How was Barnabas Humble?

The more I read about the apostle Barnabas, the more I wish I could become like him.

I get to speak this Sunday, so I've been camping out for a while in Acts 11. Barnabas is a relatively minor character in this section, but he still captures my attention and respect.

Luke paints Barnabas as a "good man" (the only person in Acts that Luke says that about), full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith, generous, kind, thoughtful, trusting, forgiving, taking initiative in tough situations, seeing the potential in others, encouraging and exhorting; a joyful and humble man. He was a man of presence and authority - so much so that one city mistook him to be Zeus, the mighty king of the gods ... and anyone who has seen a Greek bust of Zeus knows that Barnabas must have had a considerable touch of authority, royalty, and wisdom beyond his years.

But I think what most impresses me about him is the way in which Barnabas was not only unafraid to see others outshine him, but he actually looked for ways to promote others.

Take Saul, later the great missionary Paul. Apparently Barnabas was, for all his leadership skills and grace-filled encouragement, not a good public speaker; perhaps not even very eloquent. There are no letters or sermons by him that we can read (though one was forged in his name long after his death). In contrast, Saul was brilliant in preaching and expositing the message of Jesus Christ throughout the Old Testament. Saul had a special charisma and intellectual skill, honed by years of training under the most famous Pharisee of the age.

Would Barnabas had felt threatened by Paul? I think so! Saul was going to be a lot more likely to be popular, because his was the face that everyone saw, his were the messages that amazed people with Christ. Just read Paul's letters ... this is not a boring man. This is a godly man of passion, steeped in Scripture, full of prayer, excited about the Gospel. Yeah, I think Barnabas probably realized that Saul would be a lot more popular than him.

And yet Barnabas sought out Saul, who was struggling in his home city, and invited him to come to Antioch, a thriving and impressionable young church.

Wow. That was an act of humility. That was selfless. That was caring for others above himself.

I like being good at what I do. In fact, I want to be the best in what I do. Sound ridiculous? Yep. It is. But I still have that little desire that sets goals and drives me towards them, disciplines me.

In the right context, this can be actually a God-honoring ambition and drive (not to be the best, but rather to do my very best for God's glory).

More often than not, though, this desire, if not met, gives way to jealousy. It shames me to say it, but there are times when I struggle with jealousy, seeing other people breezing past me and snatching that goal which I had so desired.

This is an arrogant and rotten sin, and extremely selfish. God, though, in His grace, is gradually allowing me to genuinely rejoice when other people do better than I do; when they get what I wanted; when they succeed where I failed. Its hard, sometimes. But it helps to keep in my mind's eye men like Barnabas, who rejoice when they are able to help other people become better and better, even if eventually they themselves must retreat into the shadows.

Hurrah for Barnabas, I say!

Andrew