Left Turn at Albuquerque

After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in every town where we have preached the message of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul did not think it appropriate to take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. There was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed off to Cyprus. Then Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers. He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. – Acts 15:36-41

When we reach a certain level of spiritual maturity and see ourselves, correctly, as children of God in whom He dwells and through whom He expresses and experiences His will and purpose in creation, we are still apt to have disagreement and contentions from time to time. It may seem odd to us that there could be saints and sages who do not see eye-to-eye. There is only one Holy Spirit. Could He be in conflict with Himself? I once thought the answer simply was, No, He could not. If I knew I was walking in the Spirit and doing the Lord’s will, and I came in conflict with a brother or sister in the Lord, I assumed they were out of the will of God, backslidden, deluded, etc. To my credit, I suppose, I usually wasn’t so pig-headed that I didn’t at least question my own motives and direction. Still, if I appeared to be doing the right thing, I knew that anyone disagreeing with me had “missed God”.

John Mark had set out with Barnabas and Paul on their first journey, but he had not been able to endure. He had left them and gone home. When they prepared to set out again, Barnabas (his name means “son of encouragement”) wanted to give John Mark -- who was his cousin -- another chance, but Paul was unwilling. Perhaps Paul thought it unwise to rely on someone who did not stand up well to hardship. Even if he stuck it out this time, Mark might prove to be a burden or a hindrance to their work.

Barnabas was not the kind of man to see things that way. Keep in mind that after the dramatic conversion and calling of Saul of Tarsus, not everyone had welcomed Saul into the fold. He had gone down to Jerusalem but the disciples were afraid of him, thinking, reasonably, it might be a ploy to infiltrate the church. But someone stepped in: Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how, on the road, Saul had seen the Lord, and that He had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:27). Paul may have been the greatest Apostle and authored most of the New Testament, but only God knows how much the Church owes to the compassion, courage, and kindness of Barnabas.

With regard to John Mark, possibly Paul was a little harsh in his attitude. Perhaps he was the one who was wrong in this case. Or, perhaps both Paul and Barnabas were right. Looking back on it, we can see that Barnabas’ work with Paul was done. He had accomplished the Lord’s purpose. Now it was time for them to part ways. Paul needed to go on, to take Silas with him, to encounter Dr. Luke, to add Timothy to his company. Meanwhile Barnabas had work in Cyprus, and Mark had a gospel to author.

Jesus cautions us not to judge lest we be judged. This is a warning crucial for the Body of Christ. The life of God is, by design, filtered through human clay. Each of us fulfills a particular calling in the multifaceted purpose and plan of God. Even if we are all perfectly obedient we will never be a clone of anyone else. From physique to brain capacity, from emotional makeup to life experiences, God built each one of us as a carrier of His life and consciousness without equivalent. All rivers carry water but no two cover the same ground or are configured in the same way.

Our eccentricities and our weaknesses are as much a part of God’s intent as our talents and strengths. Anything that hinders the Spirit must be removed, but not those things that – for want of a better word, filter God’s pure and limitless potential. We will not lose our personalities.

I am reminded again of the passage in chapter 21 of John’s Gospel where, after Jesus has restored Peter and told him something of his destiny, Peter asks about John, “And what shall this man do?”

Jesus replied to all of us, “What is that to you? As for you, follow Me.”

Too many of us almost cannot help ourselves. We think everyone should follow our path instead of following the Lord. Sometimes the fundamentalist will deride the concept of “many paths, one light”. We’ve probably all heard about the hillbilly giving directions who says, “You can’t get there from here. You’ll have to go some place else and start over.” Each one of us starts from “some place else”. If Jesus appeared in Dallas today, we would all have to take different means and different roads to get there (and hope it doesn’t involve 75/Central). It’s not the road we take it’s where we are headed that counts. Certainly if I meet someone here headed to Las Vegas, I can tell them they are on the wrong road. But from somewhere else a person might have to pass through there.

I should do what I can to help -- strengthen the weak, sustain the weary, and share a flashlight and a map with the lost, but I have to be careful about judging and trying to direct the lives of others. It is usually best to leave someone else’s route and itinerary to the Lord.