It is sometimes said, “It takes a lot of grace to recognize a little grace,” and Barnabas truly had that disposition toward John Mark. He saw in him someone who had great potential, and he wanted to encourage it. This was Barnabas. Perhaps in his disagreement with Paul he had pushed too hard (Acts 15:39). He had missed God’s timing for Mark in ministry, but in principle he saw that John Mark would be useful in God’s work.

The US Navy Seals have a saying related to the high drop-out rate in their rigorous training course: “A failure is only a failure if you don’t learn from it. But if you learn from your failure it becomes a lesson.” This would prove to be true for young John Mark! May we learn the lesson as well: God can bring good from our failure!

The last thing we read about Mark in Acts is that Barnabas took him “and sailed to Cyprus” (Acts 15:39). Approximately twenty years had now come and gone between Mark fleeing the mission field at Pamphylia and Paul’s words in today’s text. We do not know what transpired in those intervening years before we hear of him again, but there can be no doubt that Barnabas was an encouraging mentor to him after taking him to Cyprus.

In 2 Timothy we read that Paul was in Rome and facing execution. The Christians in Asia had forsaken him, but there were still a few who had continued with him. One of them was Mark, of whom he touchingly writes, “He is useful to me for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11). John Mark would go on to write the Gospel which is named after him. The unprofitable servant had become the useful servant and was inspired to write the Gospel which described the Perfect Servant. We can learn from Barnabas in this, from his tenacity and faithfulness—he had never given up on Mark.