Have you ever been disappointed that you had been overlooked for a position or responsibility?
Luke 10:1 describes Jesus sending out the seventy1 to various places to prepare the way for His ministry. What a potentially dangerous faith venture. They were “lambs in the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3),2 with “no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals” (Luke 10:4), and no prearranged accommodation (Luke 10:5–7). But the mission was a resounding success. They “returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’” (Luke 10:17). Jesus responded by saying, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Ellen G. White, addressing this event, notes, “Henceforth Christ’s followers are to look upon Satan as a conquered foe.”3
This was a telling event in the ministry of Jesus, in the lives of His earliest followers, and in the history of the universe.
Was Barnabas one of these seventy? The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary4 outlines a tradition that identifies Barnabas as one of them. If so, I wonder how he felt when not named as one of the twelve apostles when a replacement for Judas Iscariot was sought. Barsabbas and Matthias were shortlisted, but not Barnabas. If Barnabas was disappointed there is zero evidence in the Bible of disappointment, jealousy, or resentment. The opposite is true. Acts records Barnabas selling a field and laying the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, without any stipulation about how the money was to be spent. This shows his commitment to the mission, respect for the apostles, and trust in the leadership of the Holy Spirit. This response should be an example to us, especially when things unfold differently to our hopes and dreams.
The character of Barnabas is also revealed in his “sharp disagreement” (Acts 15:39) with Paul. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them on their next missionary journey (Acts 15:36–41). Paul dismisses Barnabas’ idea, because Mark had abandoned them on their last itinerary, and he didn’t want to risk it again. Barnabas saw the potential of his nephew Mark (Col 4:10) and thought otherwise.
If Barnabas was frustrated with Paul, he had every reason. Paul, his previous mentee, needed Barnabas to escort him to the apostles and to speak favorably for him in Jerusalem. Barnabas stood with Paul when no one else wanted to know him. It was Barnabas who travelled to distant Tarsus and brought Paul to Antioch to disciple him—and now Paul is doubting Barnabas’ judgment? Resolute in their opinions, both went their separate ways—Paul with Silas, and Barnabas with John Mark.
And what was the outcome?
John Mark developed into a very significant author, whom the Holy Spirit could inspire to invent a new genre of literature, the Gospel According to Mark. Scholars believe that Mark was the first of the gospels to be written, and that it served as a source for Matthew and Luke. Our Bibles today could look very different had it not been for Barnabas’ ministry to John Mark.
But perhaps the most telling of all results was penned by Paul himself. In subsequent years, Paul writes to the faithful in Colossae, encouraging them to welcome Mark. And Paul, not so subtly, notes the shared relationship between Mark and Barnabas (Col 4:10), an implied tribute to the ministry of Barnabas to Mark. And while his imprisonment in Rome lingered, Paul writes to Timothy pleading, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (2 Tim 4:11). Surely this is a further tribute and recognition of the ministry of Barnabas, the son of encouragement.
Barnabas remains as an enduring role model for all disciples of Jesus to emulate.
1Seventy-two in some translations.
2 All biblical quotations are from the English Standard Version.
3 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1905), 94.
4 Siegfried H. Horn, “Barnabas,” in Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, rev. ed. (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1979), 121.
ANTHONY R. KENT | General Conference Associate Ministerial Secretary
