If you worshipped with the Jerusalem church in those early years, Joseph may have been the first to speak to you. Originally from the island of Cyprus two hundred miles away, he knew what it was like to be a visitor – though he at least owned land and had family in the area (cf. Acts 4:36-37, 12:12; Col. 4:10). So, he used his advantages to help others. In fact, he was so good at it that it earned him a nickname: Joseph “was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement)” we are told in Acts 4:36.
We don’t know how Barnabas first joined The Way. As a Levite, he would have come to Jerusalem two weeks out of the year and during the big festivals to serve as a singer or as a gatekeeper responsible for menial temple work and crowd control (Ferguson 565-566). Perhaps he was on duty as Jesus or His Apostles taught in the Temple. Some second and third century writers identified him with the disciples Jesus sent out in Luke 10. Maybe his past is uncertain because of how he avoided the spotlight. Barnabas could talk, but he gladly let others take the lead (cf. Acts 11:23, 14:12). No New Testament books were written by him – and if he did anonymously write Hebrews as some suggest, the point still stands. Paul referred to Barnabas in three of his letters – Galatians 2:1-14, 1 Corinthians 9:6, and Colossians 4:10 – but if not for Acts, those references probably would not stand out much.
It is Acts that presents “the Way” Barnabas lived as an example for us. Of all the disciples selling their possessions to be “distributed to each as any had need”, Barnabas is specifically named (Acts 4:32-37). When Saul – last seen in Jerusalem “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” – turned up claiming to now be one of them, we see Barnabas boldly taking a chance on him (Acts 9:1, 26-27). He did the same with his young cousin John Mark – not once but twice (cf. Acts 12:25-13:14, 15:36-41). No wonder the Jerusalem church saw him as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (cf. Acts 11:22-24).
When you are on “the Way”, you do not have to be in the spotlight to make an impact. Without Barnabas’ encouraging Saul, you never would have had the Apostle Paul – nor all the sermons he preached, churches he planted, or letters he wrote (cf. Acts 11:25-26). You would lose John Mark – along with his gospel account and contributions to Paul and Peter’s ministries (cf. 2 Tim. 4:11, 1 Pet. 5:13). Barnabas saw the Way Jesus selflessly served and endlessly encouraged, so he did the same. If we will, too, what kind of impact might God make through us?
Join us as we learn from the real people in Jerusalem, Antioch, and Ephesus how to truly follow “The Way, the Truth, and the Life” of Jesus Christ together!
Reference: Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity, Third Edition. 2003.