Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
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BARNABAS.<br />
33-37. Here we have another allusion to the community of goods, practiced by the Apostolic<br />
church, necessitated by the suddenness and improvidence of the Pentecostal revival, and inspired by<br />
the hostility of their environments and the vivid anticipation of the Lord’s speedy return. Barnabas,<br />
which is but a cognomen, a Syriac word, meaning son of consolation, while his real name was<br />
Joseph, though a Levite, was a farmer off in the beautiful isle of Cyprus, in the Mediterranean Sea.<br />
He was a bright young man of liberal education, a friend and acquaintance of Saul, the celebrated<br />
Tarsian, doubtless having been his school-mate in the Greek colleges in the city of Tarsus, the<br />
Capital of Cilicia, a border-land of Asia, near his home in Cyprus. This bright and promising young<br />
Levite is an honored delegate of a Cyprian synagogue, sent to represent them in the great annual<br />
camp-meeting at Jerusalem, denominated Pentecost, without the vaguest dream of the heavenly<br />
cyclone destined to catch him in its inextricable whorls. Now that he is wonderfully converted to the<br />
Christhood of Jesus, I trow, having formerly known the God of Israel, he is a most joyful recipient<br />
of the Pentecostal baptism. Therefore he sells out his Cyprian farm, with all its appurtenances, brings<br />
the money and tumbles down every penny at the apostles’ feet, simultaneously importuning, “Will<br />
you not take Barnabas also?” Behold the contrast between primitive Christianity and the present age!<br />
I am constantly accosted by brothers and sisters in the kingdom of God, testifying to a call to preach<br />
and a burning enthusiasm to start at once if they only “had the money.” Behold the contrast! In the<br />
Apostolic age, the first thing they did after receiving a call was to sell out all they had and turn over<br />
every cent to the church, giving themselves, too. The monetary difficulties arise from the<br />
misapprehension that they actually need it in their humble efforts to glorify God in the salvation of<br />
souls. The apostles and their evangelistic comrades all walked everywhere they went, trusting the<br />
Lord to feed them like He feeds the birds. Therefore they needed no money except such as the Lord<br />
would supply in their peregrinations, as they had no fares to pay. Consequently, in order to<br />
disencumber themselves of all temporal care, that they might be perfectly free to go preaching, like<br />
Barnabas, they sold out everything they had, turning the proceeds over to the apostles. We would<br />
enjoy much better health, live longer and be more useful if we would let the railroads alone and all<br />
walk, as in the Apostolic age. We need multiplied thousands of walking itinerants, full of faith and<br />
the Holy Ghost, to preach the gospel from house to house, pursuant to the primitive economy.