Text: Acts 15:36-41
Theme: Disagreement among missionaries
Greetings: The Lord is good and His love endures forever.
I request you to kindly turn to the Bible passage. Observe the Text: Paul and Barnabas, planning for second missionary journey. John Mark, Sharp Disagreement; Barnabas and Mark left by themselves; Paul and Silas commended by brothers.
Illustration: There were two porcupines in the freezing north woods that came together to keep warm. But when they got close, their hooks pricked each other and they had to move apart. They needed each other for the warmth, but they needled each other with their sharp quills. So finally died. (Leslie Flynn, Great Church Fights).
This passage explains the fight between two personalities, two great missionaries, Paul and Barnabas. Their sharp disagreement over a person called John Mark. Let me explain the three personalities - John Mark, Barnabas, and Paul, before we think about disagreement and resolving the disagreement.
John Mark (??a´???? ?a´????, ?):
He was a son of Mary (Acts 12:12), cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), assistant to Paul and Barnabas and believed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Mark was close disciple of Peter (1 Peter 5:13). He was the young man who fled naked from the betrayal scene in Gethsemane (Mark 14:51, 52).
Paul and Barnabas had been commissioned by the church at Antioch to do evangelistic work among the Gentiles. John Mark was not commissioned by that church. But he had gone with them as an assistant. The young man’s ministry with the two great missionaries often had been tough, he might’ve been pulled by two sides, struggling to satisfy both, became exhausted in being a caretaker of both missionaries, sometimes as Porter, sometimes as Office Assistant, sometimes as Chef, sometimes as watchman, and so on.
Mark left the two senior men at Perga in Pamphylia, and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Luke doesn’t mention the reason. So, no one can know the reason for Mark’s return. But Paul calls John Mark’s action as desertion. Now, Barnabas desired to take Mark, but Paul steadfastly refused (Acts 15:37, 38). So there was a Sharp Disagreement between the two older missionaries.
Barnabas:
Barnabas was a Levite, a landlord from Cyprus, a Hellenised Jew, joined the Jerusalem church, sold his property, and contributed to the community (Acts 4:36–37). He was a Son of encouragement, very gracious personality. He was one of the members of the church at Antioch (Acts 11:19–20).
He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith, joyful and a powerful evangelist. He encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord (Acts 11:23-24).
He called St. Paul from Tarsus, accepted him and listened to his testimony when every Christian in Jerusalem was afraid of him (Acts 11:25). He exemplified the Christian virtues of generosity, leadership, and reconciliation.
Paul: (?a?????)
It is a Roman name meaning “little”; Saul, (????????,) a Hebrew name meaning “asked for”. Saul, “who is also called Paul” (Acts 13:9). (Please note that he was called by both names Saul and Paul from the beginning. Paul was not a conversion baptismal name, as many preachers make the mistake. He was Saul Paul before and after conversion.
A Jew of the tribe of Benjamin (Phil 3:5). Paul was born in Tarsus in the region of Cilicia (Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3). He was born a Roman citizen with good standing (Acts 16:37, 38; 22:25-29). As per the Jewish law, a boy begins the study of the Scriptures at five and the study of the legal traditions at ten years. At thirteen a Jewish boy becomes a bar mitzvah (“son of the commandment”), and learn a trade. “Whosoever doth not teach his son work, teaches him to rob.” So, Paul learned the skills of a tentmaker, he was a student of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was an eligible bachelor till death (1 Corinthians 7:8).
He was a city boy familiar with the stadium (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Phil 3:14), the law courts (Romans 7:1-4; Gal 3:15; 4:1, 2), the processions (2 Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 2:15), and the market (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5). Paul was physically weak (2 Corinthians 10:10). Paul had a “bodily ailment,” (Galatians 4:13-15; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10), and “marks of Jesus” on his body because of physical abuses he had as a minister of the Gospel (Galatians 6:17). (Source: Encyclopaedia of the Bible).
Sharp Disagreement (paroxysmos):
Definition: Cambridge dictionary defines: ‘a situation in which people have different opinions, or an inability to agree’. Webster defines: ‘the state of being at variance, disparity, and quarrel’. Collins: ‘Disagreement means objecting to something such as a proposal.’
Paul and Barnabas had been set apart and commissioned together to go out on their first missionary journey (Acts 13–14). They had suffered together for the cause of Christ. After the sharp disagreement both Barnabas and Mark disappear from the history of the Acts. No more record about their ministry.
The sharp disagreement is translated by different ways by different bible from the Greek text.
“Paul and Barnabas had such a serious argument [sharp disagreement] about this that they separated and went different ways - parted company -?separated from one another” (EXB). ‘The contention was so sharp between them that they parted asunder’ (KJV2). ‘It became such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another’ (AMP). ‘Their argument became so intense that they went their separate ways’ (CEB). ‘Paul and Barnabas argued, then each of them went his own way’ (CEV). Paul and Barnabas had a big argument about this (ERV). There was a sharp clash of opinion, so much so that they went their separate ways (Phillips). There was a huge row (Noise) (NTFE).
Dictionary of the Bible: Paroxysmos means a sudden “sneeze”. This Greek word paroxusmos describes a sudden uncontrollable attack or violent expression of something, including a violent disagreement. Of course, Disagreements are part of any group, organisation, meeting and church. The disagreement may be over a proposal, decision, and project, or over a person.
Swindoll comments: “A disagreement is a collision, an ideological crash that occurs when two different personalities drive their agendas along the same issue from opposing directions. Sometimes both parties of a conflict are correct yet cannot agree.” Jack Andrews’s comments: "The whole church had come together on the issue of salvation, but the missionaries couldn’t come together on who would serve." Here the disagreement is over John Mark to serve in Mission or not.
Paul and Barnabas mission minded personalities. They fully committed to doing the will of God, no matter what the cost. They had risked their lives together for the sake of Christ (Acts 15:26). Both men had a heart for the wellbeing of the churches. Yet, they clashed over a practical matters of ministry. Their clash was spiritual purpose over a person called Mark. They argued and split up, not seeing a way to continue travelling together.
Matthew Henry: “we have a private quarrel between two ministers”. But, one good thing is that Paul and Barnabas have not drag the church into the dispute. Another good thing is neither Paul nor Barnabas let this clash stop them from serving the Lord.
Reasoning of Paul and Barnabas:
Paul calls the act of John Mark as defection, and it was a serious matter for Paul. No captain would be eager to take along a soldier who’d just deserted his unit on an earlier mission. Paul was acting according to biblical principle (Luke 9:62 - Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”; Proverbs 25:19 – “Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble”). Mark became a fellow prisoner with Paul at later stage (Colossians 4:10).
Barnabas believed that past sin and failure do not preclude future faithfulness and success. Think of the apostle Peter. He denied Jesus three times! But Jesus still used him. Robert Gonzales Jr. Comments: “Here we have two men fully committed to Christ disagreeing over the application of biblical principle. Don’t take everyone who disagrees with you off your prayer list.” Nothing in the text indicates that they got on their knees and prayed together. Maybe they did, but I don’t see it. All I see is a sharp disagreement and a separation. There’s no happy ending in this text.
There are Christians that we just don’t like. Their personalities grate on us. The way that they do things is always counter to the way we do things, which of course ours is the right way! Depending upon our personality, we often act like children when a conflict arises. People have different backgrounds, different values, and different perceptions. From time to time we will have these conflicts because we will not see things that same way as other people. We are not robots who do all things the same way.
Illustration: An atom has a proton, neutron and electron. Together very peaceful but split lead misuse of power. In the process of splitting, a great amount of thermal energy and gamma rays and more neutrons is released. This series of rapidly multiplying fissions or split culminates in a chain reaction in which nearly all the fissionable material is consumed, in the process generating the explosion of what is known as an atomic bomb.
In the same way Split brings destruction in the church. Unity keeps peace and prosperity. Many denominations, organisations are the out come of personality clashes and self projected leaders.
Good and Pleasant
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).
How good and how pleasant it could have been, if: Cain and Abel lived together, Saul and David lived together, and Paul and Barnabas lived together; if we all can live together. The disunity and fight among the God’s people brought loss to the kingdom of God and God’s plan and purposes.
Cain and Abel – Genesis 4:1-14: How good and how pleasant it could have been if Abel and Cain lived together in unity. Cain could have been another blessed race to multiply on the earth. Their fighting was of spiritual and devotional aspects. Their fight broke out in the place of worship. Instead of changing attitude, Cain changed the altar. Instead of repentance, he took revenge. Abel never heard the voice of God but Cain. How often we fight over the things which may be not more worthwhile, and advantageous to neither Church nor individual spiritual maturity.
Saul and David - I Samuel 13-31: How good and how pleasant it could have been if Saul and David lived together in unity. Saul acknowledged that God has raised David as his successor, as a promising leader, God was with David (1 Samuel 13:14, 15:28, 18:28, 29, 24:20, 26:21,25). Yet, Saul made false claims saying that God has handed over David to him, and was justified the chase (1 Samuel 23:7, 23:14). Saul wasted precious time, valuable energy, a good amount of money, and men power by searching for David It was a futile exercise (1 Samuel 23:26).
How often we waste God’s money, productive hours, and positive energy on the futile and unfruitful meetings and events. Because of lack of love and trust on each other. If David and Saul lived together in Unity, they could have expanded the Kingdom of Israel to a greater height. What a wonderful team of Jonathan and David who lived together and went to battle under the leadership of Saul. They could have been an unbeatable army in those days. Wow-what a joy to see that.
Resolve Disagreement:
As Christians, we are commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to resolve relationship issues before we say prayers, give offerings, and involve in ministry (Matthew 5:23-24). Otherwise, everything is futile and waste. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).
Paul says “you agree with one another and have no divisions among you” (1 Corinthians 1:10), agree for the sake of unity, for the sake of Christ, for the sake of the community, for the sake of Church existence, for the sake of unbelievers. And further Paul says “Be of one mind and live in peace” (2 Corinthians 13:11), Live in harmony with one another (1 Peter 3:8) with One thought, one purpose, one goal, and one aim.
Paul says “Make every effort to keep the unity” (Ephesians 4:3), such as the effort of forgiving, the effort of forgetting, the effort of accepting the weakness of one another, the effort of appreciating each other. Where there is no love and unity there the bitterness takes its deep roots and destroys the noble atmosphere in the community and Church. The best and foremost important prayer of Jesus is found in John 17 calls for unity among the followers of Christ.
The great scholar Matthew Henry says “Unity is not only not quarrelling and devouring one another, but delighting in each other with mutual endearments, and promoting each other’s welfare with mutual services, and having one heart, one soul, and one interest”.
Treasury of David puts “When they join together and are one in affection, when they are all of one heart, though possibly they are not all of one mind; or, when they meet in affection, though not in one opinion” yet unity must be exhibited in their lives.
Mom’s Bible Journal says “sadly, unity is not a word that describes the Church of today; division and factions are more accurate descriptions of the condition of today’s church”. Another scholar Coffman Comments “Despite its fragmentation, despite its bitter disputes, anathemas and denunciations are still surpassingly Church is beautiful”.
Conclusion:
We do not read, “Paul was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, telling all the churches how wrong Barnabas was.” Rather, he went around strengthening the churches (Acts 15:41). There is no indication that Paul and Barnabas became rivals or competed with each other after this. Both men were committed to know Christ in a deeper way and to proclaim Christ to every person. The prayer of Jesus was that “all of them may be one” (John 17:21).
