With the surname White, my nickname from school onwards has rather boringly been ‘Whitey’, which friends, colleagues and students alike still call me. My dad had the much more exciting ‘Chalky’ which seems to have taken hold during his time in the forces. But both are a bit obvious, given the surname. Have you got a nickname, and how did it develop? Does it mean anything?
It seems that nicknames have been around for a while, and indeed in the Gospels we have a few nicknames within the group of disciples. James and John were nicknamed ‘Boanerges’ (meaning sons of thunder) by Jesus, and Simon Peter seems to have become Rocky in later life. The first suggests that the brothers had a rather volatile character trait, and the latter was based around a task Jesus had for Peter – to become the stability within the emerging Church. In Acts 4:36 another character gets a nickname as the apostles are so impressed with an action by Joseph from Cyprus that he becomes Barnabas, which means son of encouragement.
Let’s just briefly explore the story of Barnabas before looking at this concept of encouragement, and what it could mean as we apply the story of Barnabas to children. Acts presents the missionary apostle and church leader Barnabas as a model of integrity and character. It calls him a good man (11:24), a prophet and teacher (13:1), an apostle (14:14) and a miracle worker (15:12). Acts notes that he faced persecution and risked his life for the name of the Jesus Christ (15:26). It states that Barnabas believed Saul truly had been converted (9:27), and he saw the potential of his kinsman John Mark (12:25), standing up for them both at different times in face of questions and opposition (11:25-26 and 15:36-41). In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth he affirms his character by noting he worked while serving congregations in order not to burden them. Barnabas is one of the greats of the early Church, although rather overshadowed now by Paul – mainly because of the writings we still have from Paul’s hand.
Joseph (Barnabas) is known by his nickname ‘encouragement’ early on, and I guess it was no surprise to the apostles who knew him well, that that follower of Jesus from Cyprus sold a field to raise some money for the needy among the people (Acts 4:36). That was surely an encouraging and supportive act.
This brings me onto how we can apply the story of Barnabas, especially the word ‘encouragement’ to our lives and ministry. We often use the word in our society, but sometimes we reduce it to a cheerleader approach to life. ‘Go on, you can do it’, we shout encouragingly. ‘I believe in you’, we say as a means of encouraging someone we care for. ‘That was awesome’, we cheer about something well done. What does the story of Barnabas tell us about this word, which in Greek is ‘paraklesis’, a word that is linked with the Holy Spirit who is sent to us as our ‘Paraclete’ (comforting encourager). There are three things worth highlighting here:
Encouragement comes out of goodness.
Barnabas was a good man, which is an amazing quality in a person. Goodness rings true, and is seen by others. In itself a good person can encourage us to keep striving for a higher quality of life. Barnabas’ goodness was seen in action.
Encouragement comes out of courage.
Barnabas’s goodness led him to stand up for others, even when there were disagreements in the Church. He stood alongside the newly converted Saul, at some risk to himself, showing real courage. He argued to the apostles that Saul had changed and befriended him. Later on, he even disagreed with his friend Paul in order to stand up for his younger friend and family member John Mark. A courageous person can encourage us to stand up for others, and stand against injustice. Encouragement is a powerful thing, as we all know, and an often undervalued spiritual gift
Encouragement comes out of identifying with others.
It takes goodness and courage to give up your own wealth and position for others, to identify with their needs, but not come over as proud and paternalistic, keeping the power for yourself. Barnabas gave what he could, and worked to ensure he gave himself to others without being a burden. One of the greatest encouragements we can be to the world is to walk alongside the needy.
So, what does it mean to focus on a biblical character, and what do we want children to learn from these stories? Barnabas’s life points us to what it means to have the character trait of encouragement. Encouragement is a powerful thing, as we all know, and an often undervalued spiritual gift. Romans 12:8 says, ‘If your gift is encouragement, devote yourself to encouraging’. Let’s get that Barnabas nickname rooted into more lives!
