back and see. Its not a divine revelation that Paul seems to have got. Hes suggesting this to Barnabas as a sanctified good idea, to go back and visit the churches that they planted and to see how theyre doing. And Barnabas wants to take John Mark with him.

Evidently John Mark is there. Hes come up from Jerusalem. John Mark, you understand, is Barnabas cousinfirst cousin. John Mark has a mother in Jerusalem called Mary Barnabas Aunt Mary. It was the house, in all probability, that they stayed in when they went to Jerusalem. It was probably the same house in which the Last Supper was held. If you take a tour of Jerusalem today, its this house purportedly that youre taken to in Jerusalemthe location supposedly of the Last Supper. Well, you Southerners understand this! Its family! Of all people, you understand this. I mean, no matter how wrong your children are or your cousins are, or your brothers or aunts are, theyre family, so youre going to stand up for them. Youre going to say the best things about them. Barnabas wants to take John Mark.

You get the senseLuke doesnt tell usIm reading into the text a little, but you can understand that maybe theres some pressure here. Maybe Mary has suggested to Barnabas, Take John Mark back with you. Give him a second chance. She might have been eager for her son to be involved in gospel ministry a laudable concern, a laudable ambition.

But Paul says no. Absolutely no way. He keeps on insisting that there is no possibility of John Mark going with them back to Galatia. You notice the language. Now, you remember in the original text when Luke told us that John Mark left them to go home, thats all Luke said. He never gave any comment as to why John Mark had gone. Now read verse 38. These arent Lukes words, theyre Pauls words that Luke is reporting: Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.

Its the language of desertion.

Well, now, thats loaded language in any language, in any context. In any sphere, thats pretty loaded language. John Mark is a deserter. John Mark had left them in the lurch. John Mark was a quitter. Lets take this to its limits. Im not saying that this is legitimate, but this is how one renders this passage. Its not a translation, its a paraphrase. Its Eugene Petersons The Message: Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark, but Paul wouldnt have him. He wasnt about to take a quitter.

He wasnt about to take a quitter. So youve got all the makings of a great brouhaha in the church. Two leaders of the church in a logjam. Theyve locked horns on John Mark. Hes a deserter, Paul says. Hes a quitter. He lost his nerve.

I dont know what John Mark saw in Pamphylia; he seemed to have been all right in Cyprus. Perhaps he saw something in Pamphylia of what being a missionary actually meant.

What was the nature of the disagreement? What was the nature of the conflict?

Well, Luke says two interesting things. He says first of all something about its severity. He says there arose a sharp disagreement. A sharp disagreement (verse 39).

Now, commentators are all over the map. I mean some of them are on Pauls side, some of them are on Barnabas side, and some of them are somewhere in the middle. On those who are definitely not on Pauls side let me give you a couple of examples: Paul had fought and won one of historys most critical battles over the Gentile converts. He was not, however, able to apply the same truth to his relationship with John Mark.

Ooo! Ouch!

Listen to Calvin. Calvin is commenting not so much about John Mark, but about John Marks mother, Mary, with whom Barnabas would have, of course, somewhat of a loyal familial relationship:

Allowance [Calvin said] might have been made for John Marks youth and inexperience, giving in at first onset of trouble. That did not mean that he would be a cowardly soldier all his life. Surely Paul ought to have borne with such a high and good-hearted woman, and not alienated her by being so harsh. She wanted her son to be devoted to the preaching of the gospel. It might have been a great sadness to have her sons help spurned for one small fault.

Thats pretty straightforward. Calvin is definitely not on the side of Paul here. Paul is being stubborn. Paul is saying you desert once, and its over. You cannot come a second time.

Now others take a very different tack. Some take a kind of mediating position. Some are suggesting that what you see here is a legitimate concern on both sides. Paul has concerns about John Mark. Maybe concerns about Barnabas, too. You remember Barnabas, along with Peter, had refused to eat with the Gentiles in Antioch. This same problem is likely to develop back in Galatia again. Its perfectly understandable that Barnabas, this warm-hearted, good-natured man, this Levite from Cyprus, would urge that John Mark be given a second chance. Who doesnt deserve a second chance? Everybody deserves a second chance.

And then others are on Pauls side. Others theyre reading into the texttheres no evidence for it but theyre a little suspicious that maybe the incident in Antioch had been brought about by John Mark. Maybe it was John Marks vacillation that had encouraged the situation in Antioch that had led Peter and Barnabas, his cousin, to make this stand. Maybe Barnabas himself is to blame. Maybe what lies behind this is that Paul doesnt think that Barnabas - not just John Mark, but Barnabas - shouldnt go back to Galatia, because having vacillated in Antioch maybe hes going to do it again in Galatia. Its a sharp disagreement, and who knows whos right here. It will be interesting to do a straw poll: Whos on Pauls side? Whos on Barnabas side here?

You know, we dont know the facts. Thats how conflicts begin, by the way, when we dont know the facts. When we make judgments and we dont have all the facts and figures. All that were told is that there was a conflict, and it was severe.

And it was unresolved. Dont you think that when the Holy Spirit comes down upon the church in such blessing and revival, as is obviously taking place here in The Acts of The Apostles, that tensions like this and conflicts like this would be resolved? I mean, isnt that what Christianity is about? Isnt that what being in the church is all about? Evidently not. Were sinners still. We live in a fallen world still, even in the church. I mean, I know First Pres is perfect, but every other church has these problems! They agree to disagree. The best of Christians can disagree, and disagree on a personal level, and disagree in their evaluation of others, in their evaluation of the stability and usefulness of others. They can disagree about whos to be an elder, and who should be a deacon, and who should teach Sunday School. Theres a disagreement here in their evaluation of the stability of this man. Its an unresolved issue. Its an unresolvable issue, at least at this stage.

III. What is the outcome of the conflict.

But in the third place, and this is perhaps the most important thing, what is the outcome of this conflict? The outcome of this conflict is that Paul went one way and Barnabas went another. Barnabas took John Mark, and took him to his home in Cyprus. Actually Barnabas is still remembered in Cyprus. If you visit Cyprus today, in the Orthodox Church Barnabas is still a great name, of course. But you know, we never hear about Barnabas again. You can rifle through all the pages of Acts, and Barnabas disappears now. The focus of attention is entirely that of Paul.

Now dont be jumping to conclusions. I dont think were meant to jump to conclusions and say, well, therefore Paul was right. But there were consequences, because at least in some sense the work continued, but the conflict between Paul and Barnabas at least for the time being was unresolvable.

Paul took Silas. Well hear more about Silas in the coming weeks. But what happened to John Mark? I mean, dont you feel sorry for John Mark? Dont you feel a little sympathy for him, this young man who had failed? I mean... Hands up here, somebody who has never failed, ever, as a Christian, about anything. I mean, where are the perfectionists here? Dont you feel some sympathy for John Mark? It took some courage for John Mark to come back to Antioch, to be there perhaps beside Barnabas and to offer himself, with Barnabas encouragement, to go back on something in which he had failed. It takes some courage. Thats why Calvin says people like that should be dealt with gently.

The next mention of John Mark occurs in the epistle of Paul to the Colossians. In chapter 4 at verse 11its written roughly A.D. 60, so maybe 10-11 years from nowand Paul is evidently in Rome, but so is John Mark. At the end of Colossians, he gives greetings from three Jewish converts and three Gentile converts, and among those six people is Mark. Mark is in Rome, and Paul says (referring to all six of them, including Mark), They are a comfort to me. Aah! The fences have begun to be mended, then!

The next reference to John Mark is in Pauls last letter, in II Timothy in chapter 4 and verse 11. This is the swan song of the Apostle Paul. These are his closing words. And Mark John Mark is with Paul in prison. Paul is waiting. As far as he knows, hes waiting his execution. Its from here that he will be taken out and executed. And he says about John Mark: He is very useful to me for ministry.

Now, there was a Dutch jurist by the name of Hugo Grotius who said that his usefulness to Paul was that he spoke Latin. Isnt it incredible? Isnt it a wonder? You know, years later John Mark and Paul are side by side, and this man who had stood firm and resolute and said no way was John Mark going on that second missionary journey, hes saying about John Mark, Hes very useful to me.

The next reference to John Mark is in Peter, in I Peter 5:13, where Peter refers to John Mark as my son. Its a little hint. You all know the story, of course. What was John Marks greatest accomplishment? The writing of The Gospel of Mark. Its this man: this failure, this deserter, this quitter, this man who deserted us in our hour of need. And thats the man God chose to write The Gospel of Mark.

You see, my friendsand of course the tradition is that it is Peter who is whispering in Marks ear the contents of The Gospel of Mark, as Papias and Josephus and others relayyou see what this is saying? Some of you are John Marks, and you have failedand maybe failed publicly. Ive had my share of failuresone that I will remember for the rest of my days. I know what it is to knock on someones house and ask for forgiveness, because I behaved in a terrible waysaid something that was completely inappropriate. And to knock on the door and to be told, You are not welcome in this place, and the door slammed in your face, and [knock-knock-knock] knock the second time, and have it occur a second time. And knock a third time, until eventually I was asked in, and went on hands and knees (not literally, but spiritually and internally) begging for forgiveness, because I was utterly in the wrong. And here is John Mark, and God uses him.

You see, maybe youre saying to yourself, Can God use me? Can God use me, a failure? And the answer is, of course, Yes. Because theres grace with God. But there is forgiveness with God, that He may be feared (Psalm 130). Isnt that the most beautiful thing in all the world, that there is forgiveness with God, that He may be feared?

Out of this little text of great conflict, you know, there blossoms a rose. Its the rose of what the gospel of Gods sovereign grace can do in the lives of His people.

Lets pray together.

Father, we thank You that we are living and abiding in powerful words. Hide it in our hearts, that we might not sin against You, and give us hope in believing in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. For Jesus sake we ask it. Amen.

Please stand and receive the Lords benediction.

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

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