The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-08-11
Second Chance

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himself to be unreliable? That
was the question that Paul and
Barnabas answered differently.
Indeed they we're so far from
agreeing that they actually split
up a long time partnership.
Barnabas went off into obScurity
for we never hear OF him any
more) rather than 60 without
Mark. It was a strange choice.
going with young and flighty
Mark father than with the bril-
liant and successful Paul; but it
was Barnabas' choice and he had
his reasons.
Personnel Board
The story really began several
years before the great quarrel.
Paul and Barnabas. a natural
team if ever there was one. first
picked up John Mark on their
visit to Jerusalem carrying fam
inc relief funds. He went back
with them to Antioch, and was
probably in church work there
for some time When Barnabas
and Paul were sent out by the
Antioch church as their first mis-
sionaries. they took John as an
assistant. But at a place called
Perea John Mark suddenly took
a notion to go back to his mother
a lady of wealth. at Jerusalem.
We don't know why Mark went
back. no excuse is recorded. Any
how, Perga was no place to re-
sign; he was very much needed.
Perga was in a malaria infested
district, and there is some indi-
cation elsewhere that Paul came
down with it. The next leg Of the
journey extended across some
high mountain ranges, and BAN
dts were everywhere. 1t just
looked as If John Mark couldn t
take it.
Old Friends Part
At any rate. when the person
mel board for the second mission
airy party Paul and Barnabas
again met. the two older men
could not agree whether to take
John Mark or leave him behind
Luke tells us only that there was
a sharp contention" between the
two veteran missionaries about
their younger colleague; but we
can imagine how the arguments
went. Paul would remind Barna-
bas that Mark had been a quit
ter; Paul felt that taking him
the first time was probably a
mistake. but taking him the sec
ond time would be a mistake for
which there could be no excuse
Give him a second chance!
Barnabas, however, was re-
lated to Mark, either as uncle or
cousin. He knew the boy much
better than Paul did, he felt
Maybe he knew some good rea
son for Marks having come back
as suddenly as he did. Barnabas
could not deny that John Mark
had been a spectacular failure
But he felt that John Mark would
not fail twice. Paul, however, was
not willing to take that chance
So - after how many harsh
words we do not know - the
great team Of Paul and Barnabas
split up for good and all.
Mark Makes Good
1t turned out that Barnabas
was right and Paul was mis-
taken. John Mark made good
on the same kind Of Job, exactly.
as the one on which he had failed
before. He won the respect of dis
tinguished leaders o: the church
especially Peter. who calls him
my son. and Paul himself. Not
Paul. surely? He was not a man
to change his mind easily. Well
1t may not have been easy for
Paul to change, his mind. especi-
ally to change it in public. But
both publicly to the Colossian
church, and privately to limo
thy. Paul praised John Mark in
language he seldom used for any
one. John Mark never was a bril-
liant young man, he was no more
IMAM an assistant from first to
last; but the ablest of men need
assistants, and Paul paid public
tribute to the man whom once
TO use modern slang he had
fired.
The split between Barnabas
and Mark was painful, but it il.
Illustrates the wise providence of
God. For under Pauls suspicious
eye Mark might have failed
again. But Barnabas believed in
him and so he succeeded. To
be believed in may be the mar
gin. between failure and success.
Based ON outlines copyrighted
by the Division Of Christian Edu-
cation, National Council of the
Churches Of Christ in the U. S. A
E