What does Acts 15:40 mean?
The partnership of Paul and Barnabas has come to an end. Paul no longer needs the "son of encouragement" (Acts 4:36) to mentor him in teaching and evangelism. Barnabas' talents are of more use for his cousin John Mark who must grow in faith and courage before he can travel with Paul again (Philemon 1:24; 2 Timothy 4:11). Both sides of the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas have merit, and the best possible solution is for them to pursue God's will separately.For this missionary voyage, Paul needs a fellow Roman citizen who can handle the dangers of the road and physical assault (Acts 16:19–40), and still step into a leadership position when needed (Acts 17:14; 18:5). Silas, sometimes called Silvanus, will go on to co-author Paul's letters to the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1) and, some say, help Peter with his Greek (1 Peter 5:12).
As the elders of the church in Syrian Antioch once dedicated Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2–3), they now send Paul and Silas off. The pair will travel through the province of Syria and then overland into Galatia where they will meet Timothy (Acts 15:41—16:5). The group will head farther west, across the sea into Macedonia and down into Greece (Acts 16:6—18:23). As disappointed as Paul and Barnabas may have felt in the short term, God has bigger plans for both.
Acts 15:36–41 marks a significant shift in Paul's ministry. Ever since Barnabas sought him out to help build the church in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:19–26), the two have seemed inseparable. They established a church that will influence Christian theology for centuries. Their ministry extends beyond Syria and up into central modern-day Asia Minor. And they protected their church from legalists with harmful expectations of the Gentile Jesus-followers (Acts 15:1–35). Now, they go their separate ways. Paul will take Silas on his next missionary journey while Barnabas will take John Mark. Barnabas is not mentioned again in the book of Acts.
Paul and Barnabas are in Syrian Antioch, home from their first missionary journey. Legalistic Christians from Jerusalem arrive and insist Gentiles must convert to Judaism. When negotiations fail, a delegation travels to Jerusalem to request clarification from Jesus' closest students. The leadership in Jerusalem agree with Paul and Barnabas. They write a letter that Gentiles should only make concessions, mostly dietary, which will ensure unity with the Jews in their congregation. After delivering the letter to Antioch, Paul takes Silas and Barnabas takes John Mark to share the letter to other churches they have planted.
