Here is the first part of something I have resorted to referring to as “The Big Picture”, this is some of what God has been teaching me as I dig into His word to try to have a mind that will be glorifying to Him who has authority over all. I have believed for awhile that Gods word is truly living water that can never dry up. I have study a single verse for over an hour and later discovered things that my friends and I missed, that have been revealed later at the right time, and I know there is much more still undiscovered. I also know it is important to keep verses in context by looking at a chapter or even a book as a whole which I also have enjoyed doing in times past. However this is a study, which I personal never conducted before, I have only heard sermons on it. It is looking at the bible and how it is all interconnected. I urge anyone trying to grow in the Lord with their knowledge to try this, it is by far the most challenging for me but it turns individual parts of the bible into a more whole message greater than even the sum of each part that goes into the whole. At Rock Bridge, a Christian camp I went to with my InterVarsity chapter, I walked through how to do a study like this with Peter’s life. It was here we turned seven different stories Peter was in from five different books in the bible into one look at Peter’s life, salvation, shortcomings and maturity into faith. All of which were great stories like how he dropped his net to follow Jesus, but when combined the message Jesus taught me through Peter broke me down an built me up stronger. When I started documenting what God was teaching me through His perfect word this summer, I was not planning on doing the kind of study I just descried. I just kept taking the doors the Lord was opening, fueled by the Spirit inside me ambitions to better understand the bible, and chronicling them so I would not forget what I was taught. Resulted in..
The start: I took a look at some commentary for Judges to better understand Judges as a whole, it is here I read how the tribe of Judah military collaboration (Judges 1:1-4) are compared to the joining of John Mark to Paul and Barnabas missionary trip (Acts 13:1-3). While investigating the similarities to these seemingly unrelated incidences, I saw that in both a set number was sent and blessed by God but more than that set number participated in said calling, not trusting that the amount God sent was sufficient. In Judges Judah was called to go against the Canaanites for they were given victory but they feared they would not be a large enough army so they invited the tribe of Simeon to join them in battle. In Acts John Mark doesn’t have any recorded praying for discernment if he should go on this mission trip like Saul and Barnabas did. Also according to scripture he was not sent out by the Holy Spirit as the other two were (Acts 13:4). He ends up accompanying the two anyways, nine short verses later we find out the direct effects of his rogue actions as he abandoned his two brothers in Christ to return to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Rogue in the fact that John Mark went without God’s blessing, as far as I can tell. This is a strong case that even doing good things can and will burn you out really quickly if you are trying to use your own strength to accomplish your goal and not letting God work though you. This is not the extent of the consequences that arise from John Mark’s premature exit.
However, before we get to that while reading another commentary I found out that it is suggested that an influence of why John Mark left could be his assumed Kinsman Barnabas went from leading to being lead. In Acts 11:22-25 it tells us that the Church sent Barnabas and he recruited Saul latter to be known as Paul to help him. It seems that his name change, first recorded in Acts 13:9, also marks the transfers of leadership. Immediately after the name change Paul is the one calling the shots. He is the one that blinds a sorcerer trying to harden the heart of the governor of Paphos by attempting to get him not listen to Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:10-11). Paul is the one speaking to the crowd in Chapter 13 verse 16. Although this is a suggested reason why John Mark may have left, it doesn’t seem to cause any tension between Barnabas and Paul; they continue to travel together doing God’s will. Before this day I have never thought that much of Barnabas, but his act of great discipleship and leading deserves to be explored. I believe him and Paul did not split over the trade of power because Barnabas prioritized God’s will above his own, and his selfless motives (Acts 4:36-37). God clearly willed Paul to be the vassal in which He uses to lead the Gentiles the Kings and the people of Israel alike to Himself (Acts 9:15). Barnabas wanting God’s will to be done cared not that Paul was making the speeches and becoming the figure head of their group. In fact it probably brought him great joy because he trusted in Saul when most people feared that his conversion was not genuine (Acts 9:26). Barnabas exemplified a true leader of Christ by allowing even encouraging a man better suited for the job to start leading over himself. Keep in mind Barnabas was the one that brought Paul in and groomed him, by letting Paul take the reins he is showing blatant disregard for his ego while simultaneously showing great respect for the Lord’s will.
Barnabas’s grace doesn’t stop with just Paul either he not only forgave John Mark for leaving but trusted him enough so that he could redeem himself.
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