God’s Word for You
Acts 12:25 The whole life of the Christian
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, May 8, 2020
25 After Barnabas and Saul finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, and brought with them John, who was also called Mark.
This verse connects with the account of the prophecy about the famine in Acts 11:27-30. While Herod was blaspheming, struck down with worms, and dying a slow and agonizing death, Saul and Barnabas were gathering together the relief offering for the Christians of Judea (the same people Herod had been persecuting) during the famine. Perhaps we should understand the dispute between Tyre and Sidon and Herod to have come about because of the famine. At any rate, the missionaries traveled south to Jerusalem with the gift, which “finished their mission.” From there, they went back.
When Saul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, they took Mark with them. This John Mark has been mentioned before, and now he was seen to be a useful addition to their team. If he was “a young man” at the time of Jesus’ trial (Mark 14:51), he would have been close to thirty now. Perhaps he had already begun his work of transcribing Peter’s preaching in Jerusalem into the second Gospel, or maybe he did all of that later on. For now, he had other work to do. As pastors, teachers, and professors grow older, we need to be willing to pass along our knowledge and experiences to younger Christians. The best habit to pass along is the habit of reading the Bible once every year, or twice a year, as Luther did. There is no other way to know the mind of God than to read and chew on his words. Read one line of a Psalm and keep it next to your heart all day long as you go about your business. A day spent on a single line of a Psalm in this way is a better teacher than a dozen online opinions from people who have never heard of Jesus. Do your work, share your faith, and trust in Jesus. This is the whole life of the Christian, jotted down in this one little verse from our dear friend Luke.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.