A Lesser Known Person 4

BARNABAS  INVESTED IN MARK

1. Reach Out

“When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from

• Paul and Barnabas were given a mission – to deliver alms to Jerusalem from the church in Antioch.  After completing their mission and delivering the money, Barnabas and Paul bring someone with them, Barnabas’ cousin Mark.
• Is it easy to bring family members along to what you’re doing?  Sometimes, but not always.  Sometimes we pridefully want something that sets us apart from everybody else.  Or sometimes we just don’t get along with a person.  Or sometimes we don’t know each other very well (as in the case of cousins).
• Paul and Barnabas saw something in Mark, reached out a hand to him, and asked him to join them back in Antioch.

2. Be Willing to Fail

“From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to

• After Paul and Barnabas took a risk and invited the inexperienced John Mark along, he left them in Pamphylia and returned home to Jerusalem.
• The Bible doesn’t say exactly why Mark left, just that he did leave, and Paul considered it desertion (Acts 15:38).
• Barnabas seems to have been wrong about Mark.  Sometimes, we’ll see potential in someone, take them with us, invest in them, and then they’ll turn out to desert us. But it’s better to take some risks than to never help anyone.

3. Never Give Up

“Barnabas took Mark and sailed for

• Going on another mission trip, Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement over who to take along.  Barnabas still saw potential in Mark, but Paul didn’t think it would be smart to take him along again, since he deserted them in Pamphylia.  They couldn’t agree, so Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas.
• Why did Paul not want to take Mark along?  He thought Mark would desert them again.  He couldn’t trust him.
• Why didn’t Barnabas give up?  The Bible doesn’t say specifically, but he probably still saw potential in Mark to bring the gospel to the world. Ephesians 4:2 says we are to be patient and bear with one another in love.

4. See the Results

“Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” – 2 Timothy 4:11

• Paul wrote this letter to Timothy while in prison in Rome.  Of all the people he could have asked to come to him, he only asked for Mark, whom he describes as “helpful in ministry.”
• Barnabas did not give up on Mark, so he grew and became someone Paul trusted, and Mark went on to write one of the Gospel accounts.

Have a great day

John

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