Son of Encouragement, Acts 4:36-37

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 put it at the apostles’ feet.

We would all like to have some Barnabases in our congregations: people who comfort, encourage, and strengthen their brothers and sisters. His real name was Joseph, but the apostles called him “Barnabas,” a Greek form of an Aramaic word translated “son of consolation” in Acts 4:36. Setting aside the linguistic difficulties surrounding the origin and meaning of the name Barnabas, we will see that Joseph had more than earned the right for the apostles to call him by that name.

The passage quoted above indicates that, having a property in his homeland of Cyprus, Barnabas sold it and brought the money to the apostles so that they could distribute it among the needy in the church. He encouraged others through his sincere generosity, and this work of encouragement continued as Acts progresses.

In chapter 9, Barnabas is mentioned again, this time in relation to Saul of Tarsus. Immediately after his conversion, Saul began preaching Christ in Damascus, but the brotherhood thought he had infiltrated the church to capture its leaders, so they rejected him. Saul fled Damascus and went to Jerusalem, but the reaction of the church there was the same. They did not believe he was sincere. As a result, Barnabas “took him,” brought him before the apostles, and gave a good account of him before them, so that “he was with them in Jerusalem, coming in and going out, and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord…” (Acts 9:28-29). This time, Barnabas encouraged the community by showing a generous spirit, free from any jealousy or envy.

According to Acts 11:19ff., those who fled Jerusalem after Stephen's death traveled as far as Antioch in Syria, where they preached the gospel and established a large church. When the leaders in Jerusalem heard the news, they sent Barnabas to encourage the new believers, “for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith…’’ (v. 24). Then, Barnabas sought out Saul in Tarsus, where he had been sent by the brothers in Jerusalem (9:30), and brought him to Antioch. Acts 11:26 says that they “met with the church for a whole year and taught a great many people.’’ Barnabas kept encouraging Saul to develop his full potential in the service of God. Later on, the leaders in Antioch commissioned them both to take a financial contribution to the needy in Judea (11:27-30). As we read in Acts 12:25, “And Barnabas and Saul, having completed their mission, returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.”

Acts 13:1-3 states that Barnabas and Saul were counted among the “teachers and prophets” of the church along with other men, and that while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, “the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” From Acts 13:5 we learn that they had taken John Mark with them as an assistant, but he left them in Pamphylia and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). 

Some time later, Paul said to Barnabas to “go back and visit the believers in the towns where they had preached the word of the Lord” (Acts 15:36). Barnabas proposed taking John Mark with them, but Paul strongly objected. There was then a heated argument between Saul and Barnabas, and the latter decided to separate from him to remain with John Mark (Acts 15:39-41). With his decision, Barnabas lost notability in the rest of the book of Acts as Luke shifts his focus to the ministry of Saul and his companions. Once again, though, Barnabas lived up to his nickname and decided to stand with the weak and vulnerable. 

Let us pray that God sends Barnabases to our churches! Let us pray that He will make some of us “sons of encouragement”! The need couldn’t be greater today!