But Barnabas

And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. – Acts 9.26-27

Picture this. Saul comes to Jerusalem with a desire to meet with and join the other disciples. That’s a normal and desirable goal. He knew he had to join up with them so they could work together as a team to spread the gospel.

That’s great, but what do if you are on of the disciples and you hear that Saul has come to join with you? How are you going to respond? The disciples were afraid because they did not believe that Saul was a disciple of Christ. He needed someone to stand up for him and vouch for Him.

So guess who shows up? It only makes sense – it was Barnabas, the son of comfort and encouragement.

I love the fact that Barnabas plays such a role at key moments in the church. He set a pattern of sharing to meet the needs of church. We are going to see him in the expansion of the church. He always been to be where he is needed and always helping others. He really doesn’t seem to have much regard for himself.

Here he is taking a risk. He is staking everything on standing up for Saul. What happens when Saul comes in to their midst? What if all he had done was a trick to get to the heart of the church?

What matters to Barnabas though is being a blessing. He stands up for Saul.

Sometimes we all need somebody to stand up for us. Sometimes we ought to be the one who stands up for someone else.

Let’s all try to be that Barnabas.