Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia. John deserted them there and returned to Jerusalem. Acts 13:13 CEB
From Paphos, Paul and company put out to sea, sailing on to Perga in Pamphylia. That’s where John called it quits and went back to Jerusalem. Acts 13:13 MSG
Today as I was reading the Scripture verses for the 40/40 challenge, this verse stuck out to me. Many of the different translations simply say, “John left them there…” However, several of them use different words like, “deserted, called it quits, abandoned, etc.”
This stood out to me because John Mark leaving sounds very different than John Mark deserting them, calling it quits on them, or abandoning them. Wouldn’t you agree?
Later in Acts, we will see that John Mark’s leaving them was not pleasing to Paul, at all. In fact, it became an issue between Paul and Barnabas. To the point that Barnabas and John Mark go one direction and Paul and Silas go another to spread the message.
Here is the thing, we don’t know why John Mark left, deserted, or called it quits. It never tells us that in the Bible. But as I was reading this it made me think of something that happened in my life several years ago.
A woman who was very influential in my walk with Jesus told me that I should go see a Preacher down south who was having a healing revival (I guess that is what you would call it.) People were getting healed left and right when they went down to see and hear him preach. She had gone down there and heard him and seen the healings. For some reason, I was very resistant to go. It wasn’t that I didn’t want healing, but something kept holding me back. I told her I didn’t feel led to go down to see him.
I was with her and several others in full time ministry at the time. Some of the others went down to hear him preach. They also thought I should go down to have him lay hands on me. I was still very resistant to it. And once again, I said that I didn’t feel led to go down there. I think most of my co-workers questioned why I wouldn’t want to be healed. They didn’t understand why I wasn’t willing to go down there to be healed.
About a month later, the reason why I didn’t feel led to go down there came out. The preacher was having an affair with a member of his staff. And other things began to come out too. In fact, one of the big name preachers who had supported him wrote an apology letter to Christians for encouraging everyone to go see him. The preacher’s ministry imploded.
While my resistance to going down there might have looked like me rejecting receiving healing or a lack of desire to be healed, or any number of other things to others. God had a reason for me not going down there. And God might have had a reason for John Mark leaving to return to Jerusalem. We can’t know. Plus it’s not our place to judge somebody for doing something that we don’t understand why they did it. That is between Jesus and the person. No one else.
John Mark went onto spread Jesus’ message after that “desertion, abandonment, and calling it quits.” So, God obviously still had a plan for John Mark even though Paul didn’t want him to be on his team initially. (Paul and John Mark finally did work out their differences.)
God can use anyone He chooses to use to spread His message. Even if it’s someone we don’t think can be used. God knows our hearts and His plans for us even if what we do looks different than other expect it to look like.
Until next time with Jesus’ help let’s be less messy and choose what’s better.