Thought for the week beginning 6^th June, 2022.

Barnabas the Apostle

“A good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”  (Acts 11.24)

This coming Saturday, 11^th June, is the feast day of St. Barnabas the Apostle. He is perhaps one of the lesser-known fathers of the early church, although he features several times in the Acts of the Apostles and he has, down the centuries, become a very popular saint.

Very little is known about his early life other than he was a Cypriot Jew whose original name was Joseph or Joses, and that he became leader of a very early, if not the first, gathering of Christians in Antioch. Indeed, it was there that the followers of Jesus were first given that name. We hear of him first in Jerusalem when he sold some land and gave the proceeds to the apostles (Acts 4.37). It was they that gave him the name Barnabas which means “son of encouragement”, and it seems that he lived up to that title for much of his life. However, it is in his association with the apostle Paul that we hear most about Barnabas. It was he who introduced Saul, as he then was, to the apostles shortly after his spectacular conversion when Saul was still greatly feared and distrusted. Barnabas clearly gave them reassurance and encouragement. It was after this that he was sent to Antioch to build up the church there, and he brought Paul from Tarsus to help him, teaching “a great many people” (Acts 11.26). Later they both went to Jerusalem to bring aid to the famine-struck church, and, while there, were caught up in the first persecution of Christians under Herod. After their return to Antioch they felt called by the Holy Spirit to embark on the first missionary journey, beginning at Cyprus, and covering a large part of the coast of Asia Minor where they had widespread success. It interesting to note that although Barnabas seems originally to have been the leader of this expedition, the narrative in Acts starts to talk of Paul and Barnabas and not the other way round.  The two companions then went back to Jerusalem to argue the case for gentiles (non-Jews) to be fully accepted by the Church – a task in which they were successful. They seem to have fallen out not long after that about who they should take with them on their next missionary journey and so they parted company. Barnabas went to Cyprus and, so tradition has it, was martyred there in Salamis. There is no further reference to him in Acts.

Barnabas is styled apostle even though he was not one of the original twelve disciples and nor did not have a remarkable encounter with the risen Christ as Saul/Paul did. To have been given that title he must therefore have been thought of very highly by the early church, and he was clearly entrusted with many very important leadership positions. However, it is perhaps in his role as an encourager that we should best remember him. He is recorded as a bringer of encouragement to various churches and in various different ways. He brought on and encouraged Paul - teaching and instructing him so that he became a great teacher and inspiration to many himself.  And Barnabas seems to have been content to let Paul take over as the major player. Their disagreement was about a young disciple, John Mark, whom Barnabas wanted to encourage despite previous problems. There is speculation that this was the very person who wrote the gospel which bears that name.

St. Paul exhorts us all to do just this: “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5.11). We all need a bit of encouragement from time to time, especially when we are feeling low or dejected, and Christians are no less prone to such feelings than anyone else. It often helps if someone can remind us of our good qualities, or of good times. It helps if we can be reminded of the love and grace of God on those occasions when they may seem very far away. It is hard to imagine the apostle Paul feeling uncertain, worried or afraid, but he almost certainly was at times, as we all are, and he no doubt needed a kind and generous friend to give him a helping hand. To be an encourager is a gift, but it is a ministry that we can all exercise from time to time. It need only be a reassuring word or even just a smile, although it could be more. The important thing to remember is that the Church is like a body, made up of different parts supporting and building each other up. If one part is faltering then the other parts do their best to give support. Barnabas was a great exemplar of that – a true son of encouragement.

Tony Bushell.