Preached by the Venerable Dr Joy Tetley, former Archdeacon of Worcester.
He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.
How blest you are to have Barnabas as your patron!
Barnabas is one of the most attractive characters in the New Testament – and he has so much to share with us now in the communion of saints. Indeed, and in particular, he has so much to share with this church, held firmly in his heavenly oversight and his understanding prayers.
Barnabas was clearly both loved and respected by the earliest Christian church in Jerusalem. Though a native of Cyprus, he lived in Jerusalem in those heady formational days for the followers of Jesus. He had relatives there – a young cousin called John Mark (of whom more anon) and John Mark’s mother, Mary of Jerusalem, whose home was a significant meeting place for the emerging Christian community. He may also have been related to Peter.
Certainly he was a leading figure in the foundational Jesus movement in Jerusalem. As we heard in our reading from Acts, when the dispersal of Christians from Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen led to exciting but potentially problematic developments in Antioch, it was to Barnabas that they turned to investigate the matter. It was quite literally an inspired choice. As a Cypriot Jew, he would have a readier understanding of what was involved in this explosion of Gentile conversions in Antioch than those schooled in the deep-rooted traditionalism of Jerusalem Judaism. And he had the right personal qualities for this sensitive and critical mission. Above all, he was trusted.
What were those personal qualities? Trustworthiness was most certainly among them. But he was also generous-hearted – and, as Luke tells us earlier in Acts, his generosity extended to sacrificial giving of his possessions to the fledgling Christian community. His heart was open, and so was his mind. His first response when faced with the revolutionary developments in Antioch was not caution or disapproval but unfettered rejoicing – a thank-filled recognition that God was at work, that God was doing a wonderful new thing.
True to his name, he was ever an encourager. He saw the best in people and situations. He saw the potential in them, even when others could not or would not. We recall that it was Barnabas who took Saul of Tarsus to the apostles and vouched for him, on Saul’s first visit to Jerusalem as a Christian, when so many, not surprisingly, were deeply suspicious of this former tormentor. Barnabas believed in the authenticity of Saul’s conversion and he saw the enormous potential of this unlikely convert. Later, he also discerned that Saul was just the person needed to help with this new situation in Antioch, so he went all the way to Tarsus to seek him out and persuade him to come and use his gifts in this groundbreaking context.
That stress on encouragement surely characterised his vocation and ministry as a prophet, teacher and missionary. What a difference that emphasis makes! Seeing the best in people is the best way to bring out the best in them!
We should also note that though Barnabas was clearly a strong character, with undoubted leadership qualities, he was able nonetheless to recognize and work with the leadership of others. His work with Saul aka Paul is an outstanding example of that. On their missionary collaboration, sent out from Antioch, it is soon Paul who takes the lead, something reflected in the way they are described by Luke – the team that starts as Barnabas and Saul soon becomes Paul and Barnabas. And Barnabas can accept that because his priority is to put his heart and soul into the mission, whether he’s in the lead role or not.
But, (and there’s nearly always a ‘but’!) when all seemed to be going well, there came a major crisis in his life and indeed a major crisis in the fledgling mission of the Church. Re-enter John Mark.
Barnabas and Saul had taken the young man with them on their missionary expedition. But for unspecified reasons, he left them part way through and went home. When the time came for a follow-up tour, Barnabas wanted to take his young cousin with them again. Paul, to put it mildly, was not of the same mind. He felt that John Mark had let them down and was not up to the task. Barnabas, on the other hand, was convinced that with encouragement and nurturing, John Mark would realise his potential and be of great service to the Church. This difference of perspective resulted not in careful and honest discussion but in a blazing row between two strong characters. That is the sense of the language Luke uses to describe it. Strong feelings erupted and no doubt things were said that both parties afterwards regretted. And instead of a negotiated agreement, as it were, they each went their separate ways, each convinced of their rightness – Barnabas taking Mark with him to Cyprus and Paul setting off on his follow-up missionary venture with Silas, his chosen Barnabas replacement.
Two strong leaders had clashed, acrimoniously and openly. Both were holding to their own deeply held convictions. Both were also expressing their own personalities – similar in passion but different in perspective. And at this stage at least, there was no reconciliation.
Yet here is another ‘but’. The evolving church in Antioch was doubtless perplexed and pained by what had erupted but it was not defeated. It went on to grow and develop and bear fruit. The Holy Spirit saw to that. In the providence of God, this painful leadership split meant that the mission of the Gospel was furthered in two contexts rather than one, even though God was surely not happy with the way this happened. As Paul himself later said, God makes a habit of working all things together for good, even if those things don’t immediately seem very promising.
And Barnabas, it seems, was proved right about John Mark. He came to have an important role in the early church and gave us the priceless treasure of his written Gospel – in which, be it noted, he, more strongly than the other Evangelists, highlights the weaknesses and failures of the disciples. Even Paul, judging from references in his letters, came eventually to value what John Mark had to offer. But, as far as we’re aware, Barnabas and Paul never worked together again.
One of the great things about the New Testament is that it does not idealize the first followers of Jesus. They are presented to us with their shortcomings as well as their glories. God works with both. God ever sees the positive potential in people and situations and is ever determined to realise it. Those early disciples had many excellent gifts and qualities, which were greatly used by God’s Spirit. They also displayed not a few flaws and were all, in one way or another, forgiven failures. So it is with us. So it is with this church.
We have a God who, out of pure love, constantly works with both positive and negative, so bringing forth powerful and energizing outcomes. It helps God, of course, if we can say ‘yes’ to that.
At the heart of our faith is the Cross. On that Cross, as Malcolm Guite puts it, in a daring and creative reversal, God takes the worst we can do to him and turns it into the very best he can do for us. With such a God, nothing is irredeemable and all things are possible.
Barnabas now sees this God face to face and is therefore even more fully involved in God’s prayer and ministry, not least for this church which is laid on his heart.
In that light, then, let us give hearty thanks for Barnabas and pray that we may learn from him in all his aspects.
Barnabas, son of encouragement, pray for us.
