Son of Encouragement
Ordinary Time
Today's reading · Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3
When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.
His name wasn't originally Barnabas. He was Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, and the apostles gave him a new name: Barnabas. Tradition interprets it as 'son of exhortation' or 'son of consolation,' and honestly, both fit.
When Barnabas arrived in Antioch and saw what God was doing there, he didn't audit it or slow it down. He rejoiced. Then he got to work, 'exhorting them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion.' That's the name living itself out.
And then he does something quietly remarkable. He goes to Tarsus to find Saul. Not because Saul was popular or easy, but because Barnabas could see what others might miss: potential, grace, someone worth bringing in. He brings him back to Antioch, and the rest of that story changes the world.
There's something worth sitting with here. Barnabas is described as 'a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.' That combination, goodness and the Spirit and faith, produces a person who encourages rather than competes, who sees rather than overlooks, who stays rather than drifts.
Most of us won't plant churches or travel the ancient world. But we probably know someone who needs a Barnabas right now. Someone who needs to be found, brought in, and told they belong.
Today's intention
Today, ask God to show you one person who needs to be seen and encouraged, and then actually do it.