Read Acts 15:36-41
Relationships can bring blessings. They can also bring pain. The separation of Paul and Barnabas is a witness to the pain relationships can produce. Paul and Barnabas were each ardent followers of Jesus Christ. There is an indication that they were also close friends. Both men were integral to the initial movement of Christianity into communities beyond Jesus’ homeland.
However, they disagreed on one matter. John Mark. John Mark had previously left Paul at a critical moment in Paul’s first missionary trip. Barnabas wanted John Mark to rejoin Paul and Barnabas on a second trip. The story has it that Paul vehemently opposed John Mark’s presence. Neither man was willing to concede his position. So, Paul and Barnabas parted ways.
Some in the faith community would cite Jesus’ prayer that “they will be one” (John 21:17) as the basis for Christian unity at all costs. I don’t discount that a unified Church is Christ’s intent for his people. God wants his people to be reconciled with one another. But, we live in a broken world. We are a broken people. And, sometimes this brokenness disrupts our relationships with one another.
Though Paul and Barnabas would never reconcile their relationship, they were commanded to forgive each other. Jesus insists that his followers choose forgiveness. Forgiveness is not the same thing as reconciliation. Forgiveness is a singular command. Forgiveness requires the action of just one person, whereas reconciliation requires both parties to agree. Reconciliation is an endeavor to seek peace with the other. Ultimately, forgiveness grants peace to the one who forgives.
When we refuse to forgive someone who hurt us, we suffer a double injury. First, we are hurt by the person who initially offended us. Then we repeat the damage by playing the offense over and again in our minds. The unwillingness to forgive becomes a means of inflicting further pain on us. Forgiveness in a very real sense becomes a gift we give ourselves. What’s more, God is still at work. The following chapters in the Book of Acts testify to how God used the rift between Paul and Barnabas to further the reach of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean basin. If not for the argument between Paul and Barnabas, Christianity may not have ever reached Rome.
This story is good news for those who find themselves on the back side of a divorce or a job termination or a friendship gone awry. God is working in the wake of fractured relationships. God is working in your life to prepare your future. God is working to bring about your authentic happiness. Romans 8:28 declares that God is working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, God can redeem, restore, and put your life back together, again.
Therefore, the greatest request you can make of God is for the grace to forgive the person who has hurt you and for the faith to believe God is making something good of your brokenness. Forgiveness and faith are the pathways to peace. Forgiveness and faith are the pathways to your healing.
Relationships can bring blessings. They can also bring pain. The separation of Paul and Barnabas is a witness to the pain relationships can produce. Paul and Barnabas were each ardent followers of Jesus Christ. There is an indication that they were also close friends. Both men were integral to the initial movement of Christianity into communities beyond Jesus’ homeland.
However, they disagreed on one matter. John Mark. John Mark had previously left Paul at a critical moment in Paul’s first missionary trip. Barnabas wanted John Mark to rejoin Paul and Barnabas on a second trip. The story has it that Paul vehemently opposed John Mark’s presence. Neither man was willing to concede his position. So, Paul and Barnabas parted ways.
Some in the faith community would cite Jesus’ prayer that “they will be one” (John 21:17) as the basis for Christian unity at all costs. I don’t discount that a unified Church is Christ’s intent for his people. God wants his people to be reconciled with one another. But, we live in a broken world. We are a broken people. And, sometimes this brokenness disrupts our relationships with one another.
Though Paul and Barnabas would never reconcile their relationship, they were commanded to forgive each other. Jesus insists that his followers choose forgiveness. Forgiveness is not the same thing as reconciliation. Forgiveness is a singular command. Forgiveness requires the action of just one person, whereas reconciliation requires both parties to agree. Reconciliation is an endeavor to seek peace with the other. Ultimately, forgiveness grants peace to the one who forgives.
When we refuse to forgive someone who hurt us, we suffer a double injury. First, we are hurt by the person who initially offended us. Then we repeat the damage by playing the offense over and again in our minds. The unwillingness to forgive becomes a means of inflicting further pain on us. Forgiveness in a very real sense becomes a gift we give ourselves. What’s more, God is still at work. The following chapters in the Book of Acts testify to how God used the rift between Paul and Barnabas to further the reach of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean basin. If not for the argument between Paul and Barnabas, Christianity may not have ever reached Rome.
This story is good news for those who find themselves on the back side of a divorce or a job termination or a friendship gone awry. God is working in the wake of fractured relationships. God is working in your life to prepare your future. God is working to bring about your authentic happiness. Romans 8:28 declares that God is working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, God can redeem, restore, and put your life back together, again.
Therefore, the greatest request you can make of God is for the grace to forgive the person who has hurt you and for the faith to believe God is making something good of your brokenness. Forgiveness and faith are the pathways to peace. Forgiveness and faith are the pathways to your healing.