Not everybody trusted Paul after his conversion. He was very well known as a person who persecuted believers in Jesus Christ. He had a reputation of being a very zealous observer of the Jewish law and was uncompromising in his hatred for the Christians. After the episode on his way to Damascus Paul tried to become part of the Christian community in Jerusalem. But they were all afraid of him and kept at a distance from him. Some really doubted the sincerity of Paul. They felt that he just pretended to be a Christian so that he would have a close knowledge of those who believed in Jesus and would be able to arrest them. I can imagine how hurt Paul must have felt, being ignored and avoided by those who professed to believe in Jesus.
It was Barnabas who came to his defence. He personally took him around with him and introduced him to the apostles. He staked his reputation for Paul to be fully accepted in the community. We all need a Barnabas in our lives.
We all need friends. But what kind of friends are we in need of? We are called to respect everybody. We are called to work well with those around us, but true friendship is a different story. We cannot have everybody as our intimate friend. We need to choose wisely those people who are going to walk with us in an intimate manner. In the Old Testament we find written that whoever finds a good friend finds a real treasure. So what kind of friends do I need as a believer in Jesus Christ?
I go back to the story when Jesus healed the paralytic man who was brought before him on a stretcher. When they arrived in the house where Jesus was, they found that it was just impossible to enter. However they did not give up. They went up to the roof, made an opening in the roof and lowered their friend in front of Jesus. Jesus was amazed at the faith of these four friends and he was so moved by the whole episode that he healed the paralytic man. As a believer in Jesus Christ, the friends that I have would know exactly what to do with me when I am in need of help. They would not panic. They would not indulge in too many words or throw tantrums. They would not get overly confused or overly discouraged. They would simply take me to Jesus. These are the kind of friends that I as a Christian, as a believer need to have.
About three years ago, a friend of mine died after a relatively short illness. She was diagnosed with cancer and within seven months she died. She was only fifty years of age. One of her friends shared with me this episode that occurred shortly before she died. One morning she helped this friend of ours to take a shower while she was in hospital. As she was being undressed, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She must have been taken aback by the image of herself in the mirror. She was gradually losing her natural beauty. Her blond her was rapidly turning white and her face had already developed a very pallid colour. She also lost quite a bit of weight. As she saw herself in the mirror, she said to her friend - "What do you see?"
Her friend held her in her arms and she said to her "I see a miracle before me. I see a sister who in spite of this sickness has a firm faith that God is with her. I see a person full of courage who is still able to hold on to the promise that Jesus is very close to her. I see a person who in spite of being confined to a hospital room and to a bed is still able to praise and thank God. I see someone whose heart has not lost hope, has not lost faith, has not lost compassion and who is eager to continue her journey with God." These are the kind of friends that we need. These are the kind of friends that we are called to be for others.
We are constantly presented with opportunities when our children, our parents, our brothers, our sisters, our neighbours and those whom we know will come and talk to us about their worries and their problems. Yes we are duty bound to listen to them. We are called to give them all the attention that is needed. However, our response ought never to be simple "Oh I am sorry", or worse, "That is real bad luck". Of course we need to have empathy and compassion when we are accompanying people in their worry and pain. Yet as Christian people let us also take the next step and say, "Do you mind if I say a little prayer with you?" Pray for them there and then, bring them to Jesus. Let us give an opportunity for Jesus Christ our God to deal with what they are going through.
We do not need to be professors to pray for others. We do not need to have a university degree to invite Jesus in to the lives of those who share their fears and anxieties with us. All we need is a heart that knows that it is empowered and touched by the life-giving presence of our God. All we need is a simplicity of faith of guiding those who seek some comfort or solace to Jesus Christ our God who is still alive today and who can therefore still do the same amazing miracles that he did whilst living in the land of Israel. Let us take ourselves and others to Jesus. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it."
"Lord Jesus you have heard my friend expressing his/her need. Come upon him/her with your loving care. Heal whatever needs to be healed and bring peace to this heart. Shower my friend with your consolation and with your touch so that the whole world may know that without you we can do nothing, and with you we can do everything."
