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 PrintableVersion What's in a name?Barnabas as a role model‘Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet’ (Acts 4.36-37). In May 2008 there was a Number 1 song: ‘They call me Stacey, they call me her, they call me Jane, that’s not my name’. Barnabas could also have said, ‘That’s not my name’. His real name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas, and that is how he was always known. But I cannot imagine him complaining about it! ‘Barnabas’ must be one of the most honourable nicknames ever given. Name changes are not unusual in Scripture. Abram becomes Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah, Jacob becomes Israel, Gideon becomes Jerub-Baal, Daniel becomes Belteshazzar, Simon becomes Peter, Saul becomes Paul. Sometimes these names are given by God, sometimes by the enemies of God, sometimes by the people of God. They are always significant. The old nameBarnabas’s old name, Joseph, was a good biblical name. There was the famous Joseph, who was sold into slavery and yet became governor of Egypt. There was also Joseph, the husband of Mary. Our Joseph was a Levite from Cyprus. Many of the Jews were scattered in New Testament times, and there was a substantial Jewish community in Cyprus. Later, he returned there, and there is a monastery near Salamis which claims to have his tomb. We are not told when he came to Jerusalem. He could have come for Pentecost, or he could have been there before that. We are also not told when he was converted. The Bible is often reticent about conversion experiences. What matters is that we are converted, not how. Joseph was already a Christian. The new nameAt some stage the apostles re-named him Barnabas, maybe because of the incident cited in our text, maybe earlier. Either way, it was a great honour. The name ‘Barnabas’, we are told, means ‘Son of Encouragement’. (The AV translates it ‘Son of Consolation’, which is much the same; some modern translations have ‘Son of Comfort’, others have ‘Son of Exhortation’, which is also similar, since the main purpose of exhortation is to encourage, but most modern versions have ‘encouragement’.) Some say that it comes from the Aramaic for ‘Son of Prophecy’, others, from ‘Son of Rest’. The expression ‘Son of…’ is a Hebraism. You have ‘sons of Belial’ in 1 Samuel 2.12 (AV); ‘sons of thunder’ in Mark 3.17; so likewise here, ‘Son of Encouragement’. The Greek word for encouragement is interesting. It is paraklesis, which is the same word used of the Holy Spirit in John 14.16, and of Christ himself in 1 John 2.1. It is variously translated, ‘Counsellor’, ‘Comforter’, ‘Helper’, ‘Advocate’, but the underlying thought is of one who comes alongside to help. That was what Barnabas did and, in doing so, he was following the example of Christ, and showing himself to be full of the Spirit. A deserved nameHow richly he deserved this name! We see it straightaway here, in the generosity he showed. Barnabas ‘sold a field he owned and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet’. These were extraordinary days in the church in Jerusalem. Thousands had been converted; there was a strong sense of community, and a deep concern for the poor. In Acts 2.44 we read: ‘All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need’. And in Acts 4.32: ‘All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales, and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need’. This generosity was spontaneous and voluntary. There was no command, and no compulsion. It was, however, a wonderful demonstration of Christian love. ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’, said Jesus. It must have been very obvious to the people of Jerusalem, that these people were the disciples of Christ. Great encouragementNow Barnabas was one of many who shared his wealth in this way. Under the Law of Moses, Levites were not allowed to own land in Israel; we must assume, therefore, that this field was in Cyprus. It was, all the same, a great sacrifice he was making, for the sake of others. It was a great encouragement to the apostles to see a man so filled with the love of Christ. It was a great encouragement to others, to go and do likewise. And it was a great encouragement to the poor to know that their needs were being looked after. God had put love into the heart of this Levite. The Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan had not shown love to the man by the roadside; this converted Levite had. Joseph in the Old Testament distributed grain to the poor; Joseph-Barnabas also shared what he had. Many would bless God for what he did that day. But this was not a one-off gesture. How easy it is to ‘rest on our laurels’ after one good deed. Barnabas proved himself again and again to be a ‘Son of Encouragement’. Encouragement was written into his character. Friend of new ChristiansWe meet him again in Acts 9.27, when Saul was converted. The disciples in Jerusalem were afraid of Saul, not believing that he was converted. ‘But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles’ and recommended him to them. How encouraging for Saul to have a friend like that — an advocate to represent him in a tense situation. Again in Acts 11.22, when a church was formed in Antioch, Barnabas was sent to investigate. ‘When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.’ He then brought in Saul to teach them. When the church in Antioch wanted to send gifts for the poor in Jerusalem, who better to send than Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement? Subsidiary roleIn Acts 13, he is sent out as a missionary with Saul (shortly afterwards called Paul), and for the next three chapters, these two men of God are travelling together, first to Cyprus, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe and back to Antioch, then to the great ‘Council of Jerusalem’. He accepted in this a subsidiary role — but what an encouragement he must have been to Paul! In a worldly parallel, I have often thought about Fidel Castro. What must it have been like to have the legendary Che Guevara working with him? What must it have been like for Paul to have the legendary Barnabas working with him on the mission field? One incident stands out. In Acts 14.21, they returned, ‘strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith’. Encouragement again! Sadly, Paul and Barnabas fell out over Mark, and a planned second mission did not materialise. Yet even here we see him as a ‘Son of Encouragement’. In Acts 15.37, ‘Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him because he had deserted them in Pamphylia’. Barnabas took him anyway on a mission to Cyprus. Here is Barnabas encouraging the weak, encouraging the failed disciple to try again. Barnabas disappears after this. He appeared suddenly in Acts 4, he vanished suddenly in Acts 15. But he is not forgotten. Many would say, he is one of their favourite characters in Scripture. What name would we have?Barnabas lived up to his name — ‘Son of Encouragement’. I wonder, what name would the apostles give us? I suspect there might be quite a few ‘Sons (and Daughters) of Discouragement’ out there, criticising, complaining, and generally being difficult! There might be a few ‘sons of gloom’ in your church, who are always miserable, or maybe a few ‘sons of anger’, always getting annoyed, or maybe a few ‘sons of laziness’, who never want to do anything. We all admire Barnabas — but we also need to imitate him. How different our churches would be if we were all ‘sons and daughters of encouragement’. We need to look for the opportunities — to help the poor, to stand up for the rejected, to strengthen the new convert, to support the missionary, to restore the fallen — or simply to say a few encouraging words to one another, a few words of appreciation to those who are working hard, even a word of thanks to the minister! Robert Dale,
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