Commentary - Acts 12:25

Bird's-eye view

This single verse serves as a crucial narrative bridge, a hinge upon which the book of Acts turns. It concludes the Jerusalem-focused section of the book, which culminated in the spectacular judgment on Herod and the deliverance of Peter, and pivots us back to Antioch, the great launching point for the mission to the Gentiles. Luke is a meticulous historian, and this is not a throwaway travel detail. It marks the successful completion of a practical ministry of mercy, the delivery of famine relief, and sets the stage for the first great missionary journey. Furthermore, it introduces a key second-generation character, John Mark, who will be both a source of conflict and a tremendous instrument for the kingdom. In short, this verse closes one chapter of the Church's work and assembles the team for the next.

We see the contrast between the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God in high relief. The previous verses described the gaudy end of a persecuting king, eaten by worms. This verse describes the quiet, faithful conclusion of a mission by God's servants. While Herod's story ends in a Jerusalem palace, the gospel's story is about to explode out of Antioch. God's work is not hindered by the death of tyrants; in fact, their removal often clears the way for the next phase of kingdom advancement.

Outline

Context In Acts

Acts 12 is a chapter of dramatic contrasts. It begins with the martyrdom of James and the miraculous deliverance of Peter from the hand of Herod Agrippa I. It ends with that same Herod, a blasphemous tyrant, being struck down by an angel of the Lord. In the middle of all this high drama, Luke has kept a plot point simmering. Back in Acts 11:27-30, the church in Antioch had sent Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem with a financial gift for the believers suffering from a famine. This verse, 12:25, picks up that thread and resolves it. Having delivered the aid, their work in Jerusalem is done. The verse acts as a reset, moving the camera, so to speak, from the old center of Judaism in Jerusalem back to the new, vibrant, multi-ethnic center of missions in Antioch. It is the immediate prelude to chapter 13, where the Holy Spirit will say, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Their faithfulness in this ministry of mercy was, in a sense, their final exam before being sent out to turn the world upside down.

Key Issues

Mission Accomplished, Mission Begun

Every word of God is profitable, and that includes what might appear to be simple transitional statements or travel itineraries. Luke, under the inspiration of the Spirit, is doing far more here than just getting his characters from point A to point B. He is showing us how the kingdom of God advances. It advances through faithful men completing their assigned tasks. It advances as one generation of leaders invests in the next. And it advances as the geographical center of gravity for the Church begins to shift, preparing for the gospel's great leap into the Gentile world. This is a quiet verse, tucked between the death of a king and the commissioning of the apostles, but it is packed with the ordinary, faithful stuff of which kingdom progress is made.

Verse by Verse Commentary

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, fulfilling their ministry, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.

We must begin by addressing a significant textual issue. Many reliable manuscripts, and the logic of the narrative itself, read that they returned from Jerusalem, not to Jerusalem. They had been sent to Jerusalem from Antioch with the relief offering in Acts 11:30. Their ministry there was to deliver that gift. Having done so, their task was complete, and so they returned to Antioch, their home base. The reading of "to Jerusalem" makes little narrative sense and is likely a scribal error in the manuscript tradition from which some translations are derived. The story is about the gospel's outward movement, and the return journey is from the old center to the new one.

So, Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem. Contrast this with the fate of Herod in the preceding verses. The persecutor is dead and gone, a feast for worms. But the servants of God, having weathered the storm of persecution in the capital city, are now heading back to their post. The word of God is not bound. Kings die, empires fade, but the men charged with the ministry of the gospel simply get back to work. This is the quiet, relentless advance of the kingdom.

They returned, it says, fulfilling their ministry. The word for ministry here is diakonia, from which we get our word deacon. It refers to practical, humble service. Their great apostolic ministry to the world was preceded by this, a faithful delivery of a financial gift. They were errand boys for the church in Antioch. This is a profound lesson. God does not entrust the greater work to those who despise the lesser. Before they were commissioned as apostles to the Gentiles, they proved their faithfulness by carrying a bag of money to their brothers in need. They completed the task. They did what they were sent to do. This fulfillment of their duty was the foundation upon which their next great task would be built.

And as they leave, they add a new member to their team: taking along with them John, who was also called Mark. This is no small detail. This is the introduction of the man who would write the second Gospel. Who was he? From verse 12 of this chapter, we know that his mother, Mary, owned a large house in Jerusalem that was a central meeting place for the church. We also know from Colossians 4:10 that he was the cousin of Barnabas. So Barnabas, the "son of encouragement," is taking his younger cousin under his wing, bringing him from the Jerusalem church into the missionary-sending church at Antioch. This is discipleship in action. This is the older generation investing in the younger. Of course, we know from later in Acts that this young man will stumble, abandoning the mission in Pamphylia (Acts 15:38). But this is where he gets his start. God was assembling the team, and He uses real, flawed men to do His work. The inclusion of Mark here is a sovereign act of God, preparing not only for the first missionary journey, but also for the future provision of a written Gospel for the entire Church.

Application

There are at least three direct applications for us in this tidy little verse. First, we see the absolute necessity of faithfulness in the small things. Barnabas and Saul were about to be entrusted with a ministry that would change the course of world history, but it was preceded by the faithful completion of a humble, practical task. Do not despise the day of small things. The character required to lead a missionary movement is forged in the furnace of ordinary, everyday obedience. Whether it is delivering a meal, making a phone call, or balancing the church checkbook, do it with all your might as unto the Lord, because faithfulness in little is the prerequisite for faithfulness in much.

Second, we see the pattern of discipleship. Barnabas takes his younger cousin Mark along. He brings him into the center of the action. This is how the faith is passed on. It is not done primarily through formal programs, but through life-on-life investment. Older men should be looking for younger men to bring along, and younger men should be eager to learn from the seasoned saints. Our churches should be bustling hubs of this kind of multi-generational mentoring.

Finally, we see the unstoppable nature of God's plan. A tyrant dies, a persecution ends, and the Church does not miss a beat. The servants of God simply pack their bags, pick up a new recruit, and head back to work. Our confidence is not in favorable political circumstances or in the absence of opposition. Our confidence is in the sovereign God who works all things, even the death of kings and the delivery of famine relief, for the good of His people and the inexorable advance of His kingdom.