Barnabas
The generous Levite from Cyprus nicknamed 'Son of Encouragement' by the apostles — who vouched for newly converted Saul in Jerusalem and later risked his partnership with Paul to mentor and restore his panicked young cousin John Mark.
Born Joseph, a Levite native of Cyprus, he sold a field he owned and laid the money at the apostles' feet, earning the apostolic nickname Barnabas — 'Son of Encouragement' (Greek: Paraklesis, Acts 4:36–37). When all the disciples in Jerusalem were afraid of newly converted Saul of Tarsus, it was Barnabas who took Saul by the hand and vouched for him before the apostles (Acts 9:26–27).
Later, when young John Mark panicked at Perga in Pamphylia and deserted the first missionary journey (Acts 13:13), Paul refused to give Mark a second chance on the next mission. Barnabas refused to throw his young cousin away: after a sharp disagreement that parted the two apostles in Antioch, Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus to patiently rebuild him — a mentorship that produced the author of the Gospel of Mark and the man Paul himself later called 'very useful to me for ministry' (Acts 15:36–39; Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11).
Restoring John Mark — Barnabas Mentoring John Mark
Barnabas patiently mentors a panicked deserter in Cyprus until he authors the Gospel of Mark.
