Acts 15:36–41 Paul and Barnabas Part Company
Quick Summary
Acts 15:36–41 recounts a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over whether John Mark should accompany them on their next journey. The dispute leads to their separation, with Barnabas returning to Cyprus and Paul continuing the mission with Silas. Luke presents this moment without assigning blame, showing that the mission of the church continues even when trusted partners disagree on strategy and personnel.
Introduction
Luke places this episode immediately after the Jerusalem Council for a reason. Acts 15 has just narrated one of the church’s finest moments: careful discernment, shared authority, and a decision that preserves the freedom of the gospel. Unity is real. Joy is real. The Spirit’s guidance is real.
And then, almost without transition, comes disagreement.
The shift is jarring, but intentional. Luke does not allow the reader to imagine that theological clarity automatically produces relational harmony. The church can arrive at faithful conclusions together and still discover that collaboration has limits. Acts 15:36–41 is not a story of doctrinal failure, but of human constraint.
Verse by Verse Breakdown of Acts 15:36–41 and Commentary
Acts 15:36
Paul suggests returning to the cities where they previously proclaimed the word of the Lord in order to see how the believers are doing. This is pastoral language. The concern is not expansion alone, but care. Mission in Acts is never only about planting; it is about strengthening.
Paul’s proposal assumes continuity. The work that began earlier now requires follow-up, presence, and attention. Growth brings responsibility.
Acts 15:37–38
Barnabas wants to take John Mark along. Luke does not present this as naïve optimism. Barnabas has a history of seeing possibility where others see liability. He was the one who vouched for Paul when the apostles feared him. His instinct toward restoration is consistent.
Paul objects. Mark had withdrawn from the mission earlier and did not complete the work. For Paul, the issue appears to be reliability under pressure. Mission involves risk, and Paul has little patience for uncertainty.
Luke offers no psychological analysis. He simply names the disagreement. Two faithful leaders read the same history differently.
Acts 15:39
The disagreement becomes sharp enough that they part company. Luke does not soften the language. This is not a mild difference of opinion. The partnership ends.
Barnabas takes Mark and sails to Cyprus. Paul chooses Silas and departs after being commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. The narrative does not frame one departure as more legitimate than the other. Both are described without commentary.
What Luke refuses to do here is just as important as what he includes. There is no villain. No correction from heaven. No tidy resolution.
Acts 15:40–41
Paul and Silas travel through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. The final word of the passage is not conflict, but continuation.
The mission does not stall. It adapts.
Acts 15:36–41 Meaning for Today
Acts 15:36–41 offers a sobering word for the church. Faithful people can share convictions, history, and commitment to the gospel and still disagree sharply about strategy and personnel. Luke does not present this as a scandal. He presents it as reality.
What is striking is how little space Luke gives to managing the conflict. There is no extended reflection on reconciliation or process. Instead, Luke keeps his attention on the movement of the word. The gospel is not dependent on flawless collaboration.
This passage does not celebrate division, nor does it excuse it. It simply refuses to pretend that mission requires unanimity at every level. God’s work continues, sometimes through partnership, sometimes through divergence.
Barnabas and Mark will reappear later in the story of the church. Paul will continue to shape communities across the Mediterranean world. The separation is not the end of faithfulness for either.
Acts leaves the reader with a quiet but steady confidence: even when human relationships are strained, the mission of God is not undone.
Works Consulted
Bruce, F. F. The Book of the Acts. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Eerdmans.
Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina. Liturgical Press.
Keener, Craig S. Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, Vol. 3. Baker Academic.
New Revised Standard Version Bible.
