Barnabas Saw God’s Grace. Would He See It in Us?
People turning to Jesus, united, and caring convinced this disciple that God was working in a pagan city.
Of all that this generation has dissed—marriage, gender, the science of things, the Lord’s Day, and such—grace is the least thought of. Our rampant rage and ungraciousness are a disgrace.
So, when someone tells me they have seen grace, you have my attention.
Luke tells us that, "When Barnabas came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad" (Acts 11:23).
When we recover grace, this generation may actually be glad again.
But how do you “see” grace?
It is not a commodity that you buy at the store. You can’t bag it, box it, pack it, or put it in storage. Grace cannot be hugged or held.
Yet, Luke tells us that Barnabas saw God's grace in the most unlikely place: the predominantly pagan city of Antioch.
What did Barnabas see that convinced him, “God’s grace is in this city”? This is one of two questions I want to explore together.
The second is, how did this grace come to be in Antioch? Was it always there?
The answers will help chart our return to graciousness and gladness.
It will help if we enter Luke’s account from Barnabas’s point of view. Let’s step into his sandals.
Barnabas, the encourager
Barnabas was a Jew, a Levite in particular. He studied the Law of Moses and was trained in teaching it. Barnabas was not a priest, but he qualified for religious service because of his lineage through the tribe of Levi.
He was from Cyprus. At some point, his family left Israel and migrated to this Mediterranean island. Luke doesn’t tell us why, but Barnabas was in Jerusalem during the events in Acts—perhaps to attend the festivals of Passover and Pentecost.
He had a nickname: Son of Encouragement. If you fell on hard times, Barnabas was the man you wanted around. The Apostle Paul learned this when the church was reluctant to embrace him, and Barnabas came alongside and ushered the former antagonist into fellowship.
He was a good man, full of faith and the Holy Spirit.
He probably knew many of the disciples in Antioch. They had been in Jerusalem before the persecution by Paul scattered them.
This is Barnabas.
His mission: search out what God is doing
We don’t know why Barnabas was in Jerusalem during the early events in Acts, but we know what brought him to Antioch.
Persecution has scattered the followers of Jesus. While the apostles remained in Jerusalem, many of the disciples fled.
Persecution has not silenced the disciples. Those who scattered brought the Gospel with them. They were “speaking the word” and “preaching the Lord Jesus” wherever they went (Acts 11:19–20).
The Gospel crossed ethnic boundaries. Philip taught an Ethiopian from the royal court; Philip and Peter ministered in Samaria; and God sent Peter to a Roman centurion, Cornelius.
The last trend in particular conflicted with the disciples' conviction that Christ was the Shepherd of Israel. (Their last question to Jesus had been about restoring the kingdom to Israel.) Uncertain about the new converts, they convened to discuss the reports and concluded, “God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” (Acts 11:18).
So, when news reached Jerusalem that citizens of Antioch, the third largest city in the empire, were turning to the Lord, the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement, to investigate.
The city where grace breaks out
Before we look at the grace Barnabas saw in Antioch, let’s consider the city. Antioch
Had a population of 500,000 to 800,000 people.
Was a military city. It was founded around 300 BC by one of Alexander the Great's generals and was the headquarters of the Roman garrison in Syria.
Hosted the region’s government. It was the Capitol of Syria, a Roman province.
Enjoyed bustling commerce at the intersection of several major East-West and North-South trade routes.
Was ethnically diverse. Four major ethnic groups called Antioch home: Greek, Syrian, African, and Jewish.
Was spiritually diverse. The Jews served the God of Israel; the other nationalities had a variety of gods; and there were God-fearers who favored the God of Israel, but not enough to commit wholeheartedly.
This is the city Barnabas came to.
Now, for the question: What did he see that convinced him the grace of God had invaded this city?
Barnabas recognized the grace of God in Antioch because he had seen God’s grace before.
Luke reports that in Jerusalem, before the Antioch venture,
The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all (Acts 4:32–33).
Barnabas saw in Antioch the same grace he had seen in Jerusalem. This introduces a truth:
The grace of God travels with the people of God.
Grace on the move began with Jesus. Let’s trace its journey.
God the Father sent His Son, who is full of truth and grace, to earth (John 1:14).
Jesus in turn sent His disciples around the countryside to preach and heal.
Persecution scattered the disciples from Jerusalem, a place of "great grace," to a city that needed grace.
Three things in Antioch reminded Barnabas of Jerusalem.
Believers. No longer were there either Gentiles or Jews in Antioch; many from both camps followed The Way of Jesus.
Unity. They heard the same message: Jesus is Lord. They believed and were baptized into the same Lord, Jesus Christ. They were of "one heart and one soul."
Care for one another. As in Jerusalem, "they had all things in common.” Jesus had said the habit of the Gentiles is to worry about what they will eat and drink and wear. However, His followers seek the kingdom of God first and are concerned about one another more than themselves.
Barnabas wasn’t the only one to see this. The neighbors in Antioch were so taken by the difference in the followers of Jesus that they came up with a new name: Christians. The disciples were like no one else in the city.
One observer wrote:
“While they … conform to the customs of the country in dress, food, and mode of life in general, the whole tenor of their way of living stamps it as worthy of admiration and admittedly extraordinary” [1].
What did Barnabas see of God’s grace in Antioch? I answer this way:
Grace: The life of God that is in the Son of God lived out in the people of God.
We move on to the second question: How did the grace of God come to Antioch?
Grace is both given and received.
God extended grace to Antioch through preaching and prayer.
The persecuted disciples had arrived, preaching the Lord Jesus (Acts 11:20).
There is one message. The Jesus in Antioch is the same as in Jerusalem.
This message is for all people. There is not one Gospel for Jews and another for Gentiles.
The disciples had prayed for the Gospel to spread. When Peter and John were released from prison, the church prayed
Grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. (Acts 4:29-30)
The hand of the Lord that healed and worked signs and wonders in Jerusalem was also with the believers in Antioch (Acts 11:21). The writer of Hebrews called this out: "God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit" (Hebrews 2:4)
Barnabas knew God had given grace to the people of Antioch because he saw God's work both in their bodies through healings, signs, and wonders, and in their hearts through faith.
He had heard how Jesus healed a man of paralysis, “that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins…” (Luke 5:24) and also said, “Believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38).
People who believe in Christ and are forgiven of their sins are the greatest evidence of God’s grace.
But grace must also be received, and Barnabas saw this, too.
A great number believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21).
They didn’t hear, then walk away;
They didn’t turn to someone else;
They didn’t run from the Lord when persecuted;
They weren't reabsorbed into the culture of Antioch.
The word turned is a compound in Greek, combining the direction of movement with the action of twisting or reversing. It suggests a sudden turnaround. Luke is showing us that Barnabas saw the people of Antioch stop in their tracks and turn from how they were living when they heard the news about Jesus. But it didn't end with just stopping or even turning. They proceeded to the Lord. They reached the destination of repentance: Jesus Christ Himself.
When Luke tells us that Barnabas saw the grace of God in Antioch, he wants us to know the great grace of God was upon the people the same grace that was upon the disciples in Jerusalem: People turning to Jesus, caring for one another, and united in their devotion.
Do our neighbors see this grace in us?
Residents of Antioch saw people living so differently that they came up with a new name for them: Christians. Christ was full of truth and grace, and His followers were like Him.
The Bible tells us the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all.
Grace given is amazing. Grace received is made perfect.
The Apostle Paul urged, “Receive not the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:2). There is a picture in these words. Don’t let grace slip through your fingers. Don’t turn away, empty handed. Let the grace of God fill you.
Barnabas saw God’s grace in Antioch and was glad.
God’s grace changed a city. May it so change us that others will say, "There is a Christian" and be glad.
[1] Epistle to Diognetus, circa 200 AD, Barry, O.S.B., ed., Readings in Church History. Westminster, Md.: Christian Classics, 1985, pp. 39–40).