Bible History
Picture Study Bible with Maps and Background Information
39. And the contention was so sharp between them--such was the
"irritation," or "exacerbation."
that they departed asunder one from the other--Said they not truly
to the Lystrians that they were "men of like passions with them";
(Ac 14:15).
But who was to blame? (1) That John Mark had either tired of the
work or shrunk from the dangers and fatigues that yet lay before them,
was undeniable; and Paul concluded that what he had done he might, and
probably would, do again. Was he wrong in this? (See
Pr 25:19).
But (2) To this Barnabas might reply that no rule was without
exception; that one failure, in a young Christian, was not enough to
condemn him for life; that if near relationship might be thought to
warp his judgment, it also gave him opportunities of knowing the man
better than others; and that as he was himself anxious to be allowed
another trial (and the result makes this next to certain), in order
that he might wipe out the effect of his former failure and show what
"hardness he could now endure as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," his
petition ought not to be rejected. Now, since John Mark did
retrieve his character in these respects, and a reconciliation took
place between Paul and him, so cordial that the apostle expresses more
than once the confidence he had in him and the value he set upon his
services
(Col 4:10, 11;
2Ti 4:11),
it may seem that events showed Barnabas to be in the right, and Paul
too harsh and hasty in his judgment. But, in behalf of Paul, it may
well be answered, that not being able to see into the future he had
only the unfavorable past to judge by; that the gentleness of Barnabas
(Ac 4:36; 11:24)
had already laid him open to imposition (see on
Ga 2:13),
to which near relationship would in this case make him more liable; and
that in refusing to take John Mark on this missionary journey he was
not judging his Christian character nor pronouncing on his fitness for
future service, but merely providing in the meantime against being
again put to serious inconvenience and having their hands weakened by a
possible second desertion. On the whole, then, it seems clear that each
of these great servants of--Christ had something to say for himself, in
defense of the position which they respectively took up; that while
Barnabas was quite able to appreciate the grounds on which Paul
proceeded, Paul was not so competent to judge of the considerations
which Barnabas probably urged; that while Paul had but one object in
view, to see that the companion of their arduous work was one of
thoroughly congenial spirit and sufficient nerve, Barnabas, over and
above the same desire, might not unreasonably be afraid for the soul of
his nephew, lest the refusal to allow him to accompany them on their
journey might injure his Christian character and deprive the Church of
a true servant of Jesus Christ; and that while both sought only the
glory of their common Master, each looked at the question at issue, to
some extent, through the medium of his own temperament, which grace
sanctifies and refines, but does not destroy--Paul, through the
medium of absolute devotion to the cause and kingdom of Christ, which,
warm and womanly as his affections were, gave a tinge of lofty
sternness to his resolves where that seemed to be affected;
Barnabas, through the medium of the same singleness of heart in
Christ's service, though probably not in equal strength
(Ga 2:13),
but also of a certain natural gentleness which, where a Christian
relative was concerned, led him to attach more weight to what seemed
for his spiritual good than Paul could be supposed to do. In these
circumstances, it seems quite possible that they might have amicably
"agreed to differ," each taking his own companion, as they actually
did. But the "paroxysm" (as the word is), the "exacerbation" which is
expressly given as the cause of their parting, shows but too plainly,
that human infirmity amidst the great labors of the Church at Antioch
at length sundered those who had sweetly and lovingly borne together
the heat and burden of the day during a protracted tour in the service
of Christ. "Therefore let no man glory in men"
(1Co 3:21).
As for John Mark, although through his uncle's warm advocacy of his
cause he was put in a condition to dissipate the cloud that hung over
him, how bitter to him must have ever afterwards been the reflection
that it was his culpable conduct which gave occasion to whatever was
sinful in the strife between Paul and Barnabas, and to a separation in
action, though no doubt with a mutual Christian regard, between those
who had till then wrought nobly together! How watchful does all this
teach Christians, and especially Christian ministers and missionaries,
to be against giving way to rash judgment and hot temper towards each
other, especially where on both sides the glory of Christ is the ground
of difference! How possible is it that in such cases both parties may,
on the question at issue, be more or less in the right! How difficult
is it even for the most faithful and devoted servants of Christ,
differing as they do in their natural temperament even under the
commanding influence of grace, to see even important questions
precisely in the same light! And if, with every disposition to yield
what is unimportant, they still feel it a duty each to stand to his own
point, how careful should they be to do it lovingly, each pursuing his
own course without disparagement of his Christian brother! And how
affectingly does the Lord overrule such difference of judgment and such
manifestations of human infirmity, by making them "turn out rather unto
the furtherance of the Gospel"; as in this case is eminently seen in
the two missionary parties instead of one, not travelling over the same
ground and carrying their dispute over all the regions of their former
loving labors, but dividing the field between them!
and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; and Paul chose
Silas--(See on
Ac 15:34)
--going two and two, as the Twelve and the Seventy
(Mr 6:7;
Lu 10:1).
JFB.
The Book of Acts
Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 9:3-6 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [it is] hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord [said] unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Acts in The New Testament - A Brief Overview
Painting of St. Luke by El Greco - 1605
Introduction to The Acts of the Apostles
Brief Summary. Jesus rose again, he told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they are endued with power from on high, power to be his witnesses unto the ends of the earth. When the feast of Pentecost had fully come, the church was born and God poured out his Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. This began a fire which was spread throughout the whole world, Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and all who believe can be saved. This was the message of the gospel in the Book of Acts, and God confirmed his word with signs following. The church in Jerusalem had taken their time in fulfilling the commands of the Lord to go into all the world beginning in Jerusalem and Samaria and even to the uttermost parts of the earth. God called a man named Saul who was a persecutor of the church to be the hero in the Book of Acts. God would change his name to Paul the Apostle, and it was through Paul that the message of Christ would spread to the farthest parts of the known world. The Book of Acts records three of Paul's missionary journeys by which the church was established, the people of God, the Christians who would change the world.
Summary of The Book of Acts
Contents. The Book of Acts clearly focuses on the beginnings of the church, and two people� The apostle Peter, and the one who actually possessed the courage to go to the farthest parts of the known world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, his name was Paul the Apostle. The Gospel spread from Israel, northward to Antioch, and then westward to Asia Minor, Greece, and finally Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire.
The first 12 chapters of the book of Acts deal with Peter, and the remainder of the book, the last 16 chapters is devoted to the apostle Paul.
The major areas of history with which the author has dealt
are :
1) The establishment and progress of the church at Jerusalem
until the dispersion which arose at the time of Stephen's death
(Acts 1-7);
2) The preaching of the gospel to the surrounding area,
including its introduction to the Gentiles (Acts 8-12) ;
3) The preaching tours of Paul and the struggle to define the
church's position with regard to the law of Moses (Acts 13:1-21:16);
and
4) Paul's imprisonment, which began in Jerusalem and was
concluded in Rome (Acts 21:17-28 :30).
Audience. The book of Acts is addressed to Theophilus, usually thought to have been a Gentile who was interested in learning more of Christianity and whose name suggests may have been a symbol of all lovers of God.
Authorship. Luke wrote the Book of Acts and the Gospel of Luke and he dedicated his work to a man named Theophilus as mentioned in the summary of the book of Luke. Luke was a companion of Paul on his missionary journeys, and in many parts of the book of Acts it says "we" did this or that (Acts 16:10-17:1; Acts 20:5-21:17; and Acts 27:2-28:31). These Scriptures indicate that Luke joined and left the missionary party on several occasions and that he accompanied Paul on his journey to Rome. Paul's calls Luke his companion in Colossians 4:14, Philemon 1:24, and 2 Timothy 4:11. The medical language in Luke and Acts gives credence to Luke "the beloved physician" (Col. 4:14) as the author of Acts. The early Church writers unanimously agreed that Luke was the author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, for example Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Tatian, and Irenaeus.
Date. Scholars agree that Acts was written around 62 or 63 AD. It is interesting to note that Luke never intimated the event of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD within the book of Acts. Jerusalem is pictured as a currently thriving center of Judaism, with the temple service and sacrifices being carried out in a normal manner. After 70 AD everything changed and it would have been obvious if Luke had written Acts after 70 AD. Luke concludes Acts with Paul in Rome living in a hired house, and awaiting trial before Caesar (Acts 28:30). This would have been 61 or 62 AD obviously before the great persecution of Christians by Nero and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Place Written. Most scholars believe that the place of the writing of Acts was in Rome. The whole book is an account of the advance of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome and the last events described take place in Rome.
Historical Accuracy. As has been noted in the introduction to Luke, the historical accuracy of the writings of Luke, once questioned widely, has now received extensive substantiation; there is little reason to suppose that the events took place in any way other than that described by Luke.
The Value of Acts. The Book of Acts is of great value to the Christian for many reasons. When Jesus commission His disciples to go into all the world, Acts informs us of the very events of the early Church in carrying out that commission. It tells us of their relationship to one another and to their other co-workers as they dealt with the various problems which faced the young church. It tells of the introduction of Christianity to the Gentile world and of the struggle for unity between Jew and Gentile.
Outline of the Book of Acts
The Gospel is Preached From Jerusalem to All Judea - Chapters 1-7
The Gospel is Preached in Samaria - Chapter 8
The Gospel is Preached to the Gentiles - Chapters 9-12
The Gospel is Preached to the Ends of the Earth - Chapters 13-28
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus"
would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or
consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A).
Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means
"The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".
Acts Resources
Map of New Testament Israel
Map of the Roman Empire
Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey
Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey
Map of New Testament Cities
Map of the 7 Churches of Revelation (Asia Minor)
Map of the Roman Empire In the Time of Jesus
Map of Asia in Roman Times
Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus, in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary Journey's. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he returned to the cities he had first visited on his first missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19). (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Voyage to Rome (61 A.D.) - This map reveals the journey of the Apostle Paul to Rome in 61 AD. Paul had appealed to Caesar in Caesarea (Acts 24-25), his goal was to spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire all the way to her great capital, Rome. He demanded that his case be heard by the Roman Emperor. According to the Book of Acts, after his shipwreck on the Island of Malta (Acts 28) he came to Italy and was put on house arrest for two years (Acts 28:30). (Color Map)
Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the "Nations" within the ancient world during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Asia - This map shows the cities within Asia Minor during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the principal cities of Asia including Tarsus, Ephesus, and Colossae, and provinces like Galatia and Pamphilia. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Greece This map reveals the cities within Greece in the ancient world during the first century A.D.,The map includes the principal cities of Greece like: Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica, and provinces like Macedonia and Achaia. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Italy - This map reveals the cities
within Italy during the first century A.D., the time of the New
Testament. The map includes the principle cities of Italy like
Neapolis and Rome. Follow the path of the Apostle