At some point in life, we will all need a Barbabas. Someone to come alongside us and encourage or comfort us in difficult times. As we continue our journey through Paul’s life, we find him in Jerusalem. He has left Damascus because the Jews there were seeking to kill him. He desired to join other disciples in Jerusalem who were following Jesus and sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
In Acts 9:26, the disciples were not ready to welcome him and serve with him. They had heard the stories of how he persecuted Christians, and they were skeptical of his desire to join them. They did not believe he was a disciple. But there was one that was willing to give him a chance. This man was Barnabas. Barnabas listened and may have consulted with others to verify the validity of Paul’s story. He told the other disciples about Paul’s miraculous meeting with Christ on the road to Damascus. He informed them of Paul’s bold preaching at Damascus about Jesus and how Paul shared his story of salvation.
Act 9:26-27 “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.”
Because of Barnabas, Paul joined the group of Jesus’ disciples and preached in Jerusalem. He must have been a great and powerful preacher even at the beginning of his ministry. The Grecians were Jews who spoke the Greek language. Paul spoke Greek and Hebrew, and those Grecians were as opposed to the teaching that Jesus was the Messiah as the Jews at Jerusalem. The Grecians sought to slay Paul because of his teaching.
Act 9:28–29 “And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.”
Because of Barnabas defending Paul as a true disciple who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul was accepted by other believers. Had Paul not had an advocate, his ministry would have looked totally different. He would have had no ministry to his own people. Because of Barnabas, other disciples rallied around Paul and supported him in going to other areas to preach the gospel.
Act 9:30-31 “Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”
Paul became one of the greatest preachers of the gospel of all time. He started many churches and never backed down from teaching the truth. God used Paul to write 13 books of the Bible. Once he accepted Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior and Lord of his life, he was all in for winning people to Christ. The rest of his life was dedicated to winning others to Jesus and discipling them. However, we must remember that Barnabas played a role in encouraging Paul and promoting Paul to other believers who did not believe he was a true Christian. We all need someone like Barnabas to come alongside us, encouraging us and sticking with us through thick and thin. Likewise, we all need to be a Barnabas to someone. Our first responsibility as Christians is to go and tell, just as Paul did, then we need to encourage others who are seeking to live for Christ so that they, too, can go and tell and repeat the process to win the world for Jesus.
