The places visited during the first missionary journey

The destinations of this journey are as follows: (1) Antioch (Acts 13:1-3), (2) Seleucia (Acts 13:4), (3) Salamis on the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:5), (4) Paphos on the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:6-12), (5) Perga in Pamphylia (Acts 13:13), (6) Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:14-52). This time, let’s study the events that took place in Perga.

Perga in Pamphylia

“Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.” (1) Encouraged by their success on the island of Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas next crossed over to Asia Minor. The sea journey from Paphos to Perga in Asia Minor was about 180 miles (290 km). The phrase “Paul and his companions” indicates that, by this point, leadership had shifted from Barnabas to Paul. Barnabas remained a humble person throughout. (2) John (Mark) left them in Perga and returned to Jerusalem. As a result, there is no record of any evangelism conducted in Perga. (3) Luke does not provide any specific reason for John (Mark) leaving, but we can imagine several possible reasons: (a) He felt resentment because the leadership had shifted from Barnabas to Paul. (b) He had originally planned to accompany them only to the island of Cyprus, but when the mission field expanded to Asia Minor, he decided to give up midway. (c) He was fearful of traveling through the mountainous regions of Asia Minor. (d) He was already experiencing physical exhaustion from their previous missionary activities and hesitated to continue. (e)He felt resistance because Gentile evangelism had started to be overly emphasized. Though Mark departed, Paul and Barnabas continued onward. Looking at the results of the first missionary journey, it is clear that their decision to continue was the right one. In our own lives, it is crucial to correctly assess the importance of daily events. When unfavorable events occur, we must carefully consider whether to change our plans because of them. Reflect on what your own “departure of John (Mark)” might be and seek guidance from the Lord. Let us place our trust in Him who can turn everything into a blessing.