Barnabas #92

Barnabas was a leader in the early church, a Jewish Levite from Cyprus whose given name was Joseph. The apostles nicknamed him Barnabas, which Acts translates as “the son of consolation” (Acts 4:36). He is the person most responsible for introducing Paul to the church and later the partner of Paul on the first missionary journey. Acts describes him as “a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith” (Acts 11:24).

Biblical Significance

Barnabas first appears when he sells a field and lays the proceeds at the apostles’ feet as part of the church’s shared generosity (Acts 4:36-37). When the recently converted Saul arrived in Jerusalem, the disciples were afraid of him, but Barnabas took him to the apostles and explained his conversion and bold preaching in Damascus (Acts 9:26-27). Later, when news reached Jerusalem that Gentiles were believing at Antioch, the church sent Barnabas to investigate. He rejoiced at what he saw, encouraged them, and then went to Tarsus to find Saul and bring him back, and the two taught a large group for a year. Acts adds that it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:19-26).

The Antioch church, under the Spirit’s direction, set apart Barnabas and Saul for a new mission (Acts 13:1-3). They traveled to Cyprus and then to the towns of Galatia, with Barnabas listed first at the outset. In Lystra the crowd mistook them for gods and called Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes (Acts 14:12). They afterward went to Jerusalem to argue for Gentile inclusion (Acts 15:1-12).

Their partnership ended over John Mark, a cousin of Barnabas who had left them earlier. Barnabas wanted to bring him again, Paul refused, and the disagreement was sharp enough that they parted. Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas (Acts 15:36-41). Paul also records that even Barnabas was drawn into the hypocrisy at Antioch when Peter withdrew from table fellowship with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-13).

Legacy

The story of Barnabas shows how one generous person can change the course of others. By backing Saul and Mark, both of whom others distrusted, he made possible much of the New Testament. Paul later spoke well of Mark (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11), which suggests that Barnabas’s confidence was justified. Tertullian proposed that Barnabas wrote Hebrews, and the Epistle of Barnabas bears his name, but most scholars doubt the latter was actually by him. Later tradition says he was martyred in Cyprus. Whatever the later legends, he remains the Bible’s model of encouragement and mentoring.