Acts 9:26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who spoke to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.”
Well, Saul made it out of Damascus by escaping at night and he found his way to Jerusalem. But the Christians in Jerusalem were terrified! What was going on with this man? Had Saul really had a dramatic conversion experience, or was he merely trying to infiltrate the Christian group so that he could round up everybody and haul them off to prison? While many people doubted Saul’s sincerity, nobody doubted his intelligence. Saul had been one of Gamaliel’s star students; if you weren’t brilliant, Gamaliel would gently suggest you go study under someone else. What were the Christians to do? That’s when Barnabas stepped in to help.
Remember Barnabas? “Barnabas” was a nickname meaning “son of comfort” or “son of encouragement.” Barnabas’ actual name was Joseph and he was a Jewish believer from Cyprus. It was Barnabas who sold a piece of land and donated the entire amount to the disciples, an act that gave Ananias and his wife Sapphira the idea of selling some land without actually donating the full price. Throughout the Book of Acts we are going to see Barnabas quietly helping, encouraging, and healing situations.
Everybody knew that Barnabas was the “real deal,” that he was completely honest and had no hidden agendas. When Barnabas brought Saul to the church leaders, he described at great length what God had done to Saul on the road to Damascus, how he had been converted, and how Saul had then spoken out so boldly that the Jews in Damascus were ready to kill him. Barnabas probably described Saul’s narrow escape at night in vived details, leaving the disciples with no doubts that Saul had radically changed and that they could trust him. Later, it might have been Barnabas who helped get Saul to Caesarea on the coast and put him on a ship back to Tarsus while things cooled off in Jerusalem.
While the main focus in this passage has generally been on Saul, let’s look at Barnabas. Barnabas was from Cyprus, while Saul was from Tarsus – two geographically distinct places. Previously Barnabas had only known Saul by reputation, and that reputation was not a good one! But Barnabas was a man of great love and of great faith. Barnabas did not write anything that has been preserved. We have no idea where Barnabas was buried. Much of Barnabas’ life is shrouded in mystery. But this one thing we do know: Barnabas was the one who realized that Saul’s conversion was real and who paved the way for Saul to be accepted by the disciples in Jerusalem. Without that acceptance, who knows how stunted Saul’s ministry might have been?
Today you may feel that your contributions to your workplace or to your church are quite insignificant. Others get all the attention while you work in the background. But we know very few of the names of the early Christians; meanwhile, many of us know about Barnabas. God does not see as a man sees. God knows the intentions of the heart, and Barnabas had good loving intentions throughout his lifetime.
Do not become discouraged. Keep being a helper and an encourager. And if you begin to feel tired, just remember Barnabas.
PRAYER: Father God, we thank you that you see our hearts and our intentions. Lord, help us to follow hard after you, not worrying about who gets the credit. Today, may we choose to walk with you and to seek your face, knowing that you are the one who keeps the books. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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