I’ll admit it — I’ve spent most of my Christian life wanting to be Peter. Bold. Outspoken. The guy who walked on water. Or Paul. Brilliant theologian. Church planter. Writer of half the New Testament.

But recently I’ve been drawn to someone different. Someone who never wrote a book of the Bible, never performed a recorded miracle, and barely gets mentioned in Sunday sermons. His name was Barnabas, and I’m starting to think the early church wouldn’t have survived without him.

The Backstory Nobody Tells You

Barnabas first shows up in Acts 4:36-37, selling his field and giving all the money to the apostles. Generous guy. But the moment that gets me is Acts 9 — right after Saul’s conversion.

Saul (later Paul) had been murdering Christians. He was public enemy number one. Then he claims to have met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Naturally, everyone in Jerusalem was terrified of him. Acts 9:26 puts it bluntly: “They were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.”

Enter Barnabas. Verse 27: “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord.”

Let that sink in. Everyone else saw a terrorist. Barnabas saw a future apostle. He grabbed the most hated man in the Christian community, walked him into a room full of people who’d lost friends to his persecution campaign, and said, “I vouch for him.”

That takes a different kind of courage than walking on water.

He Bet on People Twice

Here’s what seals Barnabas for me. Years later, Paul and Barnabas are planning their second missionary journey. John Mark — Barnabas’s cousin — had bailed on them during the first trip (Acts 13:13). Paul wanted nothing to do with him.

But Barnabas? Acts 15:37 says “Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.” The argument got so intense they split up. Paul took Silas. Barnabas took John Mark and sailed to Cyprus.

And what happened to John Mark? He wrote the Gospel of Mark. He became Peter’s close companion (1 Peter 5:13). Paul himself later wrote, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).

Barnabas was right. Twice. About Paul. About Mark. Two men who between them wrote well over half the New Testament — and both of them got their start because one guy refused to give up on them.

What I’m Taking Away

I’ve got three things I’m trying to practice, and they all trace back to Barnabas:

1. Look for potential, not track record. Barnabas didn’t ignore Saul’s past — he just didn’t let it define Saul’s future. Who around me needs someone to see what God sees instead of what they’ve done?

2. Be willing to risk your reputation. Barnabas put his credibility on the line for Saul. If Saul had turned out to be a fraud, Barnabas would have looked like a fool. Encouragement isn’t just saying nice words — it’s putting skin in the game.

3. Give second chances, even when everyone else won’t. The split with Paul over Mark was painful. But Barnabas chose relationship over being right. That choice may have given us a Gospel.

I’m not great at this. I’m quick to judge people by their worst moments. I protect my reputation more than I extend grace. But Barnabas keeps poking at me. The “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36) didn’t just cheer from the sidelines — he put himself on the line for the people nobody else believed in.

And honestly? I want to be that person.

If you’re looking for a way to get more intentional about studying the people in Scripture — the famous ones and the overlooked ones — check out the Bible study resources in our shop. They’ve helped me slow down and pay attention to the details I used to skip.

Related: If you’re walking through a dark season, I wrote about what got me through when I lost my job, my health, and almost my faith. Sometimes the people God uses most have been through the hardest things.