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Acts 15 · a question people ask

Paul and Barnabas "separated from each other" over John, who was called Mark (15:37-39). Who was right?

In the text

The chapter doesn't say. It gives what each wanted, in its words: "Barnabas planned to take John, who was called Mark, with them also." (15:37), and "Paul didn’t think that it was a good idea to take with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and didn’t go with them to do the work." (15:38). Then it tells what each did: "Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus" (15:39), and "Paul chose Silas and went out" (15:40). The chapter gives no verdict on either, and these notes give none. They also don't make John who was called Mark anyone else the Bible names.

From Favor's study of Acts 15

Acts 15: Through the grace of the Lord Jesus

The men from Judea said, "you can’t be saved" (15:1), and Peter's words end, "we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are" (15:11): in the Greek, saved is the same word. And Paul's "Let’s return now and visit" (15:36) has the verbs of James's "turn" (15:19) and "visited" (15:14).

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Last reviewed October 7, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions