Be a “Barnabas”…

“… and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he…saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith… Barnabas went to look for Saul; and…he brought him to Antioch…” (Acts 11:22-26, RSVCE).

Many of you may have heard that the name Barnabas in the Bible means “son of encouragement”.  This man’s given name was actually Joseph, however he made such a strong impression on the early Church that he was called by this descriptive name.  He was a learned man, a Levite from Cyprus, but he was known not by how smart or well-spoken he was (though he presumably was both of those), but rather by his ability to encourage, fortify and mentor others.

The passage above says something interesting: that Barnabas “saw the grace of God”.  He saw evidence that God’s grace was working here, in somewhat unexpected people (Gentiles living in a pagan city) in unexpected ways.  Sometimes I myself expect that God will do his work in other people in ways I might be able to predict.  But often I can be quite mistaken in this.  God frequently operates in very unexpected ways in people, ways that are crafted by his particular divine understanding of each individual.  His wisdom, power, goodness and amazing creativity often operate covertly, drawing them to Himself.  I have frequently been surprised hearing a Christian recounting the circuitous path they have traveled on their way to God: what “coincidences” occurred in their lives; what surprising means God used to get their attention; and the many detours they traveled on their journey.  My story is the same.

Barnabas witnessed God’s amazing grace working in these Gentile believers and he was filled with joy. He encouraged them, urged them to “remain faithful… with steadfast purpose”.  How we all need such people in our lives: fellow disciples of Christ surrounding us who see what God may be doing in our lives and who fortify us by their “cheerleading”!  The very word “encouragement” is derived from the Latin root word “cor” for “heart”.   To be encouraged is to “take heart”.  Encouragers help us to be strengthened in our spiritual center rather than “dis-couraged” (“dis-heartened”) so that we can press on toward our heavenly goal.

Barnabas went further than this though.  His spiritual vision – guided by the Holy Spirit – allowed him to see that something more was needed for these folks, something that he himself wasn’t able to provide on his own.  He saw that they needed strong leadership and intensive discipling, and he thought of Saul; Saul who had gone back home to Tarsus. 

We can’t be certain, but perhaps his bringing Saul (now Paul) to Antioch was the catalyst for launching Paul on his amazing missionary career.  The fact that Barnabas identified Paul particularly, that he made the effort personally to fetch him and install him in the infant Church in Antioch  affirmed for Paul the mission for which God had chosen him.  Think what spiritual fruit resulted from Barnabas’s actions! 

Interestingly, in Acts Chapter 15:36-41, it’s recorded that Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply about whether to take Barnabas’s cousin John Mark along with them on their next missionary journey.  Barnabas decided to separate from Paul and took Mark under his wing for some one-on-one mentoring.  It must have been difficult for Barnabas to leave the amazingly fruitful ministry of Paul and set out on his own with his young, inexperienced cousin Mark (Colossians 4:10).  But once again, Barnabas saw the need for encouragement, and once again he acted.  He was clearly successful in this effort, for the same young man who had disappointed Paul in the past ultimately became not only the author of the Gospel of Mark, but also a fellow worker with Paul (Philemon 1:24) and someone for whom Paul eventually felt great affection (2 Timothy 4:11).

Perhaps someone you know may have a gift which he or she is not fully exercising.  Perhaps you might actually act as a Barnabas to them, identifying a strength or encouraging them to step up and do something you know they are good at doing.  We have no idea how a random comment, compliment or suggestion of ours might strengthen someone who has desired to do something for God but who has been reluctant or fearful.  Or perhaps there’s someone who could use your mentoring; someone who needs you to walk beside them as they make mistakes and learn from them, someone who just needs a hand up.  

I pray to become like Barnabas: to be open to the sometimes unexpected evidence of God’s work in people’s lives; to identify what latent gifts they might possess; and to unselfishly encourage them without any agenda other than the spread of God’s Kingdom.  I need humility to know my own limits, sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading, and a willingness to walk with others, doing my part and stepping aside to let them bloom and prosper.