Acts 13:5
“When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. They had also John as their attendant.”
What does Acts 13:5 mean?
Paul and Barnabas arrived in Cyprus and began sharing the good news about Jesus in the Jewish synagogues, which made sense since those communities already believed in God and knew the scriptures. John Mark traveled with them on this journey as their assistant, helping with practical needs and learning from these experienced missionaries. This was early in Paul's missionary work, before John Mark would later leave the team (a separation that would eventually lead to tension between Paul and Barnabas). The detail about having an attendant shows us that even pioneering missionary work involved teamwork and preparation, not just bold proclamation alone.