Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement),
a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him
and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:36-37)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Joseph of Cyprus, a Levite, is better known to Christians as Barnabas, a nickname given him by the Apostles. In Hebrew, Barnabas literally means son of the prophet, but Luke tells us that it means son of encouragement, a metaphorical inference or gleiche (Acts 4:36).
The nickname was likely given because Joseph made a substantial donation to the early church (Acts 4:37), which no doubt demonstrated serious encouragement. But the second time that Barnabas is mentioned his encouragement takes an entirely different turn:
“And when he [the Apostle Paul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 9:26-27)
Bringing Paul to the Apostles took moxy—Paul had previously been a persecutor “ravaging the church” (Acts 8:3) and, out of fear, the Apostles shunned him.
Mentoring Beyond Words
But Barnabas did not stop with introductions—he actively mentored Paul in ministry. When the Apostles heard that the Antioch Church was growing, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas worked with the Antioch Church and his ministry helped them grow. But Barnabas saw more potential:
“So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:25-26)
Antioch was one of the first century’s most important churches, but more importantly this was where—thanks to Barnabas—Paul learned to be an evangelist. This after previously have been more-or-less exiled by the Apostles to his hometown in Tarsus.
It was in Antioch that Paul received his gentile commission: “The Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul [Paul] for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2-3) Note that the commission is attributed the Holy Spirit and that Barnabas continued his work of mentoring Paul even during his first missionary trip.
Fruit of Mentoring?
What if Barnabas had just tooted his own horn, ignored Paul’s talents and shunned him like everyone else? Petty, self-serving, and weak leadership is more typical than good mentoring in most organizations, not just the church. Recently, I learned of a pastoral colleague and friend who has been taken offline because of an accusation of just one individual. One-strike-you-are-out behavior is an all-too-typical employment practice in our competitive world.
Paul’s evangelism established churches throughout Asia Minor into Greece all the way to Rome. He also personally wrote more than half the books of the New Testament (NT) and likely motivated authors to write most of the other NT books. These accomplished helped form the foundation of the early church. None of them would have been done (or at least would have been delayed) had Barnabas not mentored Paul.
Mentee Becomes Mentor
Barnabas’ influence is obvious in Paul’s effort to continue the mentoring of many churches through his letters and many individuals, including Silvanus, Sosthenes, Timothy, and likely Titus, who are all mentioned. Timothy is mentioned four times as a co-author of a Pauline letter; Silvanus is mentioned twice. Paul likely mentored each of these colleagues and mentioned them in letter introductions because they served as messengers to bring the letters to the churches addressed. Titus, like Timothy, is addressed in a separate letter and mentioned many times but he is more a colleague of Paul than a mentee.
Even today, co-authorship often suggests a mentoring relationship. A professor, such as my father during his time at Purdue University, might co-author papers with his graduate students and lesser-known colleagues to lend them credibility and visibility in professional circles. Oftentimes, the students wrote the papers which the professor edited. In Paul’s case, his colleagues also may have served him as an amanuensis (or scribe), whose particular talent would be to legibly write in Greek using the least amount of parchment, which was expensive.
Paul’s Influence on the Gospels
Two of Paul’s ministry partners were also influential in their own right: Mark and Luke. Both traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys and both later authored Gospels (e.g. 2 Tim 4:11) even though neither were among the apostles.
Scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark was the first Gospel to be written, because both Matthew and Luke display literary dependence on Mark’s Gospel. Some believe that Mark’s role (and perhaps, Luke’s) in Paul’s ministry was to recite the stories of Jesus, because Paul did not know the person of Jesus only the Risen Christ. Mark had served as a amanuensis to the Apostle Peter so he was well acquainted with these stories. Early written accounts of these stories are likely the source of the Q manuscript, which scholars describe as the source for the Jesus stories common to the synoptic Gospels.
Outside of Paul’s roles as a mentor, he gave his ministry partners an audience for the stories of Jesus, something unique to humble leaders who don’t feel obligated to talk all the time. While most of us tell colorful stories about the people we know, only the stories written down ordinarily pass the test of time. Paul’s contribution to the preservation of the Jesus stories should not be underestimated.
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