MENTORING: 5) Barnabas and Paul

Expect mentoring relationships to change over time.  Most relationships change over time. While the love Christians have for one another is to remain constant, how we work or interact together will change. A mentor relationship is no exception. As the one we’re discipling grows in his own walk with Christ, God will often take his ministry in a different direction.  

The book of Acts is the story of the birth of the Church. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit descended on the believers, and from there the gospel began to spread to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. As the gospel spread, God used different individuals as His ambassadors to present the gospel. This study comes from three different parts of Paul’s and Barnabas’s lives, representing three different phases of their relationship. As we look at  Acts 9:26-28; 11:22-26; 15:36-40.   

Acts 9:26-28

26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. 

27 Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. 

28 Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

In Acts 9 and 11, the individual best known as the apostle Paul is still being referred to by his Hebrew name Saul. But from verses from chapter 15 on he becomes known as Paul. In the previous verses, Saul had been on his way to persecute and murder Christians when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus. Saul became a follower of Jesus and was baptized by a disciple of Jesus named Ananias. Saul proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah in Damascus and was persecuted for doing so. After three years in Damascus and Arabia he evaded a plan to kill him and headed to Jerusalem.  It is important to determine what is meant by the term Arabia. In modern English, Arabia would refer to the Arabian Peninsula where Saudi Arabia is located. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus provides a very precise description: Arabia could be seen to the east from a tower in Jerusalem. More specifically, it was contiguous to Herodian territory running along the southern border of the Roman province of Syria. Petra was the royal seat of Arabia, hence the name “Arabia Petrea,” or “Arabia belonging to Petra.” This mountain-encircled city, however, was the capital and chief city of the Nabateans, hence another name, “Arabia of the Nabateans.”  So, in the first century the designation could also refer to the Syro-Arabian desert, farther north, which includes portions of modern-day Syria and Jordan.

 

Saul knew that to be a true follower of Jesus he needed to be a part of the community of faith, so he tried to join the disciples. To state it another way, to be a student of the faith Saul sought other students to study with.  Following Jesus is a community project. 

But the newly created faith communities were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. Saul had been present at the stoning of Stephen, he had agreed with putting Stephen to death, and Saul persecuted the disciples of the Lord. So, the disciples were understandably wary of Saul and were skeptical he had truly been converted to become a follower of Jesus. 

Barnabas took him may indicate Barnabas was willing to do the hard thing and reach out to this new brother in spite of being fearful. Barnabas was a follower of Jesus who sought to serve the early church in Jerusalem by selling some of his land and donating the money to the church. Barnabas was from the tribe of Levi and had been born on the island of Cyprus. That he was a Levite suggests Barnabas was a serious-minded Jew from an observant Jewish family. That he was from Cyprus likely meant he spoke Greek. Barnabas was uniquely positioned to be a useful tool in God’s plan to take the gospel to all people. Furthermore, he had a temperament that would allow him to be a great encouragement to others. In fact, his real name was Joseph; Barnabas was a nickname that meant Son of Encouragement. His nature as an encourager would be reflected each time we encounter him in the book of Acts. 

Here at the beginning of their relationship, Barnabas was the mentor to Saul. Barnabas was a man of action. He did not sit back and wait.  He was persistent in his encouragement of Saul. We should consider that Barnabas was standing in front of Peter, John, James, and all the other apostles with confidence and bravery. He did not just give platitudes about Saul. He gave the disciples factual concrete examples of the authenticity of Saul’s conversion. 

First, Saul had seen the Lord. Saul’s encounter on the road to Damascus was not with an angel or with a representative of God. Saul encountered God the Son, Jesus the Messiah, on the road. This encounter put him in relatively rare company with those who had seen the risen Christ. 

Second, the Lord Jesus spoke to Saul. Unlike most of the early Christ followers, Saul had been directly commissioned by Jesus with a task to be His witness. The rest of us are certainly commissioned to be evangelists, missionaries, and ambassadors for Jesus, but our general commission comes from God through the Bible. Saul had seen Jesus face-to-face. 

Finally, Saul had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. Saul had not just changed his tune; his life had changed. Instead of being a persecutor of the church, he had become an emissary for Christ, boldly proclaiming Him to be the Messiah the Old Testament prophets had foretold.  

What an amazing example Barnabas should be for us today. He boldly and courageously stood up for Saul when everyone else was afraid. Barnabas’s persistence and clear case for Saul’s genuine conversion won over the disciples in Jerusalem. Saul joined the young church in their efforts to evangelize the people of Jerusalem. We should view Saul as having a very close relationship with the apostles. 

Saul had been bold in his persecution of the church before Jesus confronted him and reoriented his life. Now, after his conversion and commissioning, Saul was speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. Saul had been part of the stoning of Stephen. Now, he was picking up where Stephen had left off. The response to Saul was the same as it had been for Stephen. Opponents were willing to kill to stop him from spreading this message. In fact, the “damage” Saul could do would certainly have been perceived as greater than what Stephen could have done for Saul was once “one of them.”

Acts 11:22-26

22 News about them reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel as far as Antioch. 

23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, 

24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And large numbers of people were added to the Lord.

25 Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 

26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

From Acts 9 to Acts 11, the church had grown. It had grown in numbers and it had begun to move beyond Jerusalem and Judea and was taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. Peter eventually recognized  God’s call and defended the concept of evangelizing the whole world. However, most of the evangelism was still among the Jewish people, but Antioch was different. There the gospel began to spread among the Greeks (Gentiles). This news piqued the interest of the “mother church” in Jerusalem.

Antioch, located in modern-day Turkey, was a major city center in the Roman Empire. Believers who had been scattered as a result of the persecution of the church had evangelized Gentiles in Antioch, and a church had been started. Once again, we should see the irony in these events. Saul and others had meant to eradicate the church by murdering Stephen. However, a new church was started as a result of believers fleeing Saul and the persecutors. Saul’s mentor, Barnabas, was sent by the church in Jerusalem to encourage this young church in Antioch. By sending Barnabas to Antioch, the church was entering a new phase of gospel advancement. Whereas the first several chapters focused on the gospel primarily spreading through Jewish areas to Jewish people, the remainder of the book of Acts mostly focuses on taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. Saul is called Paul for most of the rest of the book, and would be a major part of the gospel advancing to all peoples. Paul would become the apostle to the Gentiles.

Barnabas arrived and saw the grace of God, and immediately knew these Gentiles in Antioch were true believers in Jesus. They had truly experienced the grace of God and had been converted. Whenever someone is saved, the grace of God is at work. How much more, then, can we see the grace of God when entire communities of believers are formed, and the gospel is proclaimed in places where it previously had not been known!

Barnabas remained true to his nature. He was glad and encouraged the new believers in Antioch. Notice what he encouraged them to do. He wanted them to focus on Jesus. He wanted their affections and passion to be devoted to Christ alone. He did not give them a new strategy for reaching their neighbors or encourage them to develop new programs. Barnabas knew that keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus is the only way we can truly be the people of God.

Large numbers of people were added to the Lord. This statement echoes earlier sections of the book of Acts. When the Holy Spirit first came on the believers in Acts 2, the Bible says the Lord added large numbers of people to the church. However, in Acts 2, the people added to the church were Jews. Here in Acts 11, the Holy Spirit was continuing to work. In this case, however, He added Gentiles to the church. The idea of God working in the same way among Gentiles as He had among Jews would have been shocking to many Jewish people who believed God was exclusively working among them. 

Saul was from Tarsus and had returned to his hometown after the disciples had sent him there after his life had been threatened by Greek-speaking Jews who opposed Jesus and His disciples. While it is only a couple of chapters in the Bible, Saul had likely been in Tarsus for about ten years when Barnabas went to Tarsus to search for Saul. From this point forward, Saul/Paul would become not only bold in his witness for Jesus but also very articulate and clear in his explanation of Jesus being the promised Messiah. 

When he found him he brought him to Antioch. Barnabas continued to lead in the mentoring relationship. For  a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. Once again, large numbers are mentioned. The Lord was blessing the church in Antioch. It seems likely that everything Saul had studied during his time in Tarsus was taught to the disciples at Antioch.

The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. The term “Christians” is not common in the New Testament. Most of the time Christians referred to each another as brothers, believers, or disciples. Luke seemed to indicate that by being called Christians, the community was being distinguished from the Jews who had not trusted Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. 

Acts 15:36-40

36 After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” 

37 Barnabas wanted to take along John who was called Mark. 

38 But Paul insisted that they should not take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. 

39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus. 

40 But Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended by the brothers and sisters to the grace of the Lord.

Between Acts 11 and Saul’s arrival in Antioch and these verses, the relationship between Saul and Barnabas had changed. Saul, now known as Paul, had become the leader. Barnabas continued his role as encourager, but now he was doing so from the position of follower. In any case, the concept of following up with the churches that the two had planted was clearly a good idea. Both Paul and Barnabas wanted to make sure that these new believers were doing well. So when Paul suggested “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing,” Barnabas was quickly on board. 

Barnabas wanted to take along John who was called Mark. Barnabas wanted to continue to mentor John Mark in spite of the fact John Mark had left them and returned to Jerusalem during the first missionary journey.  Paul did not think that was a good idea. Paul was a pioneer church planter who wanted to take the gospel to the far reaches of the earth—to places where Christ’s name had never been heard. From his perspective, John Mark was either unworthy of being their missionary companion or a potential liability for their work. It may have been both. 

Paul and Barnabas had such a sharp disagreement that they were not able to reach a consensus about how to move forward. There was no compromise. Barnabas returned to his home island of Cyprus and took John Mark with him. Barnabas is not mentioned again in the book of Acts. 

With the loss of his mentor and missionary companion, Paul chose Silas and departed.  Silas, who is sometimes referred to Silvanus in the Bible, is introduced in this verse. He became one of Paul’s companions on his missionary journeys. 

Even when both parties are following God’s leading, disagreements may come. These disagreements do not necessarily mean that anyone is wrong. The issue is not who was right: Paul or Barnabas. The men had different approaches to ministry, and God used both of them. By God’s sovereign providence, this disagreement between Paul and Barnabas resulted in more missionary teams. The mentorship relationship between Barnabas and Paul is a good illustration that mentorship relationships change with time.