Paul and Barnabas

Christian ethics and theology with an Anabaptist perspective
silentreader
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Re: Paul and Barnabas

Post by silentreader »

ken_sylvania wrote:
Bootstrap wrote:
RZehr wrote:Paul and Barnabus are not Jesus. We don't look to Paul as a perfect example of how to live. I look at this account as a simple acknowledgement of something that happened, and not necessarily as a teaching on the best way to resolve differences. I believe it is incorrect to somehow hold this up as a proof text to condone our inability to get along and work along.

But we are not perfect either and like Paul and Barnabus, we sometimes do the same thing for the same reasons. I see it as a less than perfect option for less than perfect people. It certainly is a better option than continuing to butt heads on issues. Just decide to peacefully and humbly - even strongly - disagree on an issue that is of secondary importance and part ways in order to give each other space to do what each believes best.

This is different than parting over issues of salvation.
Here is the text.
Acts 15:36-41 (ESV) wrote:And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
What lessons would you draw from that, and how would you apply them?

What did it look like to "part ways"?
I wonder if it would have been wise for Paul and Barnabas to allow the church some input into their decision here. Paul and Barnabas were initially sent out by the church, but it almost seems like this second trip was being arranged more on their own.
After Barnabas and John Mark leave, then we have Paul and Silas being sent off by the church on their journey.

What blesses me the most about this account is actually the follow-up found in 2 Tim 4:11, where Paul instructs Timothy to bring Mark along, as someone who would be helpful to him in the ministry. This suggests that Paul was able to see beyond this disagreement (even though it caused him and Barnabas to part ways for a time) and recognize this young brother's potential.
I agree, regardless of the twisting path it took to get there, ultimately there was reconciliation. We would do well to consider that seriously.
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Bootstrap
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Re: Paul and Barnabas

Post by Bootstrap »

ken_sylvania wrote:I wonder if it would have been wise for Paul and Barnabas to allow the church some input into their decision here. Paul and Barnabas were initially sent out by the church, but it almost seems like this second trip was being arranged more on their own.
After Barnabas and John Mark leave, then we have Paul and Silas being sent off by the church on their journey.
To me, it looks like this disagreement happened in Antioch when they went to deliver the letter to the Gentiles, where Paul was the leader of the Gentile churches. It was about 15 days by foot back to Jerusalem, and Galatians 1 makes it clear that Paul did not ask the Jerusalem church for day-to-day guidance, but only occasionally for very major issues.

In Galatians 2, Paul mentions another disagreement:
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
But they seemed to be able to disagree, work through it, and reconcile.
ken_sylvania wrote:What blesses me the most about this account is actually the follow-up found in 2 Tim 4:11, where Paul instructs Timothy to bring Mark along, as someone who would be helpful to him in the ministry. This suggests that Paul was able to see beyond this disagreement (even though it caused him and Barnabas to part ways for a time) and recognize this young brother's potential.
I suspect Mark had proven himself by then.
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temporal1
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Re: Paul and Barnabas

Post by temporal1 »

silentreader wrote:.. I agree, regardless of the twisting path it took to get there, ultimately there was reconciliation.
We would do well to consider that seriously.
so happy for this discussion.
i don't often think of this rift, but, it strikes a deep chord, doesn't it? it hurts to read of discord between friends, who are good/godly men.

i so agree with your thoughts about the twisting path.

many years ago, it dawned on me,
"the shortest distance between 2 points is not always a straight line!"
there is more than what the human eye can see.
lesterb wrote:What sticks out to me is that the church didn't divide over the issue.
In modern times most often an issue like that becomes a congregational issue.
will we (the world) ever again let go of overlaying divisiveness on every matter? i pray so.
to paraphrase, as Robert has often noted, "we take ourselves, our perceived importance, too seriously."
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Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.


”We’re all just walking each other home.”
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