Prayers for Laborers

7/29/2002

What happened between Barnabas and Paul? Why the sharp disagreement? Obviously, John Mark ditched them, but is it important for us to know what happened to Barnabas?

Based on the fact that Barnabas WAS in the Holy Spirit “limelight”—continually in the Holy Record, and then was left out from then on, it is safe to conclude that Paul was right and Barney was wrong. Perhaps he was sentimentally attached to his biological relative, and his discernment clouded by emotion or fear of man (or his Aunt). UNTIL Paul said that a quitter can be Saved, but not trusted for the Work, and Barnabas got persnickety about it, Barnabas was right in the thick of things. After that point, Paul and Silas, then later Timothy, Titus and others were in the camera lens of the Holy Spirit, but never again Barnabas.

The change is FAR too abrupt to conclude that this is an accident or of no meaning. Since Paul later refers casually to John Mark, there was obviously no animosity on Paul’s part, and it is also fair to assume that Barnabas was “okay” in terms of His relationship with God on some level—but very likely he “struck the Rock” and lost his highest Inheritance due to his flesh, sentimentality, pride (“wait a minute—I’m the decision-maker around here!”), family idolatry, or man-pleasing of relatives.