Can We Differ Well?

Consider the story we find in Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas – those of the earliest missionary journeys planting the first churches in the Gentile world – had fallen out. They had a disagreement of such proportions that it meant they could no longer be involved in ministry together. 

My own experience of hearing sermons on this passage has been around the nature of the disagreement; a fairly binary exploration of who was right and who was wrong.  Personally, I don’t think this is what God wants us to learn from this disagreement. Paul and Barnabas fell out; yet the advancement of God’s mission – work of His kingdom – continued and flourished. And, I would contest, this is because of the way Paul and Barnabas differed well.

Let’s not “sugar-coat” it – divisions can discourage us, give us pain, and even challenge our faith. Disagreements among Christians are nothing new. Indeed, while Paul exhorted the Philippian church to be “of the same mind”, he wasn’t able to attain that ideal at all times himself.

The disagreement between Paul and Barnabas centred on Mark’s earlier desertion of them on a previous journey (see Acts 13:13). Paul’s perspective on this act may well have been informed by teachings of Jesus (Luke 9:62) or in Proverbs (25:19) around their capacity to trust Mark’s reliability and commitment. While there is no recording of Barnabas’ reasoning for thinking differently, it is good to remember that it was Barnabas who spoke in support of Paul to the early church (who wanted to reject Paul) after Paul’s miraculous conversion (Acts 9:26-27).  

In the light of this, it is likely that Barnabas wouldn’t have defended Mark’s actions, or contested Paul’s point that a gospel minister should be faithful. But, it would seem he acted in the light of the principle informed by God’s gracious acts to us all that past sin and failure do not preclude future faithfulness and success. He may even have pointed to Paul’s own conversion or the testimony of Peter, who had denied Jesus three times, and Jesus still placed in a position of significant leadership. 

The disagreement was not about heresy or immorality. It was not about a fundamental of faith, or over immoral acts. For example, they weren’t debating the deity of Christ, or whether murder or theft could be justified.

This was a disagreement between two men deeply committed as followers of Jesus, living in His way. They were disagreeing over the application of a biblical principle. The tension was that Paul was putting a greater emphasis on one principle, and Barnabas on another. As they each placed their principles in the balance, the argument was over which way the scales were tipping.

Does Luke, as author of Acts, pass judgement? The church in Antioch commended Paul and Silas to the grace of God – that is, they prayed for them (after all, Paul and Silas were there amongst them) – rather than cut them off. Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus, rather than hang around, avoiding a damaging church-wide division. As I read this narrative, I get the sense it was about how Paul and Barnabas moved on from the division, rather than who was right or wrong. 

One blessing of the division was that two missionary journeys resulted – one to Cyprus and beyond, led by Barnabas; the other to the already established churches, led by Paul.

For me, there are a few principles we can learn from the disagreement that Paul and Barnabas were unable to reconcile to the point of being able to stay together in ministry. 

1. Resist the urge to always take sides.

In many cases, we shouldn't choose sides and form firm opinions. We may have concerns or suspicions but handing it over in prayer and asking God to show us clearly how God’s will can be done may well be the better approach (Philippians 3:18). 

2. Recognize that disagreements will always exist in this age.

If our personal limitations and everyone’s ongoing capacity to sin are our present reality, I’d contest that it shouldn’t surprise us when godly believers strongly disagree and separate their lives from each other. If we consider Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:9-10, while we live in the age of God’s revelation, it's only partial – a large puzzle where some pieces are missing but enough that we can make out the picture. 

3. Rest in God’s provision to overrule such disagreements for good.

Paul’s words to the Roman church (8:28) “what (humans) meant for evil, God meant for good “. As I indicated earlier, more missionary work resulted from the split; new churches were planted. 

Consider the ways God may have used this dispute for the good of those involved. Barnabas’s willingness to restore Mark likely gave the young man hope, while Paul’s tough love likely made him more determined not to repeat his mistake. Perhaps as a result of Paul’s emphasis on faithfulness, Barnabas became more watchful and demanding of Mark. And perhaps Barnabas’s emphasis on grace helped Paul to become a bit more sensitive and patient in his later ministry. (I think of the letter to Philemon, where Paul would ask him to do for a slave what Barnabas did for Mark (Philemon 17–19)).

4. Remember that differences don’t have to destroy love.

Despite sharp disagreement and even separation, scripture seems to indicate that both parties continued to view one another as faithful brothers and to support each other’s work. Paul continued to refer to Barnabas as an apostle of Christ and fellow labourer for the kingdom. 

When Paul exhorts the early church to pray “for all the saints” in his letter to the church in Ephesus (6:18), there is no reason to think that Barnabas and Mark didn’t do the same for Paul and Silas. Paul later revised his view of Mark, asking for his help (2 Timothy 4:11).  One might say that the prayer Paul exhorted the church to pray was answered in his reconciliation with Mark.

Differing well.

When we differ, may it be that we live in love and extend graciousness to one another.  Prayer, with a seeking of a better understanding from God, should be central tenets of our approach. And, if we can live in the light of 1 Corinthians 13 (4:7 in particular) we will be known for our love that is patient and kind, is not easily provoked, bears all things, believes all things, and hopes for all things. May that become the dominant narrative in the midst of our differences.

Shalom.