Colossians 4:10
Colossians 4:1010My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas. You have already received instructions about him: If he comes to you, welcome him.
A greeting verse with no doctrinal content in Watchtower usage. It is occasionally cited for the warmth of relationships among first-century Christians and the organised co-operation between congregations.
This is the middle of the Mark story, and it is easy to walk past. Paul is instructing a church to welcome the man he had refused to travel with. Somewhere between Acts 15 and this letter, the breach closed. Read the three passages in order and let the sequence do the work. — a sharp burst of anger and a separation. — welcome him if he comes. — bring Mark along, for he is helpful to me in the ministry. It costs nothing to admire, and it sets a standard. The apostles fought and reconciled, and the New Testament preserves both halves without embarrassment. Any movement can be asked what its own founding record shows at the same point. Compare , , .