Monday 12 June 2023

Psalm 112

Background

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of Barnabas; an early disciple whose name means ‘son of encouragement’, a description which is borne out by what we know of him. Barnabas was prominent in Jerusalem and is mentioned frequently in the Acts of the Apostles. From Acts 4:36 we learn that he was a Cypriot Jew and in Acts 14:14 he is named as an apostle. He was frequently a travelling companion of Paul, who mentions him in several of his epistles (e.g. 1 Corinthians 9:6; Galatians 2:1, 9, 13; Colossians 4:10). In the last of these, Mark (probably the writer of Mark's Gospel) is described as the cousin of Barnabas.

As this passage opens, the Early Church is reeling from the backlash of persecution following the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7) and has scattered north from Jerusalem and Judea to the island of Cyprus and the area on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea known as Phoenicia, as far as Antioch, almost 500 miles from Jerusalem. Antioch was an ancient Greek city, now ruined, lying close to the modern city of Antakya in Turkey. It was one of the most important centres of its day, having an excellent geographical, military and economic location.

In verse 20, some translations use the term ‘Hellenists’ (a word that usually in this period denotes Jews who were Greek-speaking) which may be a little misleading, as the word there probably simply means ‘Greeks’. So the verse is intended to convey that the original dispersed believers, themselves Hellenists, initially spoke only to others with the same background. The idea that the gospel could also be good news for Greeks seems not to have occurred to them. This would reinforce the message learned by Peter in his encounters with Cornelius in the preceding chapters. However in Antioch, this verse may be telling us, some more daring believers step out of their culture to speak to Greeks, with remarkable effects.

News of this fruitful mission led the church in Jerusalem to send Barnabas to Antioch. He remained there for a year, and, with Paul, established a thriving Christian community. We can rightly call it that as it was, as verse 26 tells us, there in Antioch that followers of ‘the Way’ were first called Christians. Thus Antioch became known as ‘the cradle of Christianity’.

To Ponder:

• Give thanks for people you know who, like Barnabas, have a ministry of encouragement. Are there people you know who need to be encouraged today?
• How do you feel about being called a Christian?
• The final verses of this passage describe what may have been the earliest known relief work amongst Christians. Sadly relief and development is still needed in the world. Visit the website of All We Can to find out how the Methodist Church engages with famine and poverty today.

Updated from 2020.