Bible Study series: Acts 12:25. Saul (Paul) had gone to Tarsus. It is time for Barnabas to get him for their missionary trip in Acts 13-14, though neither one realizes it at this time. But God does.

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At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!

Acts 12

In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.

Let’s begin.

Scripture: Acts 12:25

²⁵ Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, after they carried out their mission, taking along John, called Mark. (Acts 12:25)

Comments:

This verse sets up the next two chapters (13-14), which are about Saul’s (Paul’s) and Barnabas’s missionary journey, Paul’s first.

25:

Recall that the Messianic Jewish prophet Agabus gave a predictive prophecy that a famine would hit the whole Roman world (Acts 11:27-30).

²⁷ In those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated through the Spirit that there was about to be a severe famine in the whole world (which happened during the reign of Claudius). ²⁹ In proportion to anyone of the disciples as he prospered, each one of them determined to send aid to the brothers and sisters residing in Judea. ³⁰ This they did and sent it by the hand of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. (Acts 11:27-30)

The church in Antioch took action to help the Jerusalem church with finances from the wealthy citizens of Antioch. They sent Barnabas and Saul to transport the money to the capital of Israel. Now their service was done, so they returned to Antioch, taking Barnabas’s cousin with him. See v. 12 for a close look at Barnabas and John Mark. He will be mentioned as their assistant (Acts 13:5), but then leaving them (13:13). Paul did not like this decision and considered it a desertion (Acts 15:36-41).

“mission”: it is the Greek noun diakonia (pronounced dee-ah-koh-nee-ah), and it means, depending on the context, “service,” “office,” ministry,” or “aid, support, distribution.” But the NAS and NIV use mission. Yes, we get our word deacon from it (1 Tim. 3:10, 13). It evolved into a position at church for a man (or woman) who did practical service, to help the pastor, so he (or she) could focus on the Word of God. But this does not limit the deacons’ service away from the Word, as we have observed with Philip and Stephen, who preached the gospel.

GrowApp for Acts 12:25

1. Paul and Barnabas carried out their mission to Jerusalem. They were faithful and consistent. How about you? Faithful and consistent? If not, how do you get these fruit?

RELATED

The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts

Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?

SOURCES

For the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:

Acts 12