“But Barnabas accepted Saul and took him to the apostles. Barnabas explained to them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road and the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.” Acts 9:27
When a man named Joseph joined the disciples, he was called Barnabas, which means “son of exhortation and or encouragement.” To understand this verse above and to understand exactly what Barnabas did here, we have to remember the background of this story. Saul had been one of the absolute worse anti-Christian terrorists the world has ever known. He hunted them and had then killed. He had a part in stoning Stephen, the first of Jesus’ disciples to be martyred for his faith. Saul’s reputation was known far and wide. So when he showed up wanting to join the disciples, their wariness was very understandable! Sure, he had a story about a bright light and a voice from the heavens, but they figured this could just be an elaborate plot to infiltrate their group and have them all arrested and executed!
I’m not sure exactly how Saul and Barnabas met, but Barnabas believed his story. He believed in Saul, and spoke on his behalf, convincing the other disciples to welcome him. Barnabas stood up for Saul when no one else would. Most likely, this was a very encouraging and very humbling experience for Saul, after all he had done to persecute the Christians. Later, Saul became known as Paul, and was one of the mostly Godly men and powerful preachers who ever lived. And that was largely due to the encouragement he received from Barnabas.
We all need a Barnabas or two: someone to encourage us and stand by us; someone committed to Christ and to us. We all need to be Barnabas to others, too! For those of us who are married, our spouse should be one of the Barnabas relationships in our lives, but I think it’s essential to have some encouraging Christian frienships (with the same gender) as well. Recently a friend told me she considers me a “life-giver” - that is one of the very best compliments I have ever received, but it’s also a lovely way to say that I encourage her. I pray that I continue to be a Barnabas for her and others, and I am thankful I have great girlfriends and a wonderful husband to be encouragers to me as well!
