After Stephen died, the followers of The Way in Jerusalem had a difficult decision to make: should they stay or leave? Many of them were not from Jerusalem originally. Having come to observe Pentecost, they stayed after hearing and receiving the good news about Jesus Christ proclaimed by the Apostles (cf. Acts 2:5, 41). Once Saul began “ravaging the church”, many left rather than wait for him to enter their houses and drag them to prison (Acts 8:3).
Not Barnabas. He could have left since he was from Cyprus, an island 250 miles northwest of Jerusalem; but he chose to stick it out with the Apostles (cf. Acts 4:36, 8:1). That meant when Saul later reappeared claiming to have joined The Way, a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” was there to take a chance on their former persecutor when everyone else was afraid (Acts 11:24; cf. 9:26-27). Because Barnabas stayed, he glorified God as Saul preached “the faith he once tried to destroy” (Gal. 1:23-24). He experienced “peace and was being built up” as “the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria” continued to grow by “walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:31). So, staying must have been the right choice.
Except Saul left. When an assassination plot against him was discovered, the same brothers who risked their lives to stay in Jerusalem sent Saul back to Tarsus, where he would preach for years (cf. Acts 9:29-30, Gal. 1:21-22). Likewise, the disciples who had earlier scattered “went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). As some other men from Cyprus worked their way homeward, they preached the Lord Jesus to Gentiles in nearby Antioch: “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:19-21). When the church in Jerusalem heard about it, “they sent Barnabas to Antioch” – who quickly retrieved Saul from Tarsus to come work with him (Acts 11:22, 25). “For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26).
So, were the stayers or the leavers right? When faced with difficult choices, we can be tempted to look down on those who choose differently. Yet, it wasn’t staying or leaving that made the biggest difference: it was following The Way wherever they were. God orchestrated the paths of Barnabas, Saul, and many others crossing at key moments – even as they went different directions – to accomplish His purpose. If we will follow Jesus wherever we are and seek to send people where God wants them, His hand will be with us, too.
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!