Acts 11:22-24

As the apostles had done previously when they had heard of the Samaritans’ salvation, they investigated when word of the salvation of Gentiles reached Jerusalem (Acts 8:14-15). They chose a representative to visit the scene to evaluate what was happening. The Lord obviously controlled these men in their choice of an observer. Barnabas (cf. Acts 4:36-37) was an excellent man for this mission since he, like some of the evangelists in Antioch, was from Cyprus. He was also a more broad-minded Hellenist. Furthermore he was a positive, encouraging person (Acts 4:36), and he was full of the Holy Spirit, faith, and goodness.

"Although he came of a Dispersion family, he was regarded with complete confidence in Jerusalem and acted as a pivot point or link between the Hebrew and Hellenistic elements in the church." [Note: Marshall, The Acts . . ., p. 202.]

Barnabas rejoiced when he observed God’s grace at work in Antioch, and, true to his name (son of encouragement, Acts 4:36), he encouraged the new converts to remain faithful to the Lord. Even more people became believers because of Barnabas’ ministry to these Christians. Traditionally Luke came from Antioch. The second-century Anti-Marcionite Prologue to Luke’s Gospel referred to Luke as an Antiochian of Syria. [Note: See T. W. Manson, Studies in the Gospels and Epistles, p. 49, for an English translation of the text.] Also, Eusebius wrote in the fourth century, ". . . Luke, who was born at Antioch . . ." [Note: The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, p. 85.] So perhaps he was one of the converts.

Luke may have described Barnabas in such glowing terms because this was a crisis for the early church. Much depended on how Barnabas would react, what he would do, and what he would report back to the mother church in Jerusalem. The evangelization of Gentiles was at stake.