The Barnabas Story

TUES., JUNE 28, 1988, 6:46 AM
FARM, STUDY

As this Sunday approaches (and it will!) you must give more and more thought to the Barnabas story that shall be the basis of your sermon. It is a good story, and an important one for Christians. Forgiveness is the theme, the human equivalent of the grace that is freely offered because of My death and resurrection, as Jesus. So I offer you yet another observation on this story… with the admonition not to let the sermon grow overlong.

Paul is the great hero for the Christian Church. Paul was called in a forceful and dramatic way, and he responded to the call with a zeal for Me that I used to form the original Church. Paul was an egotist, which meant that part of his motivation was self-aggrandizement… the desire to have the Church succeed because he was organizing and energizing it. This was mixed very nicely, however, with a genuine desire to serve Me, and to do it humbly. If a person is truly humble there is rarely enough verve and drive to accomplish some important task. So I am quite willing to accept “mixed offerings.”

Paul’s burning desire was that the Church should succeed and grow as My Body here in the earth. He knew that most of his associates in this risky but necessary enterprise were not as committed as he was. His call to people just didn’t have the force that My call to him had. When zealous people build an organization, they rarely can find subordinates who will respond consistently with the dedication of the leader. Paul knew this, and in all honesty he could not take a chance again with John Mark.

John Mark had not had the strength and will to put up with the abuse that these early missionaries received. Paul was his idol, but he couldn’t seem to generate the spirit that Paul showed. He wanted to, but he could not. Paul saw this as weakness. John Mark was a threat to the success of the mission he had been given to fulfill. His commitment had to be to that mission.

Barnabas was the man who had stood up for Paul at the time of his conversion. Paul had been zealous in his persecution of Christians. There was much reluctance to accept him as genuinely born again into Christ’s service. He could not be forgiven. He could not be trusted. Barnabas, who is certainly not as well known as Paul in the Church story, had the mission, from Me, to vouch for Paul. Barnabas could be trusted, and he knew that he had this respect. So he used it, gently but forcibly, to bring Paul in.

Soon Paul became the evangelical leader, and Barnabas accepted this. But then came Paul’s display of leadership in denying John Mark a second chance – a chance to redeem himself. Paul could forgive him, but the holistic act of forgiveness goes beyond the mental and spiritual. It gives John Mark the chance to try again. Paul couldn’t risk this.

Barnabas’ mission was to forgive… to see the good in John Mark… to exhibit that forgiveness in trust and willingness to offer that second chance. He and Paul were old friends. What a dilemma for each. They each represented an aspect of My Way, and here these were in conflict. In this story Barnabas comes out as the strong one. He simply says, “You take Silas. I’ll take John Mark with me.” Even this show of trust didn’t move Paul. He felt that he couldn’t afford weakness. He couldn’t afford to offer John Mark the chance to show what strength he had and could develop. Barnabas was willing. What a boost and a challenge for young John Mark!

As this story meshes with the other stories that make up the New Testament it does not have much importance, compared with the stories of Paul. Barnabas is not well known. Forgiveness doesn’t measure up to judgment and justice. But I say it does. Without love and forgiveness the Christian message makes for just another grinding righteous religion. The earth has enough of these.