Being Like Barnabas
Acts 4:36-37
“36 And Joses [Joseph], who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”
How should we face the grievous problems of life?
When trouble comes because of the Gospel that we preach and teach, how will we face that trouble?
The enemies of Christ’s finished work will seek to harass us, hoping to divide us. What shall we do to face this together, when these troubles come?
In this text, we learn about a man who lived and ministered in such times. And this Book of books not only tells us about this godly man, it teaches us how to be like him.
Those who have been transformed know how to face trouble. Our faith has transformed our souls so that we may face troubles squarely. In this text, we learn that we could be like Barnabas.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times
According to Acts 1-5, those were difficult times for the apostles and disciples. To borrow some phrases from Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times.” For forty days, Jesus had demonstrated by many infallible proofs that He had risen from the dead. His chosen apostles had stood on the Mount of Olives and watched Him ascend bodily into heaven. In obedience to His command, they had stayed in Jerusalem and prayed earnestly together. And the Lord had sent His Spirit, like a mighty rushing wind, at Pentecost. Under the preaching of the Word, about three thousand people placed their faith in Jesus Christ, who had died for their sins and risen again.
And according to Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
By God’s enablement, the apostles continued to preach Christ, and sometimes were enabled to heal others. We could rightly characterize Acts chapters 1 through 3 with the words, “It was the best of times.”
But after the time of greatest blessing comes the time of greatest testing.
Perhaps some thought “it was the worst of times.”
In Acts 4, the priests, Sadducees, and the captain of the temple arrested Peter and John and put them in prison for preaching. Yes, “about five thousand” people believed on the Lord (Acts 4:4). But the religious authorities at Jerusalem were enraged by the Gospel the apostles preached and the evident power of God upon them. In fact, according to Acts 4:18, those leaders summoned Peter and John and commanded them to stop preaching Christ. They hoped that their threats would be enough to stop the apostles in their tracks (Acts 4:21). But those threats did not thwart the believers. Those Spirit-filled people were just getting started! When they were released from custody, they called a prayer meeting and prayed for boldness. God answered their prayers (Acts 4:28-31), and the believers were bold in sharing their belief in Christ.
The religious leaders repeated their summons and commands in Acts 5:27-28. Peter and the other apostles responded with those bold, immortal words: “We ought to obey God rather than men,” and they preached Christ to those religious leaders. Acts 5:41-42 sums up their response to those troubled times with these words:
“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
When they faced the grievous problems of life, they glorified the Lord in prayer. Their unity was evident as well. Acts 4:32 describes those heady days:
“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought [anything] of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.”
They faced their troubles together by learning to be likeminded with those who honored the Lord. Knowing the greatness of God’s grace, material possessions just didn’t seem as important any more. Today the advertisers of gold coins insist that those coins are stability and confidence “that you can hold in your hand.” But apparently they have missed Proverbs 23:5 which tells us that “riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” These believers were laying up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20). Troubles change the way you look at your treasures. Thank God for the unique unity that believers have in Christ. And thank God for the boldness that He gives when trouble comes.
Among these dynamic disciples, one man stood out for his ability to encourage others. His nickname was “Barnabas.”
The Name “Barnabas”: Son of Consolation
Dr. Luke, (who wrote Luke and Acts) often introduced people into his historical accounts and developed their stories later. This was certainly the case with Barnabas, Saul (who became Paul) and John Mark.
“Joseph” was nicknamed “Barnabas” by the apostles.1 Literally, the meaning of the Hebrew name is “[bar] (“son of”) [nebuwah] (“prophecy”). He used his words to motivate people and build them up. Ezra 6:14 records that Haggai and Zechariah were used of the Lord in the Old Testament to inspire people in this same manner:
“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”
As Acts 4:36-37 explains, Barnabas was given this name because he was known for his comforting words. The explanation is given that Barnabas was a “son of consolation” or “son of “exhortation.”
In other words, he was characterized by comforting consolation. It was as if it were part of his spiritual DNA. One author described Barnabas as “ . . . the encourager, the advocate, the paraklete par excellence of all the characters in Acts.”2 Do you know people like this? These are people who have such a grip on the grace of God that they help to sustain others, even in suffering. They know what to say and what to do when trouble comes. The preachers and the people were in trouble for sharing the Gospel. We will be too. But Barnabas shows us how to use our abilities to comfort and encourage those who suffer for the sake of Christ.
The word translated “consolation”3 comes from words meaning “to summon alongside.” It is used of making an appeal4 to another to be courageous in belief or action (as it is in Philippians 2:1). It can refer to a strong appeal (as it does in 2 Corinthians 8:4). It can also refer to lifting the spirits of another (2 Thessalonians 2:16), in order that they might have hope (Romans 15:4, 2 Corinthians 7:7). As we shall see, Barnabas was a wonderful example of all of these. Could you be like Barnabas?
A Levite from Cyprus
Joseph “Barnabas” was of the tribe of Levi – the priestly line. But apparently he had not practiced priestly duties in the temple, for he was from the island of Cyprus. As a Levite, he would have known the Scriptures very well. The Scriptures don’t tell us, but we can well imagine that he had a good grasp of the psalms and Jeremiah’s Lamentations. He knew how to encourage people in those troubled times. We can well imagine him relating the stories of faithful kings and prophets who served the Lord in those difficult days.
We don’t know why he hailed from Cyprus, but we will discover the advantage this gave him later on. Servant-leaders like Barnabas assume that God has given them everything they need to do God’s will. By depending on the Lord, you and I could be like Barnabas.
Self-Sacrificial
“Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”
Barnabas was known for helping those around him to be a success. He was a servant-leader who used his personal resources to advance the cause of the Great Commission. “… ownership of land was the principal source of wealth and social standing in the Greco-Roman world.”5 Barnabas gave of his possessions to further the Great Commission. In so doing, he escaped from the great delusion of believing that earthly possessions are the most important thing in life. His example stands in stark contrast to the deceitful manipulation of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). By laying the offering at the apostles’ feet, he gave quietly, and perhaps even privately. Servant-leaders are like that. To them, the most important thing is that God receives all the glory – not that they have to be a big part of the story.
One author wrote, ““Barnabas thus embodies the ideal of the ‘servant-benefactor’, well known in that culture, but to Luke ‘pre-eminently exemplified by Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 22:26–30)’. When he humbly placed the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, he forgoes the usual social benefit of praise and public honour.6
Why Could We Be Like Barnabas?
The Bible is the story of the extraordinary God at work in the lives of ordinary men. Can God work in us the way He worked through Barnabas? Yes, and throughout this series we will examine the reasons we can be like Barnabas.
For today, let’s contemplate the work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Work of God the Son and God the Father
“Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
The Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father have loved us and given us everlasting consolation. By giving Himself to suffer and die for your sins, Christ offers you comfort. By raising Jesus from the dead, the Father offers you encouragement. You need not face death and dying alone in despair; God the Son and God the Father care. They offer you eternal life. This is good hope through grace! This is what transformed the life of Barnabas. This wonderful grace can transform your life as well. You could be like Barnabas.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
In John 14:16-18, Jesus said,
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;” Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The reason Barnabas could be a “son of encouragement” is because the Holy Spirit indwelled Him. Teachers sometimes refer to the Spirit as “The Paraclete” (a transliteration of the word, “Comforter.”) Jesus promised to ask the Father to send another Comforter. And He did! At Pentecost, He sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who today indwells every believer. The Spirit is so much like Jesus Christ that Romans 8:9 refers to the Spirit as “the Spirit of Christ.” (See 1 Peter 1:11, John 15:26-27.)
Both the Son and the Spirit were sent by the Father. They were both sent to comfort God’s children. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) and the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17). The Spirit is repeatedly identified as “the Holy Spirit;” Jesus is “the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34). Christ taught us (Matthew 28:20, John 8:2) and the Spirit teaches us (John 14:26). Jesus went to the Father to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-4). The Spirit came from the Father to make us a dwelling place for the Father and the Son (John 14:20-21, Ephesians 2:22).7
By God’s grace, we could be like Barnabas. God has given us good hope through the grace. God has given us His Spirit – the Comforter. Through Him, we could comfort and encourage others. We could be like Barnabas.
Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio
- “The surname of Barnabas … that is, son of prophetic discourse, or, exhortation [“literally, ὑιος προφητείας; he was counted among the prophets, ch. 13:1; but προφ. includes παράκλησις, an edifying discourse, ch. 13:15; 1 Cor. 14:3, thus authorizing the translation in the text.” John Peter Lange, Philip Schaff, Victor Lechler Gotthard, et al., A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Acts (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008), 81. Some have speculated that Joseph was given the name “Barnabas” to make a distinction between him and the Joseph mentioned in Acts 1:23, who was nicknamed “Barsabas.” Giving a nickname was fairly common; Jesus had given Simon the name of “Peter” (meaning “rock”). [↩]
- John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 154. [↩]
- From παρακαλέω (parakaleo) [↩]
- For these three uses, see William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 766. [↩]
- David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 206. [↩]
- David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 206–207. [↩]
- Sinclair Ferguson, The Holy Spirit, Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996, pp. 186-187. [↩]