Monday: A Second Chance
Daily Lesson for Monday 1st of July 2024
Read Acts 15:36-39. Why did Paul reject John Mark, and why did Barnabas give him a second chance?
The reason for Paul’s rejection of the young man is given in Acts 15:38. Mark had withdrawn from them and had not continued in the work of ministry. Paul’s attitude is understandable, if blunt. Missionary life, particularly in the ancient world, was rough and demanding (compare with 2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Paul depended on his fellow missionaries to help carry the burden of such challenging work and conditions. In his perspective, one who deserted so quickly did not deserve a place in a missionary team fighting hand to hand against evil forces.
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Barnabas disagreed. He saw potential in Mark and did not want to leave the young man behind. Such a deep dispute arose between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark that they parted ways. Paul chose Silas to go with him, and Barnabas took Mark.
Acts does not explain why Barnabas chose to take Mark with him. In fact, this passage is the last place that the two men appear in Acts. But interestingly, it is not the last place Mark is mentioned in the New Testament.
Read Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24, and 1 Peter 5:13. What details about Mark’s recovery do these verses suggest?
An amazing transformation seems to have occurred in Mark. In these passages, Paul indicates the value of Mark to him and to ministry. Paul counts him as one of his fellow workers and wants Timothy to bring Mark with him. The book of 1 Peter indicates that Peter as well had a close relationship with Mark. These books by Paul and Peter were written likely in the early A.D. 60s, some 15–20 years after the experience in Acts 15:1-41. Mark clearly recovered from his failure, almost certainly through the trust that his cousin, Barnabas, placed in him.
Consider a time when you or a friend failed and were given a second chance. How did that experience change you and those who helped you? How did it modify your ministry to others?
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Have you ever had the situation where you have stuffed something up really badly and someone has said to you, "OK let's start again!"
I remember making a set of drawers out of melamine shelving and I got the measurements mixed up and used the inside measurements when I should have used the outside measurements. Once you have made the cuts, there is no going back. You just have to start over. Like the "Sound of Music" says, "Let's start at the very beginning.
A very good place to start."
And as we piece together the story of John Mark we find that it was Barnabas his cousin that stood by him and even stood up to Paul on the issue of giving him another chance. The fact that Paul mentions him in several of the later epistles suggests that John Mark came good.
It reminds me of the times when I have had to fail students in my classes. In the conversations that inevitably followed those failures, I have always emphasised that the failing grade is a reflection of what they have done in class, not their potential to perform in the future. Many of those students needed to fail but they also needed encouragement to start again at the beginning.
Come to think of it, we can hold on to the Desire of Ages for now and read the supplement, chapter 20, the 1st few paragraphs of the Acts of the Apostles.
I get it. JohnMark's name was changed to Mark after he was given a second chance, and it seems that way from my study. Mark was not one of the 12 disciples of Christ. Rather, he was Paul's intern for a short while. Seems as though Barnabas had a soft heart and gave him a second chance. The Bible did not record it, but after seeing Mark worked well with Barnabas, Paul must have had second thoughts.
How many of us have been given second and third chances in labor for our Master? Yes I get it, if I am laboring for my Master I am not laboring for my salvation I am laboring for my Master!
Yes John the Bible does record Paul’s second thoughts, the author gives a few text in todays lesson.
The lesson provides an interesting question. Here is another one. What lesson(s) could Paul have learned from Mark's transformation? How many times have the brethren refused to give someone a second chance, not knowing that by so doing, one great person could be shunned. What if Barnabas had not given Mark another opportunity? Something to make us all think.
My thoughts exactly!
God is a God of second chances. Why wouldn't you and I be second-chance people, too? I hope this suggestion allows anyone who needs this attitude to practice it. A second chance is about forgiveness; it's about the willingness to restart relationships, to pick up where something has fallen. When we give a second chance to others, ultimately, we provide this to ourselves.
The fact that he was Barnabas kin might help to explain why he was so determined not to get rid on John mark so quickly, we too need to be of the same mind set before we cast people aside.A gentle reminder of how Christ did not reject or cast us aside just because we have had a few rejection worthy moments in our walk with God
God pairs us up for ministry. Jesus sent out His 12 disciples 2 x 2 (Mark 6:7), and He appointed 72 others to go ahead of Him in every town, also 2 x 2 (Luke 10:1). Maybe Jesus was thinking of the wisdom He gave Solomon in Eccl. 4:9-10, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"
In the stories of Mark and Barnabas, we see a stronger helping a weaker. Much as Aaron helped his brother Moses who felt weaker in public speaking at that time, even though God had assured Him that he had the skills needed for proclaiming God's Word (Ex. 4:14-15). There can be fears and lack of confidence in the beginning when we share words from God. Sister Brigitte spoke of this in her Sunday's post, how when we first start sharing the gospel, we can be headstrong over heartstrong. Our inexperience shows. I love her testimony "...after some years of maturing in the Faith, I found that the Holy Spirit does not only enlighten the understanding of the Word of God, He also guides us in its application when sharing it."
So as I contemplate why God paired up Mark and Barnabas, a beautiful picture emerges. I see how God lovingly gifts us and also withholds gifts, that we might learn humility through depending upon and learning from each other.
Imagine the following as a chart, two headings "Mark" and "Barnabas", and these contrasts side-by-side:
Mark was discouraged and overwhelmed by the difficulties of mission work, and the seeming failures (only one conversion is recorded for that first mission trip he was on with Paul). Barnabas was known for offering encouragement to everyone. In fact, his name was Joseph. The name "Barnabas" was given to him by the apostles because it means "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36).
Mark was fearful of the dangers of the mission field. It caused him to waver and hold back from giving himself wholeheartedly to the Lord's work on that first mission trip (Acts 13:13). Barnabas was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He was able to see evidences of the grace of God in a new mission field (Acts 11:22-24). Barnabas held nothing back from the Lord's work - including the full revenue from the sale of a field he owned (Acts 4:36-37).
Mark, young Mark, was not dependable. He was not used to carrying heavy burdens spiritually. He was not used to working with various personality types. Barnabas was a great communicator and "people person". He was able to quell fears throughout the early Christian community about the validity of Saul's conversion, and help Saul become established as a brother in the faith and Paul the Leader in the church (Acts 9:27).
Mark needed a second chance to go on a second mission trip to grow in his faith and in the skills and purposes God had for his life. He needed to revisit the same place where he had fled before, retrace his steps and do it differently this time.
Barnabas was a giver of second chances....because He was filled with Christ's Spirit. He gave Saul, the serial-killer of Christians, a second chance. He gave his cousin Mark a second chance too.
Who is God pairing me up with for ministry? Is there someone to whom I should give a second chance to be my spiritual partner? Who encourages my faith? Whose faith am I meant to encourage?
Very well said sister,Ester! We are all different, our jouney is personal. How can we put our own expectations on someone else when our relationship is suppose to be personal. Thank you for your comments.
We have all failed over and over and over again. I am thankful for second, third and fourth chances. In our gratefulness this forgiveness need to be extended to others. Then and only then will we reflect the image of Jesus.
So, then, in what way was Adam and Eve given a "Second Chance?" They were never allowed to go back to Eden---their original home. And then they did eventually lost their physical existence. Maurice Ashton, in your illustration of the cabinet you built and had to start over, you had to use new wood right? Where was there any "New Wood" for Adam and Eve , if there was ever any?
Adam and Eve were given a "second chance" at Eden by accepting the sacrifice of the Son of God in their behalf and trusting Him fully. The sleep that is the first death is not the dissolution of personality. They will be resurrected as the same persons as went to sleep.
They failed in Eden by not trusting God fully and trusting His enemy instead. They were given a "second chance" (we call it probation) to trust Him in their life outside Eden.
Pete, Adam and Eve were given a second chance! They were told if the were to eat from the forbidden tree that they would surely die. They hid from God when he came looking for them. His mission wasn't to kill. It was to give them the opportunity to learn about the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Adam surely died, but lived for 930 years. We are all heirs of Adam and Eve and joint heirs through Jesus Christ our Lord. If they died the day that they ate of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of good and evil, we would not be here to know of their second chance.
i withdraw my criticism of the author of the lesson which i posted yesterday...today's lesson provides Biblical evidence that John Mark was a "failed Missionary"
Looking up modern day Cyprus, the destination that Barnabas chose, will potentially reveal the reason why Barnabas chose Mark. Marks father was Greek and so Mark must have had a good understanding of the Greek culture and possibly, it's language. He may even have had relatives there from his fathers side.The population of Cyprus was largely Greek and to a lesser extent, Turkish!
Sorry l know this is random. Maybe l am misunderstanding the scripture in Colossians 4:10 but how is one’s sister son a cousin and not a nephew?
The problem is that the original Greek is not too specific and if you look at the English translations you will see 'nephew', "sister's son", "cousin", and "relative" all used to describe Mark's relationship to Barnabas. That is one of the issues with translating from an ancient language into English. Sometimes there is not a direct equivalent. I think that the fact that Mark was family for Barnabas adds something to the story and we don't need to worry about the exactness of translation.
Beautiful discussion here. Barnabas was able to accommodate Paul after his conversion and Mark after his failure. As we give second chances unto those of our household of faith, may the Lord help us to do likewise to our children, parents, siblings and relatives in general.