Day 337 – Paul – Journey #2 (Paul & Barnabas Split Up)

• Today’s short readings give us an interesting little insight into Paul and Mark (who, confusingly, was also sometimes called John). The first thing to do is to flick back and read Acts 12:12, where we first met Mark, and then remind yourself of Acts 13:13, where Mark left Paul and Barnabas whilst on their journey. No reason is listed in Acts 13:13 about why this happened. Mark, by the way, is assumed to be the same Mark who wrote the gospel.
• We can assume that Paul wasn’t particularly impressed with Mark for leaving them on the journey, as Acts 15:38 suggests. Paul and Barnabas disagreed on whether to have Mark with them for their second journey. What was the result in verse 39?
• Does it surprise you that two people who had such an influence in the early Christian church would have a “sharp disagreement” about something? Barnabas went away with Mark and Paul went elsewhere with Silas. How, therefore, did God use this argument for His greater purposes?
• The final words in Paul’s letter to the Colossians references Mark. How had Paul’s opinion of him changed between the moment in Acts and the time he wrote the letter? What was Mark doing for Paul?
• A similar message can be seen in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. Mark is mentioned as being “useful for ministry”. Indeed, as his gospel shows us, Mark was incredibly important to the early church.
• So, with all that said, what do today’s verses tell us about the importance of forgiveness, or letting go of anger? 2 Timothy 4:16 also talks about forgiveness. Showing a forgiving attitude, what did Paul want for the people who deserted him? What does verse 17 tell us about where we, too, can gain the strength to forgive others?
• 2 Timothy 4:18 is a great assurance of ultimate well-being, but not necessarily a promise that God will remove all our current dangers. You might like to write it down and stick it on your wall, or highlight the verse as one you can turn to for regular encouragement.

By God’s grace, the disagreement between Mark and Paul led to the gospel being shared more widely. Mark could have quit entirely when he had the disagreement and left Paul, but instead he picked himself up and continued on. We read later that Paul is very complimentary about the work Mark did.

You’re less than a month away from finishing an intensive bible-reading plan. If you haven’t quit yet, I expect you won’t now. It’s taken determination, discipline and effort (although I hope it’s been a pleasure at the same time!). If you’re behind, though, there can be a temptation to quietly drop away into the sidelines, and I pray that that isn’t, and won’t be, the case for you. After this year is over however, what’s going to spur you on to regular time with God’s Word? Day 365 isn’t “quit reading your Bible day”. Soo how, like Mark, will you move on from one “chapter” of your Bible-reading life to whatever the next chapter is?