1 Failure Series July 8, 2018 The Failure and Redemption of John Mark Acts 15:36-41 Pastor Jeff has been preaching through a series on Failures. As we have seen in the series: God s Plan is Failure, Why Spiritual People Fail, God s View of Failure, and the first of 10 Core Lessons about Failure. Continuing with the lesson on Failure, I would like to look at a biblical example of Failure in the New Testament. The example I want to examine today from the Scriptures is one that is so easily overlooked as to the dynamics and intensity of it. When we look at what has happened, and the resolution of the issue (not only immediately, but also at the end of Paul s life) we should come to view this issue among the disciples Barnabas and Paul, and the life of John Mark with greater interest and respect. Our key passage for this message is Acts 15: 36-41 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. 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphilia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that
2 they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and left being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was travelling through Syria and Cilicia, This is the only indication of the rift between Paul and Barnabas over whether to take John Mark on the return trip to visit churches they had previously established. We will come back to this passage to look at the words used to describe is disagreement. But I want us to go back and look at the incident itself. We really do not see much from it. Acts 13: 13 After and encounter with the sorcerer in Paphos, we are told that From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia but John left them to return to Jerusalem. Why did John Mark leave the group? Was John Mark homesick, that could have been a possibility. When the group began the trip they first sailed to Cyprus, Barnabas home country, and familiar to John Mark s family. What had been an easy beginning then turned in to controversy and the difficulty could have been too much for Mark to take.
3 Could the problem with John Mark been that he was not ready for the confrontation that arose? In Paphos, Paul and Barnabas were called by the Roman proconsul, whose name was Sergius Paulus. Sergius Paulus had an attendant who was Jewish in background but was a sorcerer and false prophet, his name was Bar-Jesus (which means Son of Jesus). The sorcerer was trying to dissuade the proconsul who wanted to hear the word of God from Paul and Barnabas. We are told that Paul (who was filled with the Holy Spirit) cursed Bar- Jesus. Some speculate that John Mark may have been upset that Paul was taking the gospel to the Gentiles (Sergius Paulus). We know from Scriptures, that John Mark grew up with some of the apostles and it was John Mark s mother, Mary s house that Peter went to when the angel miraculously released him from jail. There was a rising controversy in the church (that Gentiles could only become Christians by going through the synagogue in other words become a Christian by first becoming a Jew). We will see in Acts 15 that the controversy become such a sharp debate that Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and
4 elders to decide the question. And it was decided that Gentiles should not be burdened with the keeping of the Law, as are the Jews. So, as Paul and Barnabas were getting ready to retrace their first visit to encourage and tell them the decision in Jerusalem. Mark likely felt guilty about abandoning the journey to Perga and wanting an opportunity to redeem himself. Or perhaps the Jerusalem Council s decision had a larger enough impact on him to give him a new perspective that he held in Acts 13. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them again. To provide understanding, we note that Mark and Barnabas were cousins. But it is doubtful this would be the only reason Barnabas wanted Mark to accompany them. Barnabas, the same disciple who went to Saul after his Damascus Road experience, taught him, and brought him to the apostles and told them of Saul s change from persecutor of the church to believer. Barnabas, whose name means Son of Consolation, recognized Mark s full potential and wanted to give him a chance to develop and mature in his walk. Paul disagreed. Back at our passage, we see the words that describe their disagreement. 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had
5 deserted them in Pamphilia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, Vs. 37 Barnabas wanted the tense of the verb in Greek tells us that Barnabas was persistent and determined in his request. 38 But Paul kept insisting it wasn t that Paul said one time NO but there was a continual back and forth to the place where it was clear that neither man was going to relent to the other. So we see 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another the Greek word for sharp disagreement is paroxysm which carries with it the idea of a sudden, violent outburst and gives us some idea of the intensity of the disagreement. The disagreement was so heated among the two, with neither going to give in, that they finally reached the decision that the only thing that they could do was to go in separate directions. But this strong disagreement is vastly different thing between friends and co-laborers (such as Paul and Barnabas) than just a personal falling out. Although they disagreed on this one issue (whether John Mark should go on this re-visit) Paul and Barnabas were still very close and good friends. So the result of this sharp disagreement, vs 39b and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and left being committed
6 by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was travelling through Syria and Cilicia. They went in different directions. Most churches have a time in their history when there was a split in the church. I know both Woodland Baptist and Southport Baptist churches have that in their histories. Often it is a sore spot that still hurts, leaving a scar that is still recalled. But God brings about good from the Paul and Barnabas split. And God can bring about good in our failures. What were the good things that God was able to bring out of the conflict between Paul and Barnabas. What God was able to do. 1. Two Missionary Journeys were launched rather than just one. Paul took Silas and went to Syria and Cilicia. Revisiting some of the old places and then expanded their travels to other places west. It was on that journey, Paul had the vision of the man from Macedonia calling him to come to them which further expanded their missionary outreach. Barnabas and John Mark went to Cyprus, we are told, and after Barnabas was killed Mark went to assist Peter and is credited with writing the Gospel of Mark from the teachings of Peter.
7 2. Barnabas character was revealed. Barnabas shows us a fantastic character lesson by refusing to use his clout to overrule or cause trouble for Paul. Barnabas could have played the church politics game and created an even larger issue than it was already. 3. Paul grew up. By the example shown by Barnabas, Paul learned how to show grace and forgiveness. In 1 Corinthians 9:6 Paul commended the ministry of Barnabas. 4. Mark learned valuable lessons. God knew what he was doing by sending Mark with Barnabas instead of Paul. He ended up working closely with Peter, learning more about Jesus from Peter. Which became the basis of the Gospel of Mark. It is interesting that the one who once neglected to serve, wrote a gospel emphasizing Jesus as the Great Servant. So what happened to the young man called John Mark? We do not see much about Mark in the Scriptures. But we know that there is some type of change in Mark and in the opinion of the Apostle. He developed a respect and love for Mark later in life, in (Colossians 4:10) Paul commends the work of Mark and in Philemon verse 23 Paul tells us that Mark has been working closely with Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. Also in 2 Timothy as Paul is getting his affairs in
8 order he tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. As I entitled the message The Failure and Redemption of John Mark. -From a study by Kevin Laymon entitled Paul and Barnabas Split: The Progression of John Mark So what can we learn from the failure and redemption of John Mark. 1. Our past mistakes don t have to define our future. God constantly works within us to make us more like Him. No matter the extent of our failure, we should learn from it, and allow God to work in us. It is never too late. The Apostle Paul is an example of one that fought the followers of the Jesus as the Messiah and yet God used Paul to open the Gospel to the Gentiles. 2. If you fail in ministry, or life, don t ever feel like you can t get back in the game. Sometimes God works in people for years, with many failures along the way, before we are ready for ministry. King David is a great example of that, he was an adulterer and a murderer, but he is still known as a man after God s own heart. Be patient.
9 3. It s never too late to reconnect with someone you let down. We have all failed someone in our past. Time spent growing in God s grace, and learning in it, can be a powerful healer. Matthew 5:23&24 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you. 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 4. It s never too late to forgive someone who let you down. Just as we have failed someone else, we have also had someone fail us. Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. Sometimes people will go years, if ever speaking to someone that we have had a falling out. We need to remember that if we can change over time so can someone else. Reach out to them. Let us pray