I Want To Be Like Barnabas. By Dr. Danny Purvis

I Want To Be Like Barnabas
By: Dr. Danyy Purvis

It is interesting how oftentimes in God’s Word we become very familiar with a name but often have little to no context regarding that name. I was thinking about this when I was reflecting on Barnabas and his role in the early New Testament Church. It is a name that is very familiar to a lot of Believers, especially as it relates to the Apostle Paul. If you remember, Barnabas was Paul’s trusted co-worker and companion on Paul’s first Missionary Journey. But there is much more to this fascinating person.

First of all, did you know that Barnabas was not actually his real, first name? According to Acts 4, Barnabas’ name was actually Joses (or Joseph). Barnabas could have been a surname, but more likely it was a nickname. The name Barnabas literally means “son of encouragement”. And the more you examine the brief but insightful bit of information we have about him, the more you can see how he might have earned that moniker. The bulk of what we know about him is found in Acts…but he is mentioned in passing also in 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians. However, it is his actions in Acts that should catch our attention…especially his interactions with and relationship to Paul.

First of all, prior to meeting Paul we get a glimpse of his character when it was revealed that he was one of the members of the Jerusalem church that sold all they had and gave it to the church so it could be used for the benefit of all the Believers (Acts 4:32-37). We can certainly see the devotion he had to doing what God was calling him to do in this significant sacrifice. It appears he was a significant leader in the burgeoning Christian church in Jerusalem which directly links to his interaction with Paul. But before we get into that, it is extremely important to reflect on Paul’s relationship to the early Christian church as a whole.

To put it simply, Paul (who was known as Saul at that point) hated Christianity. It was an affront to everything he had been taught as a practicing Pharisee. His zeal for stopping what he believed to be errant teaching was unmatched. So stalwart in his opposition to Christianity that he became the “muscle” for the religious leaders of the day. In fact, when Stephen (the first Christian martyr) was being stoned to death because of his devotion to Christ, Luke tells us that Saul (Paul) was watching over the clothes of those who actually murdered Stephen (Acts 7:57-59). It didn’t stop there. When severe persecution of the Christian church began in earnest, Saul was the enforcer. Acts 8:3 tells us that Saul “made havoc of the church” and went home to home and dragged men and women off to prison…simply for being professing Christians.

We know the rest of Paul’s story. He was miraculously converted to Christianity on his way to Damascus to persecute more Believers (Acts 9). But here’s the thing. Obviously Paul was well know as a chief persecutor by the leadership of the church. In fact, when Ananias was told directly by God to go to see “Saul of Tarsus” because he had been praying, Ananias replied that he had heard of this man and how he had been arresting Christians. In other words, Ananias was rightly afraid of Paul. However, after being told by the Lord that Saul was now “one of them” and that God was going to use him in a mighty way (Acts 9:15), Ananias went and baptized him. But that did not exactly smooth the way for the other church leaders. This is where Barnabas steps in.

Acts 9:26 tells us that even though Paul had converted to Christianity and that he had an important role to play, when Paul tried to join with the church leadership they were “afraid of him” and “did not believe that he was a disciple”. The next verse (29), however, starts out with two extremely important words. Those words are: “But Barnabas”. Luke (the author of Acts) then goes on to tell us that Barnabas had spoken with Paul personally and he then personally vouched for Paul’s authenticity. The gravity of this act cannot be overstated. The leaders were right to be suspicious of a guy who had stood in approval of the murder of one of their friends…and had dragged others of their friends to prison. Their wariness of him was very understandable. But Barnabas, truly a son of encouragement, was willing to stand up for Paul. And by doing so, obviously put his reputation (and safety) on the line.

This speaks magnitudes for the type of person Barnabas was. Instead of condemning Paul for what he had been doing and the harm he has caused, he encouraged not only Paul but also his fellow leaders in the church. ‘Let’s give this guy a second chance’ seems to have been his motto. Barnabas understood that he too was the beneficiary of God’s grace and that now that this grace had been extended to Paul, he was indeed ‘one of them’. I have to admit…I don’t know if I would have been willing to do this. Barnabas’ love and trust was directed at someone many felt did not deserve it. But that is the key aspect of God’s grace in the first place. None of us deserve God’s grace. And because Barnabas understood this, he acted accordingly. Even his later disagreement with Paul regarding John Mark was rooted in the idea of extending a second chance (Acts 15:36-41).

I am an admirer of Barnabas. I want to have that level of encouragement in my own life. And I want to extend that encouragement because God extended His saving grace to me. I want to be the one who reaches out to a Paul at the time when he needed it most. I want to extend grace as it has been extended to me. In other words…I want to be like Barnabas. And I want that because Barnabas wanted to be like Christ. And when it’s all said and done…that’s all that really matters.
 
-Dr. Danny Purvis