Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Paul and Barnabas were heroes, fighting in the trenches of the Gospel together. They traveled the world and they stood unified at the Jerusalem Council. You would have thought they would be together until the end. But, there was an issue that came between them---the person John Mark (aka, Mark who wrote the Gospel bearing his name). Mark ditched them on the first missionary journey, a hardship that must have hurt the mission. Now Paul and Barnabas are prepping for another world beating mission journey. Barnabas, the encourager, sees redemptive hope in Mark and wants to give him a second chance. Paul has his eyes on the big picture---the lost people in Asia who need the Gospel---and does not believe they have time to take a second chance on someone who already failed. So, the Gospel tandem had a disagreement that led to their parting ways. There are times in our Christian journey where we will have disagreements and may even part ways. Yet, in this case, God multiplied the mission teams and impact. So who was right? Well, in a way, both were.