LIKE BARNABAS

V EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 9:26-31

Paul of Tarsus was an extraordinary man who lived through extraordinary circumstances. He was a Jew from the diaspora, born in Tarsus, which was then an important harbour in what is now Turkey. He was a man of two worlds: a Roman citizen by birth, speaking Greek; and a Jew of strict observance, a Pharisee, most probably radicalised, as it happens nowadays with many Muslims who live in Europe. With his heart full of zeal for the Law and the Jewish culture, he committed himself wholeheartedly to destroy the emerging Church. For him, teaching that Jesus is Lord, the Christ and Saviour of the world was non-sense; and he realised that the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ had the potential to spread far and wide, and he had to stop it. 

Then, his life was turned upside down, when he had a deep personal experience of the risen Lord. And he considered everything else as a loss compared to “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8). He did not waste time, but started immediately preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  However, when he went to Jerusalem, nobody trusted him, until Barnabas introduced him to the Apostles and to the community in general. After a discussion with the Hellenists, that’s Greek speaking Jews like him, they prepared a plot to kill him. When that plot came to the knowledge of the Christians, they sent Paul back to Tarsus. And there he remained, seemingly lost for the work of evangelisation, until Barnabas went to Tarsus to bring him to Antioch. Without Barnabas, Paul would have been lost and forgotten for ever. Barnabas never had the greatness of Paul, but he had this great ability of recognising true value when he saw it. First, he was ready to trust and then he was ready to humble himself and go for Paul.

In our communities, we are in need of people like Barnabas, who are able to spot those with qualities to become leaders.