Acts 15:35-16:5
Dear RTB’ers,
Paul’s second missionary journey. I’ve always been troubled by Paul and Barnabas separating over the issue of John Mark going along. But you may recall that Barnabas was John Mark’s cousin (Colossians 4:10, translated as “uncle” only in the KJV), so family ties would have prompted Barnabas to have Mark along. And as I ponder this further, I always remember Barnabas as an encourager; even his name translates as the “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). So I see that Barnabas wants John Mark to go along as an encouragement to this young missionary. But Paul is adamant against him going along and they separate. But, Paul and Barnabas going different directions meant a doubling of missionary activity. So, not all bad…
More geography… And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (15:41) Evidently Paul and Silas traveled by land to get to Derbe and Lystra (Acts 16:1). In so doing, they more than likely traveled through Paul’s hometown, Tarsus. Surprisingly, nothing is mentioned of that possibility, even though Paul and Silas went through “…Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” (15:41) Presumably there was more evangelism in Asia Minor than is reported in Acts. So, a question – might there have been a church in Paul’s hometown? Interesting!
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. (16:3) I imagine you wonder, along with me, as to why Paul had Timothy circumcised when the Jerusalem Council (yesterday in Acts 15) said there was no need for Gentiles to be circumcised. But Timothy’s mother was Jewish and his father was Greek, so he did not fall fully into either camp. My Study Bible suggested that it was for the sake of expediency, so that Paul’s work among the many Jews in that region would be more effective.
As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. (16:4) There has been a lot of discussion among Bible scholars as to when the Jerusalem Council met. I won’t go into all that, but it seems clear from this verse that the Council met sometime between Paul’s first and second missionary journeys. If Paul is bringing the decisions of the Council to these cities, there is a clear suggestion that those decisions had not been made by the first time he visited these cities. Small point…
Blessings!
You’ve brought up some interesting points Fred. Barnabas and Paul have a deep relationship, but their personalities and focal points are clashing, and God uses this to further the spread of the Gospel. Barnabas is focused on John Mark and his salvation and Paul is focused on spreading the Gospel and the need for committed people to work alongside him. By separating and continuing to spread the Gospel they were able to accomplish more and Paul was able to recruit Timothy. Why is Luke including this? Is it because he knows this will happen over and over again in the church? Dissention in the church continues today. Hmmm, something to ponder on.