Barnabas

by G.L. Atkinson, South Shields, England | Category: General | Nov 1987

Faith needs no proofs; but if proof was required about the veracity of the Scriptures then one of the evidences would be the way in which the Bible portrays every characteristic of mankind. It shows, as for example with David, that even great and good men are not perfect, but have their human weaknesses. So it was with that famous pair Barnabas and Paul. Well, Paul is famous; but Barnabas? Who and what was he?

Barnabas deserves our attention for, despite the contention which ended his active partnership with Paul, he was a model Christian. At first he wasn't Barnabas at all, for his name was Joseph. And he comes to our notice as one of that early church in Jerusalem which established in practice the generous sharing of their possessions:

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul:

and not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common... neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto each according as any one had need (Acts 4:32,34,35).

It might not work today, but it worked then, because of the Holy Spirit, for the intervening verse says,

And with great power gave the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all (Acts 4:33).

In this setting we meet our subject, of whom it says,

And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, son of exhortation) a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, having a field, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet (Acts 4:36,37).

What a commendation - that he should be called "Son of Exhortation". It is common even today to give people labels or nicknames which reflect their characteristics or way of life. How many of us deserve a title like son - or daughter - of exhortation? Will that description be written anywhere alongside our name? We can get some idea of why it was so in the case of Barnabas. He came from a country where even today there is conflict about possession, between Turks and Greeks, but there was no conflict in his mind about his land. As a landowner he must have been relatively rich, but he knew that his possession was held on trust for Him who "giveth all things" and who gave His only begotten Son for us.

Joseph surnamed Barnabas was a Levite and as such was entitled to receive tithes and alms from other Jews; but we read only that he gave. He sold his land and gave the money to the Lord. Moreover it is evident that Barnabas gave all the proceeds of the sale, not part; for the following verse describing the deceit of Ananias and Sapphira begins with the contra-distinctive word "but".

But the generosity of Barnabas extended beyond materials things, as we learn from his attitude to Paul, then called Saul. Paul, involved in the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, had been converted, and after a time in Damascus came to Jerusalem where,

he assayed to join himself to the disciples: and they were all afraid of him ... But Barnabas took him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way... and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:26,27).

They had a reason for their fear, because of Paul's reputation. Years later, Paul acknowledged it when he told King Agrippa, of his fierce persecution of the saints (Acts 26:9-11).

Barnabas again showed generosity, this time of spirit, for he went out in faith to Paul and identified with him. It was a generosity which is sadly lacking in many places today. If only we could take people for what they are and where they are, not for what they were and where they came from; much hurt and prejudice might be avoided. Barnabas brought Paul in and vouched for him. What an effect that would have on the church of God. How much Paul was to contribute to that work which had been commissioned to that little group of eleven on the mountainside in Galilee (Mat. 28:16-20).

In human terms we might wonder what would have happened without Paul. God of course is sovereign; but would the work have gone ahead in the same 'way at the same speed if Paul had not been received just then by the church at Jerusalem?

What was the secret of that generosity of Barnabas? What sort of a man was he? The explanation is given later when we read about Barnabas at Antioch.

He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord... he went forth to Tarsus to seek for Saul: and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch... for a whole year they taught much people ... the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts

11:23-26).

So Barnabas was a good man full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. A man through whose work "much people" was added unto the Lord.

Despite persecution by King Herod, the gospel continued to make progress and we read

The word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministration, taking with them John whose surname was Mark. Now there were at Antioch in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen... (Acts 12:24 - 13:1)

Here Barnabas is the first of those listed among the "prophets" and "teachers" and he is the first mentioned when the Holy Spirit declares "separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" (13:2). Their commission to go out preaching the gospel was not from men, but from the Holy Spirit. It is an important distinction to which we shall revert later. In the pursuit of that commission Barnabas and Paul travelled far, eventually reaching the region of Lycaonia (14:6-15).

In their ignorance the people in the region believed that occasionally their mythical gods came down to earth in the form of men. This, they thought, had happened when they saw the miracles and heard the words of Barnabas and Paul. Such was the eminence of Barnabas that they ascribed to him the name of Jupiter, who was supposed to be the chief of the gods. The response of Paul and Barnabas was not one of satisfaction but rather of alarm. They emphasized that they were simply ordinary men like the people; in short they displayed humility and went on to speak to the people,, in natural terms that they could understand, to show the evidences of God in His blessings.

Despite many adversities Barnabas and Paul were successful in "opening the door of faith unto the Gentiles". When they reported their exploits to the Jerusalem Council,

all the multitude kept silence, and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul, rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them (Acts 15:12).

Their status was such that they were commissioned to deliver messages from the elders at Jerusalem to the church at Antioch and elsewhere with the commendation:

It seemed good unto us ... to choose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 15:25,26).

By now Barnabas and Paul were acknowledged as men through whom God has worked miracles and wonders. The saints at Jerusalem gave them no vain title and described them not even as "esteemed" but rather as "beloved". They were men who had "hazarded their lives" for the name of Jesus Christ. So great was the generosity of Barnabas - and of course of Paul as well - that they were prepared to give their lives for Him who had given His life for them. This is the ultimate test - giving our lives for Christ, whether it be the giving up of life in death, or setting life aside in holy service. It is an example which has been emulated many times since. Barnabas was a prototype but even in so great a prototype we encounter what seems to have been a human weakness.

Barnabas and Paul were at Antioch teaching and preaching when the two great partners fell into contention about who should accompany them. Now it was not a case of the Holy Spirit saying who should go - as in Acts 13 - but men seemed to be deciding. Here we encounter that old problem - human weakness, masquerading as strength. Barnabas "was minded" to take John Mark, but Paul thought this was "not good". What an unhappy contrast from that condition described in the Psalm, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. 133:1). How sad that we read nothing here of Barnabas and Paul taking the matter to God in prayer, or consulting with the rest of the church at Antioch. Instead the two men go their separate ways. Thereafter we read much of Paul, but this seems to be the end of the scriptural record of Barnabas. He went back to Cyprus and took John Mark with him. Even in this the problem might have been the generosity of Barnabas towards John Mark who had deserted them on an earlier mission. Barnabas was prepared to give him another chance but at this time Paul was not so disposed, although Paul's attitude changed later.

But who was Mark? He was a relative of Barnabas, either cousin or nephew, and in part this might explain the argument. Mark must have been well grounded in his Christian faith. His mother, Mary, was a prominent member of the church in Jerusalem to whose house Peter came when he was released from Herod's prison by the dramatic intervention of the angel (Acts 12). Paul was to change his attitude about Mark because in Colossians 4:10 he wrote of Mark being with him in Rome, and he came to think so much of Mark that in his second letter to Timothy he asked, "Bring him with thee; for he is useful to me for ministering" (2 Tim. 4:11). So Mark became a valued companion to Paul - and then to Peter (1 Pet. 5:13).

We can only wonder at the influence which Barnabas might have had on Mark when they parted from Paul and went off to Cyprus. Certainly Mark made a good recovery because he was the writer of one of the four Gospels. For that task he was well qualified; his family background, his acquaintance with Peter, with Paul, and undoubtedly with others of the apostles, would provide the lively account on which his gospel is based. The Scriptures tell us nothing definite about the death of Mark or Paul or Peter. Nor do they tell us whether Barnabas, who hazarded his life for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, ultimately paid that great price. So the epitaph for the generous Barnabas remains as we noted it: "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith".

G.L. Atkinson, South Shields, England | Nov 1987
General