Sermon. Barnabas: Encourager and More

Sermon. St Michael and All Angels, Little Ilford, 12 June 2020

Feast of St Barnabas (transferred). 

St Barnabas. 

The first thing we might say of St Barnabas is his name. 
His name was of course... Joseph. 

Yes, Barnabas is one of the many biblical characters whose name changes, 

and, unlike his friend and mentor, Saul-who-just-becomes-Paul, 

there is a story attached. 

Barnabas sells some land, and gives the money to the whole Church community. 
(The story is at the beginning of Acts.) 

For this he is called Barnabas, 

which is translated in the text itself (as we’ve been reminded) as 

“Son of Encouragement”.  

“Son of Encouragement” 

is a perfectly good translation of the Greek huios parakleseos. 

The idea is surely that he encouraged others both by supplying resources 

to meet real needs, 

and also by his example. 

He inspired.  

But encouragement is not the only possible translation. 

The word for encouragement (paraklesis) is closely related to the other name we give the Holy Spirit, Parakletos, the Paraclete, 

which is translated Comforter, or Advocate. 

How so? 

The core meaning for both words is one who comes alongside you, 

who is called alongside you, 

whether to comfort you, by holding you up, or to speak out for you.   

You will have spotted how different the name sounds from the Greek, though. 

This name is clearly Aramaic or Hebrew in origin. 

Actually, you can tell it is Aramaic, 

for the simple reason that Bar is an Aramaic word. 

It means “son” or indeed “son of”. S

o it is likely that the underlying is bar nehma. 

Bar nehma does indeed fit, and might be translated as “son of encouragement”. Again, though, that may not be the most natural translation. 

That word nehma relates to the Hebrew word for comfort. 

When in the prophecy of Isaiah [40.1] we hear those wonderful words: 

“Comfort, comfort ye, my people”. That’s Nahmu, nahmu. Comfort.

There’s another possibility. 

The underlying Aramaic may be Naviah. 

At the surface level of sound, that is a better fit. Bar Naviah. 

That would have a significantly different meaning. 

It would mean: "Son of Prophecy". 

And, let us remember, prophecy in the biblical sense tends not to mean telling the future as a clairvoyant, does not mean someone gazing into the middle distance and mumbling about good fortune, or tall dark handsome strangers. 

A prophet is someone who places both feet on the ground, and forthtells. 

A prophet has both feet on the ground and looks with Gd’s eyes at the present - and especially how the powerful treat those without power - and proclaims, declaims: 

“If you carry on, Gd will see to it that such-and-such happens”. 

A prophet threatens, warns, cajoles, nudges, and, yes, in that sense encourages. They draw out courage.   

So Barnabas is encourager, is inspirer, is advocate, is comforter, is prophet. 

Barnabas is one who comes alongside, 

whether to speak out fearlessly and loudly even against the wrong, 

or sit silently with the person in need, comforting with a hand on a shoulder, and a refusal to judge. 

All of that.  

What do we draw from this? 

It is as obvious as it is heart-felt. It is as heart-felt as it is obvious. 

We are called to be Barnabas in all these ways (and perhaps more).  

We, as personal disciples, as the Christians gathered in our patch of Little Ilford, and as the Church dispersed throughout the world, 

are called to be ones who comes alongside, 

both to speak out fearlessly against the wrong, 

and sit silently with the person in need, 

comforting with a hand on a shoulder, and a refusal to judge.  

In our days, this combination is a particularly difficult, 

an excruciatingly difficult task, 

for the reasons we know and have named. 

And we will get things wrong. 

But we don’t do it in our own strength. 

We do it, because we are called to be it. 

Called to it by Gd Gdself. 

And the One who calls us is faithful, 

and is the fulness of 

encouragement, 

inspiration, 

advocacy, 

comfort 

and speaking out. 

So there is, in truth, nothing to stop us committing right now, 

to be, in this way or that (as Gd sees fit), another Barnabas. 

A blessed Feast Day.  

Amen.