Session 6 Just Like Barnabas: Defending Acts 15:36-41 Memory Verse Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark. Acts 15:37, HCSB 1
Session 6 Just Like Barnabas: Defending THEOLOGICAL THEME: The defense against condemnation can lead to restoration. Having just concluded the World Series and standing a couple of weeks away from Thanksgiving, the calendar reflects a rapidly expanding time of year Christmas movie season. Undoubtedly, this festive season will begin immediately after Labor Day. At any rate, the multitude of special programming obviously shares common themes of selfless giving and sacrificial love. For those that more daringly include the Christian faith in their films, they add the pervasive theme of redemption. Some characters will be portrayed as cast aside by society for one reason or the other, only to find redemption amidst the plot s twists and turns. As the calendar moves deeper into the Christmas season, the programming becomes more familiar and nostalgically treasured. Those that occur at the beginning of the season bear titles and casts that, honestly, no one has ever heard of. However, as time creeps toward mid-december, inevitably audiences all over the world will be reunited with the greatest recipient of redemptive love in all of Christmas programming: that forlorn, pitiful Christmas tree that only a boy named Charlie Brown would pick out. Charlie Brown s selection was immediately (and cruelly) mocked and derided by all of his peers. By any typical measurement, this tree was a failure. Scrawny, bowing underneath the weight of its three remaining pine needles, and utterly cast aside as having no value, the tree was scooped up by the equally outcast and undervalued Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown defended the worth of the tiny tree, attempted to rally support for its acceptance, and painted a picture of its potential beauty. He was rejected, to put it lightly. Jeered and rebuffed to the point of being shouted out of the auditorium, Charlie Brown trudged out into the darkness, as bent over as his tree. 2 Date of My Bible Study:
Familiarity tells the rest of the story. When the tree was loved, decorated, and propped up, it was transformed into a rightful and appropriate specimen. Linus s blue blanket was certainly helpful. The scene resonates with viewers every year because of the shared experience so many have of being redeemed in spite of perceived worthlessness, flaws, and damages. Describe a time when someone defended your value to someone who didn t see it. What did that do for your self-esteem? Consider the places you typically visit in the course of a week. In which of those places do you notice the greatest need for encouragement? How can you be a vessel for Christ there? How does being an advocate for others remind you of what Jesus did for the outcasts in His earthly ministry? In this week s session, Paul and Barnabas s missionary partnership came to an abrupt end. Their disagreement over continuing with John Mark became irreconcilable, leading to the two evangelists to continue in separate directions. Even though it cost him a partnership with the apostle for whom he had such great respect, Barnabas defended John Mark and his potential importance for the gospel. 1. The Cause of Tension (Acts 15:36-37) Reviewing the scriptural context leading up to Acts 15:36-37 sheds considerable light on the events that would follow. At this point in Acts, Luke had just described the happenings Session 6 3
of the Jerusalem Council, which had as its focus discerning how the new church should address the matter of Gentiles accepting Christ as Savior. Following considerable discussion, a letter was composed by the apostles to instruct the Gentile believers on the essentials of being a Christ follower, as well as to welcome them into the fellowship of faith. Taking one step further back, one of the events that made the Jerusalem Council necessary was a disagreement between Peter and Paul as to how Gentile believers were to be regarded. Specifically, Peter buckled under the pressure of Jewish leaders from the church in Jerusalem, sent by James. As recorded in Galatians 2:11-21, Peter withdrew from the Gentile believers and Paul strongly rebuked him. During the incident, Barnabas had sided with Peter (Galatians 2:13). While Peter spoke passionately on behalf of Gentile believers at the Jerusalem Council after Paul s earlier rebuke, Barnabas s separation from Paul at such a significant moment must have had a considerable impact on their evangelistic partnership. Read Galatians 2:11-14. Had you been Paul, what impact would Barnabas s siding with Peter in Antioch have had on you? Describe a time when a friend s religious convictions surprised you. How did you resolve your unexpected differences? Why is it important to go to the trouble of seeking reconciliation? With the recent history in Paul and Barnabas s evangelistic partnership, Paul s suggestion to revisit the churches they had planted on their previous journey would have opened a door for celebrating what God had done through them together. Remembrance among believers of God s previous blessings is a powerful tool for 4 Personal Study Guide
overcoming differences. When Barnabas recommended taking John Mark along, however, it opened a different door altogether. 2. The Reason for Disagreement Over John Mark (Acts 15:38) Paul s vehement disagreement over taking John Mark with them proved to be a line of demarcation between Paul and Barnabas. Luke recorded that Paul was unyielding in his belief that Paul and Barnabas not take this man who had deserted them Luke was a skilled writer, using literary devices, sophisticated structure and terminology, and intentional wording to paint his history with the precision one would expect from a physician. It was no accident, then, that Luke referred to John Mark only as that man, not using his name, when expressing Paul s belief on the matter. Instead of using John Mark s name, Luke identified him by the desertion that had come to define John Mark in Paul s perception. The desertion that Luke spoke of in Acts 15 occurred two chapters earlier in Acts 13:13: Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem. Luke provided no reason or insight as to why John Mark left, leaving the modern reader only to speculate the cause. What was of greater significance, perhaps, than the reason for leaving was the fact that John Mark left in the first place. Perseverance was one of Paul s most highly regarded characteristics in the work of spreading the gospel. This was evidenced in passages such as 2 Corinthians 11, in which Paul detailed with startling specificity the toll the gospel work had on his life. Therefore, for John Mark to leave would have created a gaping breach in Paul s trust. How do you handle situations in which those you trust fall short of your expectations? What about those within the faith community? Can you give an example? Session 6 5
What impact does emotional attachment have when trying to resolve a conflict among believers? Why might it be important to have an objective party help in those instances? Making matters more difficult, Colossians 4:10 revealed that there was a familial tie between Barnabas and John Mark: Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, Barnabas s cousin (concerning whom you have received instructions: if he comes to you welcome him). Barnabas had risen to the defense of a family member and, to Barnabas, a trusted colleague in the gospel. Barnabas had served as an advocate for John Mark is merely suggesting that he and Paul bring him along. Paul s personal grief over John Mark s desertion would have been no surprise to Barnabas. Therefore, recommending his inclusion would have been Barnabas s attempt to ease John Mark back into the fold of Paul s traveling companions. 3. Barnabas s Defense Leads to Dissolution (Acts 15:39-41) If there was ever a time to apply the modern cliché, agree to disagree, to the New Testament, this would have been the spot. The disagreement between Paul and Barnabas escalated to a point that neither of the two men was going to relent. This is difficult reading for any believer. Scholar F.F. Bruce noted, The story of the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas does not make pleasant reading, but Luke s realism in recording it helps us to remember that the two men, as they themselves said to the people of Lystra, were human beings with feelings like any other. 3 In light of their disagreement, the two men chose to go different paths. Paul continued his church planting/church fortifying work with a new partner. Silas had been one of the men selected to deliver the Jerusalem Council s correspondence to the various gatherings of Gentile believers, including Antioch. Paul had evidently been so marked by Silas s handling of the situation that he took him with him on his new journey. For Barnabas, however, his defense of John Mark did not end with simply advocating to Paul. Barnabas took John Mark back to his homeland of Cyprus. In reading the remainder of the New Testament, the modern reader would recognize that the result of Barnabas s investment 6 Personal Study Guide
in John Mark was John Mark s restoration to gospel effectiveness. In fact, John Mark s most significant days of serving Christ and His church lay ahead. How does it make you feel to read of the humanity of the men and women that God chooses to use to advance the gospel? How does it reframe your understanding of your own potential? Consider what it cost Barnabas to stand in defense of John Mark. When was the last time you cared about someone (beyond immediate family) enough to bear a similar weight for the sake of restoration? For years, Barnabas and Paul had formed a dream team in the preaching and teaching of the gospel. When it came to John Mark and his transgression of desertion, though, the two men were drawn into irreconcilable disagreement. Proving God s ability to use even those who strongly disagree, two new teams for spreading the gospel emerged from the fragmenting of the one. Certainly, Paul and Silas enjoyed years of gospel fruitfulness in their faithful endeavors. Barnabas, likewise, was able to restore and mentor John Mark to a posture of tremendous usefulness to the kingdom of God. Instead of letting their disagreement become a distraction from the gospel s advance, Paul and Barnabas capitalized on the situation, taking new companions in their gospel labors. Conclusion There are few more startling texts regarding the ministry of the early church than this split between Paul and Barnabas. Having seen so much gospel fruit and having been so closely knit in their previous ministry endeavors, that the society between the two of them would end in such a fashion is tragic and alarming. Session 6 7
Still, Luke s retelling of the dispute points to the fragility of human relationship, even when mutual Christian belief is in place. Here are some important ways this text can be applied to the modern context. First, followers of Christ must be relentless in resolving conflict as it arises. Just as seen in Paul and Barnabas here or in Euodia and Syntyche in the brokenness of the Philippian congregation (Phil. 4:2-3), unresolved conflict can subversively undermine the work of the gospel among believers. It fragments unity, allows pain to grow in the darkness of secrecy, and obscures an outward, evangelical focus in favor of focusing inwardly on the source of the conflict. In some cases, disputes will require a neutral third party to resolve because the hurt becomes too personal and layered. Whatever the demanded need for resolution, however, all extents are absolutely worthy of the effort for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of the Christ followers. Second, the Christian faith is predicated on believers being defended, even in light of sinful treachery. In that light, Christ followers must prayerfully offer the same mercy and grace to others. The prayerful part is crucial because discerning which people should be defended and restored demands holy wisdom. Barnabas did not treat everyone as he did John Mark. However, Barnabas s decision to defend John Mark even in light of his desertion and treachery was vindicated on numerous other pages of Scripture, in which Paul listed John Mark as being a companion and useful for the gospel. Third, defending others may be costly. Defending John Mark cost Barnabas a ministry partnership with Paul because of Paul s strong feelings. The disagreement was described as sharp, and indeed it was sharp enough to sever their bond. Barnabas was willing to endure the loss and pain of defending a man that had willingly deserted him (and Paul) previously. Being an advocate places one in the closest proximity to the one that is in greatest need of advocacy. Defending others, then, is a cruciform task that believers would do well to objectively count the cost of before blindly launching into a volatile situation. 8 Personal Study Guide
How intent are you on resolving your disagreements and conflicts with others? How does your desire differ when the conflict is with another believer? Have you ever invited a third party to help you in a particularly difficult conflict? What is your understanding of how Christ defended you? Why do you think understanding that is crucial for how we view others who have failed? Who in your life has shown you the greatest degree of merciful understanding and advocation? How did it feel to receive their grace? How easy was it for you to accept it? What about those experiences shapes the way you forgive others now? CHRIST CONNECTION: Just as Barnabas defended John Mark against Paul s scorn because of his desertion, Christ defended believers against God s righteous wrath as a result of mankind s sin. MISSIONAL APPLICATION: Living like Christ in the world involves standing up for those who have fallen so that they might be restored for the glory of God and the spread of the gospel. Session 6 9
FOR NEXT WEEK Just Like Barnabas: Believing Main Passages --2 Timothy 4:11; Acts 18:24-28 Session Outline 1. Barnabas Believed in John Mark (2 Timothy 4:11) 2. Gifted, but Not Mature (Acts 18:24-25) 3. Discernment of the More Mature Believers (Acts 18:26) 4. Mentored for Increased Usefulness (Acts 18:27-28) Memorize Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark. - Acts 15:37, HCSB References 1. Calvin, John. Commentary Upon the Acts of the Apostles. Calvin s Commentaries, vol. 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003. 2. Williams, David J. Acts. New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1990. 3. Bruce, F.F. The Book of Acts. NICNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988. 4. Gangel, Kenneth O., and Max Anders. Acts. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN.: Holman Reference, 2006. Daily Readings --Monday - 2 Timothy 4:9-15 --Tuesday - Acts 18:24-28 --Wednesday - Ephesians 4: 25-32 --Thursday - Matthew 18:15-20 --Friday - Matthew 5:21-26 --Saturday - Hebrews 12:14-17 10 Personal Study Guide