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+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Please join me in prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have had different teachers at school, different managers at work, or different leaders in voluntary organizations of any sort, you know the difference that different people can make. Some people may be more discouraging, and other people may be more encouraging. And, a particularly discouraging person can make a particularly encouraging person stand out all the more by comparison. Today is the Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle—“apostle” in a wider sense than “the Twelve” (Acts 14:14). Barnabas was a Levite born on the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean and originally named “Joseph”, but whom the apostles also called “Barnabas”, which means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). And, on this Feast of St. Barnabas, as we consider primarily the Second Reading, we realize that “Through the example of St. Barnabas, God encourages us”.
Barnabas was related in some way to John Mark (Colossians 4:10), who for a while was a co-worker of Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:5, 13; confer 15:36-40), and apparently a co-worker also of Peter, and who was the human author of the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. Barnabas himself may have been one of the Seventy-Two others whom the Lord one time appointed, and sent on ahead of Him, with a curse formula like that we heard in today’s Gospel Reading, given when the Lord began to send out the Twelve (Luke 10:1-12; Mark 6:7-13). Perhaps a former classmate of Saul, also called Paul, under the teacher Gamaliel, Barnabas also played an important role in vouching for Saul and engaging him in ministry, as we heard in the Second Reading (confer Acts 9:27). And, the Early Church Father Tertullian and others thought that the Holy Spirit inspired the book of Hebrews through Barnabas. Barnabas’s introduction in the book of Acts is in the context of there not being a needy person among the believers; for, owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds of what was sold and laying those proceeds at the apostles’ feet, and the proceeds were distributed to those who had need (Acts 4:35); Barnabas sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:37), and thus Barnabas serves as a sharp contrast to Ananias and Sapphira, who sold a piece of property but kept some of the proceeds and brought only a part of the proceeds and laid them at the apostles feet and in the process lied to the Holy Spirit and, as a result, dropped dead at the apostle’s feet (Acts 5:1-11). And so, today’s Collect can refer rightly to Barnabas’s giving generously of his life and substance for the encouragement of the apostles and their ministry.
Of course, Barnabas was not what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther reportedly referred to as a “plaster” or “alabaster saint”, but Barnabas was also still by nature a sinner, just as you and I are still by nature sinners. One time in Syrian Antioch, when Paul had to oppose Peter to his face, for drawing back and separating himself from the Gentiles, when certain men came from James, even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14). On account of our occasional hypocrisy and our at times being led astray, on account of our sometimes being too discouraging and our at other times not being encouraging enough, on account of our sinful nature and all of our actual sins, we deserve nothing but death here and now and torment in hell for eternity—unless, enabled by God, we turn in sorrow from our sins, trust God to forgive our sins, and want to do better than to keep sinning. When we so repent, then God forgives us. God forgives us our occasional hypocrisy and our at times being led astray. God forgives our sometimes being too discouraging and our other times not being encouraging enough. God forgives our sinful nature and all of our actual sin, whatever our actual sin might be. God forgives us for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
As we heard in today’s Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 42:5-12), the Lord God gives His chosen Servant Son as the light for the nations. Unlike a different teacher, manager, or leader, whose personality may make them less or more encouraging, Barnabas perhaps was called “son of encouragement” because of his ability as a preacher, or probably more-likely because of the Word he proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit, Who is the Encourager, the Consoler, the Comforter. Through faithful preaching, the Holy Spirit calls people to faith in Jesus Christ, true God in human flesh, Who died on the cross and rose from the grave in order to save us from our sins. Out of God’s great love for us, Jesus died for us; He died in our place, the death that we otherwise deserved. Ultimately the Triune God is the comforter, Who leads sinners to Himself, for the comfort that He Himself gives, by grace through faith in Jesus. When Barnabas repented, God so comforted him, and, when we repent, God so comforts us. In part, we remember Barnabas and the grace that he received and how he was sustained by faith so that our faith may be strengthened (Augsburg Confession XXI:1; Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXI:5).
We also honor the saints like Barnabas by thanking God for showing such examples of His mercy, revealing His will to save people, and giving teachers and other gifts to His Church (Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXI:4). Not only did the Lord send the Twelve as we heard in the Gospel Reading … not only did the Lord send the Seventy-Two others who may have included Barnabas … not only did the Lord through the Church in Jerusalem (having grown His Church through persecution) send Barnabas to Syrian Antioch (where he exhorted, or “encouraged”, them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose) as we heard in the Second Reading … not only did the Lord (without any human planning that we are told of) have the Church in Syrian Antioch set apart and “release” Barnabas and Saul for the work to which He had called them as we also heard in the Second Reading (confer Acts 14:26) … but the Lord through the Church also calls and sends pastors in our time. Those pastors administer the same keys to heaven and hell, both binding sin in excommunication, as through the curse formula given to the Twelve and that Paul and Barnabas used in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:51), and releasing sin, as through reading and preaching that same word of consolation and encouragement to groups such as this one and applying that same word of consolation and encouragement to individuals, with the water of Holy Baptism, with the rite of Holy Absolution (Apology of the Augsburg Confession XIII:5), and with the bread and wine of the Sacrament of the Altar that are the Body of Christ given for us and the Blood of Christ shed for us. In all these ways we receive the encouragement, or comfort, of the forgiveness of sins and so also of life and salvation.
So forgiven, another way that we honor St. Barnabas is by imitating not only his faith but also his other virtues, in accordance with our various callings in life (Augsburg Confession, XXI:1; Apology of the Augsburg Confession, XXI:6; confer Lutheran Service Book 518:17, with apparent reference to Matthew 6:19-21). For example, as we heard in the Second Reading, after Barnabas and Paul had worked together in Syrian Antioch for a year, they carried famine relief from there to the believers in Judea (confer Acts 12:25). So, today’s Collect prays that we may follow Barnabas’s example in lives given to charity and the proclamation of the Gospel. For example, we may not personally carry famine relief to a foreign country, but we may financially support the work of the Synod’s relief efforts when disaster strikes in our country or abroad, or we may contribute food or money to Helping Hands or volunteer or time there to feed those in need locally. We may not personally preach or teach, but we are always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks the reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15). And, we certainly at least try to honor our parents, love our spouse, and discipline our children, living with peace and joy in God’s forgiveness of sins for any and all of our failures.
Unlike through different teachers, managers, or leaders, “Through the example of St. Barnabas, God encourages us”. God encourages us sinners through the comfort of the Gospel and to do good works. This Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle, was observed in some places as early as the fifth century and obviously was and is preserved on at least some Lutheran calendars still today. The appointed color is red, associated with the blood of the martyrs, for, according to tradition, Jews who opposed Barnabas’s preaching put him to death, perhaps on this date, in the city of Salamis on the east coast of his native island of Cyprus, where Barnabas and Paul and Mark’s wort together had begun (Acts 13:4-5). Barnabas was faithful unto death; may God grant that we are faithful unto death, too, and that we, like Barnabas, so also receive the crown of life (Revelation 2:10; confer LSB 913:3).
Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +