THE BLESSING OF SUPPORT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Acts 9:19-31

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It’s been said that if you want to defeat an opponent in war, take out its leader.

As we continue our study of Acts, chapter 9, we see how this was true in regard to the battle between Christianity and the Jewish opposition to it in Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem, the home city of a former fervent persecutor and killer of Christians named Saul. Through the scriptures, we see where he had been as powerful head of the Christian persecution movement, overseeing the stoning of Stephen and having open access to the high priest for approval to continue his work. You’ll remember that Saul’s most recent request was to go to Damascus where he would seek out men and women of “the Way” (code for Jesus followers), take them into custody, and bring them back to Jerusalem where they would be imprisoned and tried.

And so off he went, completely unaware that a power greater than the high priest had big plans for him.

This is where we have been over the past four days, looking at the Damascus moments within the story of Saul which included his personal encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and his subsequent blinding, to his praying and fasting while he waited for a man named Ananias to come. Ananias himself struggled with what Jesus was calling him to do before discovering that Jesus had already set him up for success, assuring that Saul was ready to become a Christian and take the Gospel to the Gentiles and Israelites. And with that, Ananias set out to meet Saul face to face, even though Saul had no way of seeing him initially. Ananias lays hands on Saul, proclaims what he is doing in the name of Jesus, and immediately, something like scales fell off of Saul’s eyes and his sight was restored. He rejoices in the Lord and wastes little time going into the synagogues, preaching that Jesus was (and is) the Messiah.

Well, this didn’t sit well with some of the Jews in Damascus who plotted to kill Saul but he escaped with the aid of his fellow Christian believers after being lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall.

Where did Saul go next?

We see as our passage for today opens up. For we read where Saul returned to Jerusalem but not the same man. He knew this but others, not so much, for the scriptures tell us that Saul tried to “join the disciples” but had difficulty because “they were all afraid of him”. They had trouble really “believing that he…was a disciple” and who could blame them. After all, the stoning of Stephen, the murderous threats cast out, and other Christian persecution methods used by Saul were still very fresh on the minds of Jerusalem’s Jesus believers. It hadn’t been that long since Saul departed for Damascus and so the skepticism of the disciples, particularly given Saul’s history, fueled the mistrust among the Christians.

Something would need to convince them that Saul wasn’t just misrepresenting a Christian conversion with the hope of deceiving them.

Enter Barnabas who took Saul to the apostles and we have to go to the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians to learn that there were only two apostles he was presented to at the time, Peter and James (Galatians 1:18-19). Barnabas goes on to detail all that Saul had done in the name of Jesus after his conversion, preaching fearlessly in Damascus before coming back to Jerusalem.

How would Barnabas know all this?

It’s believed that Barnabas knew Saul long before they ended up in Jerusalem together. Barnabas lived in Cyprus while Saul in Tarsus and so they resided in close proximity of one another and its believed they became close friends, close enough that Barnabas would have trusted the testimony of his friend upon returning to Jerusalem.

In Barnabas, we see the blessing of support, a blessing that we all need. For there are times in life when we simply need someone to just believe in us and reinforce us in times of need.

For example, I have had numerous occasions when I needed to ask someone to provide a reference. This is found mostly when a person is seeking employment and the company hiring requires character and/or professional references as a condition of position consideration. In those instances, I was grateful for the support provided by people I asked, support that helped me land the work I was vying for. This has become reciprocal as well because I have had the chance to support other people seeking jobs through serving as a reference myself. Maybe you’ve been given the privilege to do the same for someone.

Back to the scriptures where we find Barnabas provide an endorsement for Saul before the two apostles, Peter and James, and the end result was a blessing of acceptance for the new Christian convert. In fact, Saul was welcomed into the fold with great hospitality, allowed to stay with the apostles as he got to work in Jerusalem, moving about freely while “speaking boldly in the name of the Lord”. His work didn’t just involve preaching for we read where Saul also “talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews”.

Was he able to persuade them to come to Christ?

Not exactly. In fact, the Hellenistic Jews made plans to murder Saul, the ultimate cancel culture default of the day, but when Saul’s fellow brother and sisters in Christ got wind of it, the scriptures tell us “they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus”.

What happened next was nothing short of amazing. For we read where the entire Christian church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria “enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened as believers lived in the “fear of the Lord” while being “encouraged by the Holy Spirit”. This led to growth as the church “increased in numbers”.

The number one Jewish persecutor of Christians had changed sides and we can’t help but think that a lot of people who followed him did likewise. And with the head persecutor no longer in the business, we get a sense that the business died off significantly, so much so that Christians enjoyed peace.

Friends, if a murderer of Christians like Saul can change and come to Jesus, receive the Holy Spirit, and convert to a powerful instrument of the Lord’s will, then anyone else can as well. When they do, let’s all follow the lead of Barnabas, providing support and encouragement, not dwelling on who the converted person was but rather who they are now in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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