The epistle for today from the 11th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles tells a story. It’s the story of how the early Christians grew up—just as we as human beings grow up, just as all of us grow up from being children to becoming adults. Remember that the early Christians were a group of Jews who believed that Jesus of Nazareth in the Roman-governed province of Palestine was indeed Christ, the Messiah—the One who saves each of us. And if someone who was not Jewish recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, they either became Jewish or became closely linked to the Jewish people and the Jewish disciples who gathered around Christ. The term “Christians” did not even exist: the early followers of Christ were Jewish. It was only to the Jews that Christ preached, with a very few exceptions such as the Samaritan woman in today’s gospel from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of St. John. Now, not all of the Jews believed that Jesus was Christ, but a significant number led by Christ Himself and His disciples believed that it was possible to be Jewish and to believe also that this human person Jesus was and is the Christ who saves each of us.

However, in the year AD 43 something very important happened: a local church was formed at Antioch in Syria. The precise date of the year 43 is known because of a famine that began at that time during the reign of Claudius. This new church in the city of Antioch, as we have just heard, “sent a contribution for the relief [from famine] of the brethren living in Judea,” in Palestine, with Paul and Barnabas bringing the funds to Jerusalem, as a sign of mutual support among the followers of Christ. That was worth doing—important enough to be mentioned in the reading in the epistle for today. Throughout the Roman Empire there was a great persecution going on; and those people who had gathered at Antioch began speaking the Word that Jesus was the Christ “to Jews alone.” That too was worth doing—again important enough to be mentioned in the reading in the epistle for today, just like seeking to relieve the famine. Yet there was something even more important that also happened in Antioch in the year 43.

According to the epistle for today, members of this new local church in Antioch “began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.” And they reached out not only to Greek-speaking Jews, but also to Greeks who were not Jewish. The result of these few people in this new local church reaching out to non-Jews was astonishing. As the epistle says, “The hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed [that Jesus was the Christ] turned to the Lord.” Well, when the Jews in Jerusalem heard what had happened, they were very upset. Only Jews were supposed to believe in Christ. How could non-Jewish Greeks have the intelligence and the vision and the courage to turn to Christ? As the epistle tells us, when the news about non-Jews in Antioch believing in Christ “reached the ears of the [Jewish] Church at Jerusalem . . . they [immediately] sent Barnabas off to Antioch” to find out what was going on.

The epistle for today tells us that when Barnabas “arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all to remain true to the Lord [Christ] with steadfast purpose; for [Barnabas] was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.” So now what was going to happen? Barnabas was in a very tricky situation. He had been sent by the Jews in Jerusalem to investigate and control whatever was happening in this strange, new church in Antioch. However, instead of exercising his authority, Barnabas simply trusted the Holy Spirit. Barnabas saw that what was happening in Antioch—that Greeks who were not Jewish were turning to Christ—should continue. And many Greek people over many centuries—some of whom are in this church today—can be grateful that Barnabas had the courage—the guts—to permit people who were not Jewish to be drawn to a firm belief in Christ without becoming Jewish.

That is powerful leadership from Barnabas, isn’t it? Going to Antioch to see what was happening, but without a predetermined idea of how to handle a tricky situation. We can all—whatever our religious and cultural origins or age—learn from the model of Barnabas. Barnabas simply prayed and listened to the Holy Spirit—that is, in his personal prayer life he sought the will of God. Barnabas asked himself: “what action does God want from me in this situation?” The action that Barnabas decided upon was quite unusual. Barnabas walked out; he left the city of Antioch. As set out in verses 25 and 26 of this 11th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Barnabas “left for Tarsus to look for Saul [that is the Jew, Saul, who was to become known as Paul]; and when [Barnabas] had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church [in Antioch] and taught considerable numbers.” The result has been set out in eight words in those key verses: “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

Thus it was in Antioch that Christianity moved beyond its Jewish roots and began to grow up to become the universal church that it is today—open to people of all cultures and all beliefs and all ages to become Christians. Barnabas saw that he needed help to guide the local church in Antioch to become a model for many, many other local churches throughout the world. Barnabas did not try to achieve such a huge objective on his own. He sought the help of Paul, whom Barnabas knew had the understanding both of Judaism and of Christ to guide the Church in Antioch to fulfilment. Therefore, let us here at St. Aidan’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Manchester—and in many other churches throughout the world—be grateful today for the courage of two Jews in the years 43 and 44—Barnabas from Cyprus and Saul from Tarsus—as we live together now as Jews and non-Jews who believe the Word—that Jesus Christ is Lord—the head of Our Church.

And so we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.