This morning I want to do something a little different. I would like us to have a look at three texts of scripture and to treat them playfully. Now I don’t for a second mean we should treat God’s Word with disrespect, but rather we should let our imaginations run a little bit. The first text is about Barnabas, one of the leaders in the early church.
Barnabas was a Levite by birth, a member of the Jewish tribe that carried out the temple duties. His family moved to Cyprus and Barnabas did not serve in the temple. When we first meet Barnabas in Acts 4, his name is Joseph. Barnabas is the name given to him by the Apostles, and it was a great compliment, representative of his Christian character. The name Barnabas means “son of encouragement,” and he became a champion of encouragement.
There are many examples of how Barnabas encouraged others in the book of Acts. He befriended Paul and encouraged him when others were quick to reject him. (Acts 9: 26, 27) He encouraged Mark and was ready to give him a “second chance.” (Acts 15:36-39) He encouraged the believers at Antioch to use their spiritual gifts and to remain faithful in their service of the Lord. (Acts 11:22-26)
And in our text from Acts 4, Barnabas encouraged the early church to extend a ministry to the poor and needy by giving money to the church. Joseph lived up to his nick-name. He was an encourager! Luke, the author of Acts, describes exactly what Barnabas did. He sold a filed that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostle’s feet (4:37).

Let’s put this story just to the edge of our minds and look at the second text. It’s taken from Numbers 18:21–24. There are two things we need to note. First of all the tithes, that is the tenth of income or harvest that is collected from the people of Israel, belongs to the Levites in return for the service they perform organizing and conducting the worship of what was then the tent of meeting.
The second thing to note is the Levites are excluded from the distribution of land to the various tribes of Israel. Their heritage is to be the service of the Lord—they shall have no allotment among the Israelites (18:24).
What then is the first thing we would be expected to notice about Barnabas from the story Luke tells us in Acts 4.
The family of Barnabas, as residents of Cyprus, did not serve in the Temple. They were wealthy enough to be landowners. Think about this for a minute. What would you rather have as your possession? The deed to a piece of land or the knowledge that through the centuries your ancestors had served the tent and temple.
Now here in church we know what the “right” answer is—some of us might even quote the psalm: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness (Psalm 84:10b). But let us get back into what we call the real world and we know what the answer is likely to be—I’ll take that deed, thank you very much.
The third text is the one read earlier, Malachi 3:8–10. Through the prophet, God tells his people to bring the full tithe into the storehouse…and thus put me to the test; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing (3:10).
Malachi is the last book of the Hebrew scriptures in our Bibles. Little is known about this prophet. In fact the name Malachi means my messenger or my angel, which has led some scholars to speculate Malachi is not so much a proper name as it is a description of the role the prophet was given by God. Despite this lack of knowledge about the prophet, scholars are agreed the message is given to God’s people who are back in Jerusalem following the exile. Despite the exile, and despite the fact the prophets urged the people to understand the exile as punishment for failing to live up to God’s covenant, now that they had been restored to their land, the commitment of God’s people had, once again, begun to wane.
It is within this sort of atmosphere that God invites his people to test out his faithfulness, to bring the whole of their tithe to him and to receive the blessing that such faithfulness would bring.
Now we play a bit with the intersection of these three texts. Joseph, a Levite, has come to believe that God has fulfilled the promise of a Messiah in the person of Jesus. Joseph has come to believe that a new reality is being inaugurated by God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But Joseph has not turned from one god to another. Joseph has come to believe the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Moses and King David and Jeremiah has fulfilled the promises made through the prophets. Joseph has come to believe the God who made him a Levite has also called him to follow Jesus of Nazareth.
What else then does Luke want us to notice in the story he tells about this son of encouragement? Surely a Levite knows the scriptures. He knows first that the tithes of God’s people belonged to the Levites. He knows also that serving the Lord was always intended to be his heritage, his true possession.
When Joseph sells the field and brings the money to the apostles what is going on? Here’s what I think. I think Joseph brings the money as a way of acknowledging what the tithe has always been about. In the words of Malachi, God says put me to the test. As far as I know, while there are other places where one of God’s people initiates some sort of test, this is the only place in scripture where God invites the test. Tithing has always been about recognizing that God is the owner of the world and God’s people are called to be faithful stewards.
Tithing is God’s way for us to recognize that it is God who can open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.
And there may be something else going on. Just a guess, nothing more than that. Joseph would have also known that Levites were also called to tithe. When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you from them for your portion, you shall set apart an offering from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe (Numbers 18:26). I wonder if Joseph realized he had been robbing God, not giving generously, and this was his way of setting things right.
Joseph, the son of encouragement was a trustworthy steward. His gift encouraged the church of Jesus Christ. This happened because:
First, Joseph’s gift was unselfish. He did not hoard or use his resources in a selfish way. The need was so great and he had the financial resources to do something about the plight of the poor. His giving was an unselfish act!
It is encouraging to learn of those who give generously to help others. Materialism in our culture wages a battle with generosity over our response to the needs of others. I believe it is an encouragement to the community of faith to see the generosity of others.
The reason I say this is the order of things presented by Luke in the story. It may be the story of Joseph’s gift is simply an example of the giving that went on within the early church. However, it is in verse 34 that we are told as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. Then we are told Joseph brought the proceeds of his land sale. It is possible then that Joseph saw the example of others and was encouraged to give also. But I have no doubt Joseph’s gift was an encouragement to others because the church ended up calling him “the son of encouragement.”
The second thing to notice is Joseph’s gift enabled the church to minister and meet the needs of the people. The generosity of Joseph and others enabled the church to minister and meet the needs of all the people. Acts 4:34 states, There was not a needy person among them.
The needs of the community of faith were met because the people took seriously the idea that they were to be faithful stewards of what God had entrusted to them.
Here then is the question for today? Will you sign on to be a member of the Order of Barnabas? Don’t worry. I’m not starting another organization. There are no meetings to attend, no secret handshake to master. Every Christian is called to be part of the Order of Barnabas. Because every Christian is called to follow Jesus, the greatest giver and every Christian is called to give in response to the gracious hand of God at work in our lives.
What will that look like for us here at Blythwood? I don’t have the answer to that question. It is not a question for one person to answer. It is a question with which this community of faith must grapple. But I am convinced of this, my friends; we must hear God’s challenge and, yes, encourage one another to not simply keep Blythwood’s doors open but to keep building the ministry of this church, to continue Christ’s work in the world.
A man named Todd Hunter has been for the past 30 years on a fascinating spiritual pilgrimage. His faith roots are in the Pentecostal movement. He has led Alpha in the U.S. Now he’s an Anglican. Listen to what he says. “America is going to become increasingly secular and hostile to the church. But what will build the bridge to whatever authentic Christianity emerges next is going to be a serious practiced Christianity. I think there is going to be a  revival of religion.”
Now is the time to join the ranks of Barnabas and encourage the life & ministry of this church for today and every tomorrow of God.