Mark had once been refused by Paul as unworthy to accompany him, because, when his help was much needed, he had left the apostle and returned to his home. He saw that, as Paul’s companion, his life must be one of constant toil, anxiety, and self-denial; and he desired an easier path. This led the apostle to feel that he could not be trusted, and that decision caused the unhappy dissension between Paul and Barnabas.{LP 282.2}

Tidligere havde Paulus afvist Mark som uværdig til at ledsage ham, fordi han forlod apostlen da der var brug for hans hjælp, og vendte hjem igen. Som Paulus ledsager, så han at hans liv var hele tiden slidsomt, i ængstelse og selvfornægtende; og hans ønskede en lettere sti. Dette fik apostlen til at føle at han ikke kunne betros noget, og at den beslutning førte til ulykkelig splid mellem Paulus og Barnabas.