Paul and Barabas according to some were sinning at the end of this chapter. How? Some see any form of disagreement and separation as a sin. If that was the case then God would have corrected them, but we don't see that. What we do see is two people who could not come to an agreement on how to proceed together and thus going separate ways. I have talked before about the Mezpha, Genesis 31:49, and that God at times calls for people to be separate. In Genesis, there was never a reconciliation but later Paul will say that John Mark is fit for the ministry and asks for him. In this world, there may not be reconciliation due to differences or even sin, but for the Christian, there will ultimately be a day when we are in the presence of God and then we will be able to perfect unity.
Another note to add here is that when Paul split for Barnabas and John Mark, he didn't go out alone. He found another person to work with him. This is another reminder to me that in the New Testament, we rarely see anyone going out alone to do ministry. We need people to help us and to keep us true to God's Word. We need accountability and partners to help carry the burden of ministry.
Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash
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