Atos 9:27

Barnabas willingly reached out to the new convert in Jerusalem, as Ananias had done in Damascus. His behavior here is consistent with what we read of him elsewhere in Acts (cf. Acts 4:36-37; Acts 11:22-30; Acts 13:1 to Acts 14:28; Acts 15:2-4; Acts 15:12; Acts 15:22). Barnabas proved to be a true "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36) for Saul.

"First, the Church owed Paul to the prayer of Stephen. Then the Church owed Paul to the forgiving spirit of Ananias. And now we see that the Church owed Paul to the large-hearted charity of Barnabas. . . . The world is largely divided into people who think the best of others and people who think the worst of others; and it is one of the curious facts of life that ordinarily we see our own reflection in others, and we make them what we believe them to be." [Note: Barclay, p. 78.]

The apostles whom Saul met were Peter and James, the Lord’s half brother (Galatians 1:17-19). Paul wrote later that he stayed with Peter for 15 days (Galatians 1:15), but he may have been in Jerusalem somewhat longer at this time. James was an apostle in the general sense of that term. He was not one of the Twelve. [Note: See my comments on 14:4.]

Barnabas pointed out three indications that Saul’s conversion was genuine for the benefit of the Christian skeptics. Saul had seen the Lord, he had talked with Him, and he had witnessed boldly in Damascus in Jesus’ name. Imagine how difficult it must have been for those Christians who had relatives whom Saul had persecuted to sit down with him in church meetings and share the Lord’s Supper.