All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. 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 4:32-37
“Share all things with your neighbor and do not say that anything is your own. For if you are partners in what is imperishable, how much more in what is perishable? Do not be garrulous, for the mouth is a deadly trap. In so far as you are able, be pure within.”
Joseph (died A.D. 61) a.k.a. Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus in the Epistle of Barnabas 19:8.
In today’s excerpt from Barnabas, we hear an echo of today’s Scripture.
Barnabas connects two ideas we don’t often connect. He urges us not to claim ownership of anything and not to be garrulous, which means not to talk too much.
So the sharing the “son of encouragement” beckons us to share through actions rather than words. And he then connects this behavior with purity or consistency within.
Imagine if every disciple of Christ followed this example. I think God’s grace would work among us with the same power it did in the early church.
God help us share what is perishable with fellow believers because we are both partakers of the imperishable, namely, Christ. By this way, make our lives pure to reflect a consistent witness. Amen.