Some people look at this juxtaposition of seemingly contradictory behavior from Paul and refer to this as a “black eye” on the history of the Church and a terrible example of disunity in the body, but others see this as a representative reality of the complicated messiness of body life in the Church. I used to favor the prior view as I was once deeply disappointed in Paul for dumping his good friend in anger simply because He wasn’t willing to follow his own advice and make peace with Barnabas. However, in recent years I have come to favor the latter view because, as a pastor, I have had a front row seat for all the messy and painful drama that occurs within the church and believe that enduring peace and unity within the body is simply not possible within a fallen world and any expectation of it is quite frankly, naive. Though I admittedly long for lasting peace and unity within the body of believers, I now know and have come to accept that forgiven but fallen people will always find reasons to not like each other and divide.

I have served in three very vibrant churches in my ministry tenure and none of them have been spared the pain and heartache of divisions. And, the more I talk with others, my hunch is confirmed that there is no other church that hasn’t. In my experience, conflict and division in the church is inevitable and is not a matter of if but of when they will occur. Though we work hard to establish peace and stymie incipient divisions in the body of believers, we cannot prevent or stop all disagreements and conflicts from occurring. And, in fact, I believe that we must not at times prevent all conflicts from erupting because sometimes conflicts can actually produce and accomplish something that is ultimately better, stronger and healthier.

I believe that disagreement and conflict can actually be the instructional tool that God uses to develop the body. The truth is that if there is no conflict and all disagreements are instead headed off in the name of peace and unity, then people never actually learn to deal with or confront controversy. If they do not know how to manage conflict, then they are deprived of learning a very important life lesson on both the value and the importance of achieving resolution through conflict. After all, if you don’t know of or aren’t willing to work through a conflict then how can there ever be any understanding or appreciation for peace? In other words, the only way we can truly appreciate peace is by knowing conflict. If we know no conflict, then peace has no meaning. Because of this, I believe that conflict is a tool that God uses to teach us to appreciate both the value and the importance of peace.

I also believe that disagreement and conflict can be the purging fire that God uses to grow the body. The reality is that if we head off all conflict then we can’t learn from it and we won’t grow because of it. Sometimes we must permit conflicts to play out and even for division to occur so that the body can grow together toward like-mindedness. One of the critical conflicts that always wrecks one-heartedness in a body of believers is division over certain kinds of change. Often the change pertains to non-essential issues such as style, philosophy or tradition, and often there are some who are reluctant or indignant toward any kind of change and consider all or most change to be a threat. So, when some are open to change and others are not, then sometimes conflict and division is critical for the necessary change to occur. When a division occurs and opponents to change move on, then the body is free to move forward together toward a common goal with newly homogenized hearts.

Furthermore, I believe that disagreement and conflict can also be the surgical instrument that God uses to heal the body. Sometimes, I believe that God will even utilize conflict as the painful means to remove contentious issues and relationships from within a body to still unrest and insecurity. Often ongoing drama within a body of believers creates tension and fosters stress within the body that elevates the general discomfort of the body, and a “sharp disagreement” can be the very necessary instrument used to break the bone of contention and expedite the mending process. Although the fracture always hurts and sometimes even bleeds, the mending of the fracture does result in a stronger and a healthier body.

When it comes to the separation between Paul and Barnabas over whether to take John Mark on the mission, we see that their conflict and division did in fact ultimately produce something better, stronger and healthier. Although, we are not privy to what transpired between the three men in the interim between their separation and reunification, we do know that all three of them went on to impact the world in profound ways and finished their ministries well. We also know that Paul, just before he died in his last letter, spoke of his fond affection and admiration for the very man who years before had so deeply disappointed him. In 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul wrote to his protege Timothy: “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry,” which shows that the men did reconcile and appreciate one another despite the difficult separation that occurred years before.

Their story gives me hope and confidence that conflict, even division, in the body of Christ though it is immediately painful can and will ultimately be beneficial for the Church and for those who serve her. Though we may struggle now to see the good that will come, we must trust that one day it will. I was once told never to doubt in the darkness what God has revealed in the light, so the light that must sustain us in the darkness of division is the promise of peace and the hope of ultimate reconciliation.