After this the Lord appointed seventa others and sent them on ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:1-2
“I have thus come to realize that I will be rewarded for serving spirits like yours, if I care for you enough to hand over a portion of what I have received. I have hastened, then, to send you a brief letter, that you may have perfect knowledge to accompany your faith.
There are three firm teachings of the Lord of life: hope, which is the beginning and end of our faith; righteousness, which is the beginning and end of judgment; and love, which is a testament to our joy and gladness in upright deeds.
For through the prophets the Master has made known to us what has happened and what now is; and he has given us the first fruits of the taste of what is yet to be. And as we see that each and every thing has happened just as he indicated, we should make a more abundant and exalted offering in awe of him.
But I will show a few matters to you, not as a teacher but as one of your own; these will gladden your hearts in the present circumstances.”
Joseph (died A.D. 61) a.k.a. Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus in the Epistle of Barnabas 1:5-8.
As we continue reading the Epistle of Barnabas today, we reflect on the clue that Barnabas gives us that Jesus made known to him what has happened, what is, and showed the first fruits of what is yet to be.
According to the ancient list of the 70 by Hippolytus of Rome in his work, On the end of the world, Barnabas is mentioned. He was with Jesus as one of the 70, and scholars place him later as becoming the bishop of Milan.
Why reflect on this today?
Barnabas heard Jesus talk about rewards. He heard our Lord teach about of hope, righteousness, and love. And in response, he aimed only to model these through his deeds. And he knew that the fruit of obedience was reward. So, he passed on words of encouragement to us, not as a teacher, but to gladden our hearts where we are.
Friends, we too must live like the teachings of Jesus are real. We must spread hope, righteousness (which means obedient actions), and love wherever we go. We should, as Barnabas wrote, “make a more abundant and exalted offering in awe of him” in response to His blessings to us. Barnabas was known for giving encouragement and resources.
Let’s follow suit. Let’s spread hope, righteousness, and love.
In response today, what would it look like for you to spread hope, righteousness, and love and to make a more abundant and exalted offering in awe of our Lord Jesus Christ and in anticipation of reward?