The wall was established. John Mark would not be asked to help with his future mission work. I don’t think this was a knee jerk decision on Paul’s part. He was quick to point out Mark’s unreliability to Barnabas and was so set against the idea that he was willing to part ways with the very man who had taken him in when no one else would (Acts 9:26-27). No, Paul had thought about Mark’s unreliability often and established this barrier for Mark long before this conversation took place. But there were several things he didn’t do that he should have.
He didn’t seek counsel or if he did, he didn’t heed it. The strong language used in verse 39 suggests an unbending attitude and inflexibility on his part. It also suggests this is the first Barnabas had heard of Paul’s deep disappointment in John Mark.
Most importantly, Paul did not talk to Mark about this shortcoming nor did he want to talk to him. We can give Paul the benefit of the doubt and suggest he didn’t have opportunity to talk to Mark since the young man had deserted them. Mark was not a cell phone call away. But he could have opportunity to talk to Mark if he would have been willing to take him on his next missionary journey. Paul wasn’t willing to do that. That relationship was done and now so was his relationship to Barnabas. This was not a picture perfect time in Paul’s life.
But! Praise God! He works out His perfect will and plan even when we aren’t doing what we should be doing. Both Paul and Barnabas were used by God throughout the rest of their lives. And Mark was also used in mighty ways by God. Not only did he write one of the Gospels, he became invaluable to Paul. In His grace and mercy, God didn’t let any of these men go, not even unreliable Mark.
Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, f
II Timothy 4:11
or he is useful to me for service.
The Bible doesn’t tell us the particulars of how this relationship was restored. Some have suggested Mark just needed time to mature and grow. That is probably true, but that would not have happened if Mark had been left to find his own way. Someone stayed close to him and that someone was Barnabas. This man was not foolish or naïve about Mark’s failings. He was simply willing to take the harder road, the riskier road, and stay in Mark’s life. All three men were stronger disciples because one of them was not only willing to set parameters, but also to love like Christ within those boundaries.
These are just two of the difficult one another types we have in our lives and traits we can exhibit ourselves. There are many more: clingy, obstinate, argumentative, tardy, procrastinator, etc… The key to enjoying fruitful and God-honoring relationships with each of these types is to not give up on them. They are our brothers or sisters in Christ. They are God’s children. He loves them as much as He loves us. He died for them just like He died for us. Like it or not, we will be spending all of eternity (a long time) with them and then all the difficulties will seem so small.
We may have to set up parameters. We may have to practice tough love. We will probably cry…a lot. We will have to spend hours in prayer and in the Word. We will have to leave what is comfortable and easy and invest in what is scary and hard. We will have to strip off our pride and probably seek counsel and help from other one anothers. We will have to lay prostrate before our God daily, even hourly. And we will have to let go and let God every moment of every day.
Above all…
We must never give up! We must never stop loving!
We must take this personally!
One Another Living 