THE 22ND OF SEPTEMBER IN THE YEAR OF THE LORD 2022

WORDS OF DELIGHT
DAILY MEDITATION ON SACRED SCRIPTURE

ANOTHER MISSIONARY JOURNEY

Acts 15:36- REV CHRISTOPHER P DAVID
38 After some days of ministering in Antioch, Paul proposed to Barnabas
that they return to visit all the Christians from their missionary trip
through Cyprus and Galatia and see how they were. By now, it was
And after some days Paul
nearly a couple of years since the earlier journey and Paul was itching
said to Barnabas, “Let us to get back on the road. He was well aware that the Judaisers had
return and visit the infiltrated the churches in Galatia and in the meantime had written
the epistle to the Galatians. Therefore, he was deeply concerned about
brothers in every city
these churches which he had helped plant and desired to see how they
where we proclaimed the were doing. Paul’s pastoral heart was deeply concerned for these
word of the Lord, and see believers’ spiritual state. Commenting on this the evangelical Bible
commentator David Guzik writes, “Paul had the heart of both an
how they are.” Now
obstetrician (bringing people into the body of Christ) and a
Barnabas wanted to take paediatrician (growing people up in the body of Christ).” Paul was
with them John called indeed very much like a doctor who deeply cared and was invested in
their patient’s well-being.
Mark. But Paul thought
best not to take with them Barnabas was also keen to go. He wished to take along his cousin John
called Mark. John had accompanied Paul and Barnabas in their earlier
one who had withdrawn missionary journey for a time before he abandoned them (13:13).
from them in Pamphylia Barnabas was quick to forgive and offer a second chance to young
and had not gone with John Mark who was still a teenager at this time. However, Paul was of
a different view. For Paul, John Mark was a deserter in the service of
them to the work. God and hence he could not be trusted once more for a missionary
journey. Paul considered John Mark unreliable and untrustworthy when
things got rough. The missionary journey would be full of daily danger
and persecution by pagans. Someone like John Mark who had proven
himself disloyal would be a liability at such a time. So Paul for whom
the mission of God was of utmost importance refused to jeopardise it
by bringing along John Mark.
In this incident we observe Barnabas’ kind-hearted and forgiving spirit
offering second chances to people who have failed. At the same time,
we also observe Paul’s uncompromising conviction and demand to
hold ministers of the gospel to the highest standards of commitment
to the mission. We also observe from John Mark’s perspective how
difficult it is to earn someone’s trust once it is lost by disloyalty. May
we take these observations to our hearts as lessons to learn for our
own lives.
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© Christopher Poshin David, 2021 | Acts-236