We all try to be a good person.
None of us wakes up planning to break God’s commandments.
But Jesus tells us today that goodness—true godliness—goes deeper than what was written on those tablets of stone.
It reaches into the hidden places of the heart.
Jesus warns us of the depth of the commandments:
“Whoever says to his brother, raqa…”
Raqa—an Aramaic word.
Not a curse. Not a shout.
But something quieter… more corrosive.
The slow drip of contempt.
The quiet dismissal that hollows out love:
“You empty one… you nobody… you’re nothing.”
And right beside that warning, the Church gives us Barnabas.
When Jerusalem heard that something new—something Spirit‑breathed—was happening in Antioch, they sent Barnabas.
Not a watchdog.
Not a critic.
But a son of encouragement—
a man whose heart was already shaped by the Gospel he carried.
And when Barnabas arrived, Scripture says he “saw the grace of God.”
Not the problems.
Not the immaturity.
Not the differences.
He saw grace.
And seeing grace, he rejoiced.
And rejoicing, he encouraged.
And encouraging, he strengthened the Church so deeply that “a great number were added to the Lord.”
This is the righteousness Jesus calls us to—
not more rules,
not more performance,
but more heart.
A heart that sees grace before it sees fault.
A heart that builds up rather than tears down.
A heart that refuses the quiet poison of contempt.
Lord, give us the heart of Barnabas—
a heart that sees grace, rejoices in grace,
and strengthens Your Church with encouragement.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Deepen my goodness.
Let my heart breathe mercy where contempt would hide.
Teach my tongue to bless, not dismiss.
Give me eyes like Barnabas—to see grace before fault.
Let my joy become encouragement that builds Your Church.
Fill me with Your Spirit, steady and strong in love.
Amen
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