39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
Sometimes people don’t get along. You probably have some people who just get on your nerves. I do! But I have noticed over the years that fewer and fewer people fit that category. In fact, I get along with almost everyone I meet, if I don’t jump to conclusions. Everyone has a story to tell, a story of joys and sorrows. The hard part might be listening to the story until they feel heard and understood. Mark had dropped out of their team on their earlier missionary trip. For some reason Mark felt he needed to return to Jerusalem, and he did. This apparently had different effects on Barnabas and Paul. Perhaps Barnabas understood his reasons more than Paul. We really don’t know the reasons for this variance in opinion of Mark, but that difference still existed. Paul did not trust Mark to stick with the mission. Perhaps he felt that he lacked the support he needed after Mark left. Maybe Mark’s departure left a huge hole in their mission team. All the things Mark had done had to be assumed by one of the remaining members. I can imagine a bit of disappointment, maybe even some anger and bitterness arising from something like this. I am not sure what they felt, but Paul did not want to chance it again. He did not want Mark to come along with them this time. Barnabas, however, did want to give Mark a second chance. Have there been some people in your life that needed a second chance? Maybe you are in that position today. Maybe you are the one needing that second chance. Or perhaps you need to give someone a second chance, someone who has disappointed you, let your down. We do know that Paul later wanted Mark’s support, that he valued Mark. Will you become valuable as a co-worker in the Kingdom? I hope so. If you have stumbled, get up and continue working.
The Arnold Journey 