Nicknames

“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:36-37

Remember those friends who were so well known by their nicknames that when the dutiful substitute teacher called them by their real names on the roll, all in the class, including your friend, said, “Who?” Barnabas would have been one of those. His given name was Joseph, but only a sub or someone who didn’t know him would have called him that. Everyone one else in the Bible—and since—calls him Barnabas.

How nicknames come to be can be quite amusing, but the way Joseph came to be known as Barnabas is quite amazing. His name was conferred on him by the apostles as they saw his actions and attitude. Barnabas is first mentioned in Acts when he “sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet”(Acts 4:37). Obviously, someone in the church had a need, so “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field”(Acts 4:36). Sold a field. Just like that. If what he had could help others out, Barnabas wasn’t about to hang onto it for himself. He gave the profit to the apostles to distribute as needed, and never looked back.

We’re not certain if this is the first time Barnabas stepped in to lift others up, but we know for sure it wasn’t the last. When the Christians in Jerusalem were scared and skeptical about Saul-to-Paul’s conversion, Barnabas “took him and brought him to the apostles”(Acts 9:27). The “Son of Encouragement” risked his own reputation to stand with Paul and affirm his salvation and witness. A bit later, as the good news of Jesus began to spread to outlying areas, Barnabas was sent by the church at Jerusalem to the brand-new, non-Jewish Christians in Antioch, Syria. “When he arrived and saw the evidence of God’s grace, he was glad and encouraged them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts”(Acts 11:23). Remembering his friend Paul and wanting to support him in his ministry, “Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch”(Acts 11:25). From Antioch, the two of them set out on an extended mission trip, which included preaching their way through Barnabas’ native island homeland of Cyprus. On their way back to Syria, they revisited several towns, “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith”(Acts 14:22).

Encourage. Encourage. Encourage. When you come across Barnabas in the Bible, encouragement is almost always close by. It was so much of what he did that it became who he was: Barnabas—Son of Encouragement.

What would your nickname be?