Joseph lived on the island
of Cyprus as a Hellenist Jew with a rich Hebrew tradition. He came from the
priestly tribe of Levi, but he found the resurrection of Jesus so compelling
and so persuasive that he joined the Jerusalem fellowship of that then new Jewish
Sect--Followers of The Way. His new found faith in Jesus so inspired him that when
a special need arose among his fellow followers of Jesus; he sold a piece of his
property so he could contribute to the special offering taken on their behalf.
With such a sensitive
faith, it was inevitable that Joseph would eventually come to the attention of
the Apostles. It was difficult to overlook his authentic generosity, for he
brought with him a contagious spirit. It enriched that small band of believers; and as people came to know him better, they recognized his potential for strong leadership. Before long, his more intimate friends began
greeting him with the name we know—Barnabas, “son of encouragement” (Acts
4:36-37).
Encouragement seemed to accompany
Barnabas everywhere he went. With time, his leadership qualities became more
obvious. When he risked his reputation to befriend and defend a new convert named Saul; it became increasingly obvious that Barnabas could look
beyond a person’s past and recognize their great spiritual thirst.
Everyone had heard of Saul
of Tarsus; after all, he was the arch enemy of this Jesus that set himself up
as God. Followers of Jesus far and wide had heard the threats Saul breathed
everywhere about exterminating this new sect of Jesus-followers. Barnabas,
however, saw real value in the newly-converted Saul, who by this time was already
proclaiming the story of Jesus, in spite of finding it necessary to escape
Jerusalem by going over the wall at night hidden in a basket, aided by friends.
Barnabas saw in this brilliant
and gifted young zealot qualities that The Almighty could use. He consequently
dared to take Saul under his wing and introduce him to the Jerusalem Apostles
(Acts 9:26-27). Controversy continued to pursue Saul, so friends took him to
Caesarea and shipped him to Tarsus. Meanwhile, the church grew in period of
peace.
When the Jerusalem church
heard about the growth in Antioch, they sent Barnabas on a mission to Antioch.
Upon arriving there; Barnabas, being a man full of the presence of God, became
so successful in his mission that he quickly needed help. He could see needs he
knew Saul could fill and so Barnabas returned to Tarsus and urgently recruited Saul to assist him in Antioch, and “for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the
church and taught great numbers” (Acts 11:26).
This, however, brought conflict
and stirred controversy in Antioch. There were those who remembered all too
well that Saul had a terrorist reputation for opposing Followers of the Way. He
had hunted them down as heretics. He had been become so controversial even as a
follower of Jesus that it became necessary for him to return to Tarsus. After
all; he had been the chief prosecutor of Christians--a most highly controversial
personality, even after defending his newly-found faith in Christ with the same
zeal with which he formerly persecuted the church. Suffering disciples simply found
it too difficult to trust this untested, new convert.
The growth of the church
in Antioch was enough to cause church leaders to send Barnabas to investigate
and on arriving he found abundant evidence of God’s grace. He encouraged them,
and quickly went to Tarsus searching for Saul. “So for a whole year Barnabas
and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers” (Acts 11:26).
Barnabas stayed the course.
He mentored Saul. Between them, they bridged the gap between the former
prosecutor and those formerly victimized. It went so well that church leaders
sent Barnabas and Saul on the first Christian Missionary Journey to Cyprus. Eventually,
the time came when Saul became the Apostle Paul and Barnabas and Paul trznsitioned
into Paul and Barnabas.
The time did come when the
two men quarreled because Barnabas insisted that Paul give John Mark a second
chance, just as Barnabas had given Paul. Paul charged John Mark with desertion
and in his disappointment he and Barnabas separated while Paul recruited a new
companion--Silas. This proved compatible, even while singing at the midnight hour
in jail, and soon Paul and Silas were evangelizing Europe.
Europe owes a debt of gratitude
to Barnabas as the man who extended encouragement in launching Paul. Paul
eventually added his own tribute to the gift of encouragement exhibited by
Barnabas. Addressing Timothy, he wrote, “get Mark and bring him with you,
because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11).
Some contemporary
Christians give Barnabas a day on the Christian calendar by celebrating June 11
in his honor. More widely celebrated among Christians of every spectrum is the
memory of a grace-filled man that spent his entire life encouraging
others--Barnabas, son of encouragement.
One thing we know for
certain, whatever other gifting you may have; there is always a great need for more
individual ”encouragers” of the stature of Barnabas.
This is
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com
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