The Feast of St. Barnabas 2008

THE FEAST OF ST. BARNABAS

11 June Anno + Domini 2008

"Fighting for the Faith”

Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3; Mark 6:7-13

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

His given name wasn't Barnabas, but Joseph.  He was a Levite and native of Cyprus, who was converted to the faith by the Holy Spirit through the power of the Gospel.  His faithfulness led him to sell a field which belonged to him and to bring the money from that sale to the apostles and lay it at their feet (cf. Acts 4:36-37).  He was committed to spreading the Gospel throughout the land and desired to aid the apostles in that missionary work however he could.  Seeing his faithfulness, the apostles quickly came up with a new name for Joseph.  They called him Barnabas, which means, "son of encouragement.” 

But, St. Barnabas received more than a new name from the apostles.  The Lord had bigger plans for him.  He was called and ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry and commissioned by the Lord to be an apostle himself.  Not only would he support the preaching of the Gospel, he himself would become a preacher of the Gospel. 

And so it is that St. Barnabas, ordained to preach the foolishness of the cross of Jesus Christ to Gentiles, finds himself, again and again, in the thick of the Church's controversies and in bodily peril.  That comes with the territory.  To be a true preacher of the Gospel is to contend for the truth of the Word.  I suspect that he really didn't enjoy dealing with the synodical officials and errant professors of his day, when he could have been preaching to the lost. But he was a missionary-minded fellow. And therefore, he knew how crucial pure Doctrine was. Especially when preaching across cultures, where there was already plenty of other stuff to get in the way, the Doctrine must be pure. Barnabas would not risk the salvation and faith of those entrusted to him by watering down the Word of God for the sake of a weak-kneed bureaucrat at the Synodical Office Building in Jerusalem. He spent day-in and day-out in the Word. He knew his responsibility, the burden that he had to preach the Truth. He knew that we must submit to the Word of God and let the foolishness of God break our wisdom, lest we be crushed by it.

And so there went Barnabas off to Jerusalem to fight in the first synodical convention for the truth that circumcision does not save. Some probably felt that Barnabas was too political, getting involved in these things. But Barnabas was a man full of the Holy Spirit. And a man full of the Holy Spirit will not tolerate lies told in the Name of the Triune God for any excuse, by anyone. He did not relish it, but neither was he afraid of a fight. Perhaps Paul had told him, as he would tell Timothy, "endure suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Soldiers exist for battle. He was not interested in politics, but in the truth and the real welfare of the souls he was sent to serve.

That turned out not to be the last fight Barnabas fought. Of those battles recorded in Scripture, one more is of great significance for today. For Barnabas fought with, and was divided from, St. Paul, his missionary partner, apostle of Jesus Christ. He fought for Mark. He fought that Mark be allowed to continue the work of an Evangelist. Paul wanted nothing to do with him for he had deserted them in Pamphylia. The quickness of Barnabas to forgive and his unwillingness to let Mark's reputation be damaged, however, was the truly Christian response. Later in life, Paul repented. (Even as St. Peter repented Paul's rebuke, for not even the Apostles are above the Word of Christ or free to ignore the call to repentance.) By the Grace of God working in men, Mark was brought back into Paul's fellowship.

In the end it worked out. But, nonetheless, these fights cost Barnabas. Men hated him because of his stance. Colleagues, brothers, and fathers in the Ministry, even one apostle, were separated from him. That is because doctrine divides. That is part of the cross that Barnabas bore. He bore it so that his hearers would hear, in absolute strict ways, without waffling qualifications, without lingering synergistic demands for works and proof of faith, the full, pure joy of absolutely free forgiveness and acceptance by the Father through the sacrifice of the Son. That is what it is all about. That is why, and for what, we fight.

St. Barnabas, then, would not compromise that Gospel in the tiniest detail for the sake of peace between men, for prosperity, or even for the shallow vanity that such a sell-out might be beneficial, in that it would give him more opportunities to preach and improve the Church's reputation in the world. Perhaps it would have. But that would have meant laying down the foolishness of God for the wisdom of man, and that is the way of death. St. Barnabas' painful zeal caused him much suffering, but it also delivered him to the Church triumphant and made him a hero of the faith. For the message he preached, the forgiving love of God in Christ, the power of Jesus' death and resurrection to make men sons of God, righteous, and free, was also for him. It is also for you. The kingdom of heaven is here.

So come this day and receive that for which the apostles fought and died - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The ministry of St. Barnabas and of all the apostles continues to this day, as we, their descendants by faith, gather together in the Lord's House around the teaching of the apostles for fellowship, prayer, and the breaking of Bread.  We gather to taste and see that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is good, not only in the preached and read Word, but also by receiving His very Body and Blood from this altar for the strengthening and preservation of our faith, that we, having had our sins completely forgiven, might confess the Good News to others and contend for the truth of our Christian faith.  Lord, grant this unto us all.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting.  Amen.