Acts 11:19-26 * May 25, 2003 * Easter 6 * Pastor Pagels

In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:

“If you could be any person in the Bible for a day (except for Jesus), who would you choose to be and why?” That was the question I posed to the 7^th and 8^th graders during our final catechism class on Thursday. And I told them (that is, after I had collected their responses) that I would be using them to introduce today’s sermon.

Some of the answers were predictable. Who wouldn’t want to be able to walk on water like Peter? Who wouldn’t want to step into Moses’ sandals and part the waters of the Red Sea? Who would turn down the chance to sit on Solomon’s throne as one of the richest and wisest rulers who ever lived?

At the same time, I was not able to anticipate all of the responses. One student chose Esther because she had such a strong faith and saved her people. Another picked Eve because she knew what it was like to live in a perfect world.

What I did not find the least bit surprising is that no one chose Joseph. Not the Joseph who wore the coat of many colors and became a powerful ruler over Egypt. Not Joseph the carpenter who was engaged to Mary and became Jesus’ earthly father either. Out of twenty-seven students, not one picked Joseph the Levite from Cyprus. You might know him better by the name the apostles gave him, Barnabas.

Barnabas was the man who sold a piece of property and laid the money at the apostles’ feet, but that act of kindness wasn’t quite as impressive as healing sicknesses and diseases. Barnabas was considered a leader in the early church, but he wasn’t one of the original disciples like Peter, James and John. Barnabas was a pioneer in doing mission work among the Gentiles, but even then he took a back seat to the apostle Paul.

If the impression is given that Barnabas was a second-tier figure in the Bible, if you think that Barnabas doesn’t rank up there with the heroes of faith we know and love, perhaps the text for this morning will change your mind.

Today we are going to give Joseph from Cyprus his due. Not because of all the wonderful things he did for God, but because of all the wonderful things God did through him. And if you are ever asked that question, “If you could be any person in the Bible for a day, who would you be?,” it would be not be out of line to say: “I want to…

BE LIKE BARNABAS

I. A son of encouragement

II. A brother of Paul

III. A father of Christians

I just mentioned some of the things that Barnabas did in the introduction. Luke adds some details about his character: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (24). Barnabas was a good man, a God-fearing man, a hard-working man.

But Barnabas wasn’t good because of his generosity or because of his work ethic or because he was a visionary. Luke calls him good because he was “full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” The Holy Spirit had created faith in his heart. That faith manifested itself in different ways. That same faith qualified Barnabas for a very important task.

The events recorded in this text can be traced back several years (and several chapters in Acts) to the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. On that day a great persecution broke out against Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem. Many were forced to flee for their lives. Some went up the coast to Phoenicia. Others found refuge on the island of Cyprus. And a number hoped to blend in among the hundreds of thousands of people in the city of Antioch.

It looked like Jesus’ disciples were on the run. It looked like Jesus’ followers were soon-to-be extinct. But that is not what happened. Instead, the fierce persecution had the opposite effect. Jesus’ followers didn’t keep quiet. Jesus’ followers didn’t keep to themselves. They shared the good news about Jesus wherever they went. And at least some of them began to share the good news with Gentiles. So instead of extinction, God used persecution to make his church grow.

Luke reports that “news of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch” (22). Were the Jerusalem Christians upset because this mostly Jewish group was being polluted by pagans? Were the bureaucrats in Jerusalem looking for a way to maintain control? And why Barnabas? Why was he chosen to represent the church in Jerusalem?

All of these questions are answered in the very next verse: “When he (Barnabas) 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” (23).

Barnabas wasn’t a spy. And he wasn’t sent to check up on his fellow Christians. True to the name given to him by the apostles, Barnabas was a “son of encouragement.” He encouraged the persecuted Christians who had come to Antioch to keep doing what they were doing. He encouraged the new Christians in Antioch to remain true to the Lord. And as Barnabas encouraged others, he himself was encouraged by what he saw.

Do you know someone like Barnabas? Do you know someone who has the gift of encouragement? They know exactly what to say and exactly when to say it. Their positive attitude and outlook on life is contagious.

Or maybe you know someone who has the gift of discouragement, the kind of person who can find the dark cloud inside every silver lining, the kind of person who brings everyone else down. Do you know someone like that? Or are there times when that description fits you?

The devil loves to capitalize on our negativity. The devil loves it when Christians dwell on their problems and forget about God’s blessings. The devil wants us to focus so much of our time and energy on the bad in our lives that we have nothing left for the Lord

Do you think it was always easy for Barnabas to live up to his name? Do you think it was easy for Barnabas to be positive when his life was in danger? Barnabas is living proof that the gift of encouragement doesn’t come from within. It is a gift that God gives. God gives us the faith to believe his Word. God gives us the encouragement remain faithful to his Word. God gives us the motivation us to be like Barnabas (where else?) in his Word.

Barnabas saw the evidence of the grace of God in Antioch, but that is not all that he saw. When he looked at the city, he also saw a ripe field just waiting to be harvested. And because he couldn’t do everything by himself, he recruited Paul to help him.

“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch” (25,26). At first, this doesn’t appear to be a big deal. Barnabas needed some help, so he went out and found Paul.

But Paul was not always Paul. In our text, he is called Saul. Saul was a Jew. Saul was a Pharisee. And Saul took his religion very seriously. He was there giving his approval when Stephen was stoned. He was a zealous persecutor of Jesus’ followers. And he was on his way to Damascus to do more of the same when God changed his life forever.

In an instant, the Lord made one of his greatest enemies into one of his greatest missionaries. But the transition from Saul the persecutor to Paul the preacher did not take place overnight. The apostles weren’t prepared to welcome him with open arms, at least not at first.

Maybe Saul had put some of their friends in jail. Maybe Saul had even put some of their relatives to death. It would take someone to act as a bridge. It would take someone to vouch for Paul before others would be willing to trust him. That someone happened to be Barnabas (see Acts 9:26-28).

Barnabas considered Paul to be his brother, but not just because they shared Jewish blood. Paul and Barnabas were brothers in faith. They believed that Jesus was born to fulfill Old Testament prophecy. They believed that Jesus lived and died and rose again to take away their sins. They trusted the Lord’s promises and embraced the Lord’s command to preach the good news to all creation. And so these brothers, united by a common faith, also became brothers in ministry.

This is one area where it might not be so easy for us to be like Barnabas. If someone does you wrong, your initial reaction is probably not to forgive and forget. If someone threatens you, it can be extremely difficult to let it go. Even if you are able to move on, it is all but impossible to treat that person as if nothing ever happened.

Barnabas is a good model of forgiveness, but Jesus is an even better one. When his enemies persecuted him, he did not respond in anger. When his enemies mocked and jeered, he did not open his mouth. When his enemies nailed his hands and feet to the cross, do you know what Jesus did? He asked God to forgive them. And at the same time, he was asking God to forgive us.

Jesus is not only a model of forgiveness. He is the giver of forgiveness. Jesus’ blood has removed all of your sins. Jesus’ blood has removed all of your enemy’s sins. This all-sufficient forgiveness gives us peace with God. This all-inclusive forgiveness gives us the ability to forgive others from the heart.

Barnabas was a son of encouragement. Barnabas was a brother of Paul. And because the name was first given to believers while he was working in Antioch, it is also appropriate to call Barnabas a father of Christians.

“For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people” (26). Why did they spend so much time in one place? Maybe it was because many of these Christians were coming from heathen backgrounds. Maybe it was because Barnabas wanted to give them a solid foundation upon which they could build. Whatever the reasons were, God blessed their efforts and allowed them to teach great numbers of people.

And almost as a footnote we are told that “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (26b). Notice that they were called “Christians,” not “Barnabians.” Barnabas was the messenger, but he was sharing God’s message. Barnabas was doing the preaching, but the Holy Spirit was doing the converting. Some of these new Christians may have even considered Barnabas to be their spiritual father, but they were all followers of Christ.

As I look out at this congregation, I can see a number of people who are here because someone brought them here: a relative, a spouse, a co-worker, a friend. What a privilege to be like Barnabas. What a privilege to be entrusted with such an important message. What an honor to be the person God uses to introduce a sinner to his/her Savior.

It doesn’t matter if you are a lifelong member of St. John’s or if you became a member last Sunday. We share a common name, “Christian.” We are all followers of Christ. Jesus Christ is the one thing needful in this life. Jesus Christ is our only hope for eternal life. And for as long as we are here, the Lord calls us to be like Barnabas and carry the cross of Christ into the world.

In some ways this sermon has taken the form of a character study. Maybe Barnabas didn’t perform miracles like Peter. Maybe Barnabas didn’t write epistles like Paul. But what God does reveal about him makes him worthy of our admiration and our emulation.

As twenty first century Christians, as brothers and sisters united by faith, as men and women and boys and girls who are “full of the Holy Spirit and faith,” let it be our goal to be like Barnabas. Amen.