Hazarded Their Lives For Jesus Christ

After the Jerusalem council met and determined that the Gentile converts did not need to keep the law of Moses or be circumcised, James and the other leaders chose “to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren.” In the letter accompanying the men the Church leaders wrote, “It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.” I was struck by this phrase that these men had “hazarded their lives” for the Savior which was used to describe Judas and Silas. We know very little about Judas Barsabbas for he only shows up in this chapter. He was described with Silas as “being prophets also themselves,” and when they were at Antioch they “exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them” (Acts 15:22-32). Clearly they fulfilled the mission that had been given to them in Jerusalem as they communicated the revelation to the Gentiles in Antioch. After completing this assignment Judas left from Antioch, and as far as I know that is the last that we hear of him in the scriptures. So, of all he surely did in his life we only have this small account. This very brief description of him begs the question for each of us: if we were described by only a short phrase or a few verses in the scriptures, what would be said of us? I can’t think of a statement more complimentary of a disciple of Jesus Christ than what Luke said here of Judas Barsabbas; could our life as well be summarized in saying that we have hazarded our lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?   

                We do know a bit more about Silas and see that indeed he was willing to sacrifice his life for the Lord. After traveling to Antioch, Paul took Silas with him on his second missionary journey. They traveled to many cities preaching the gospel and indeed suffered for the Savior’s sake. This is most evident in Philippi where Luke gave us this account: “And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks” (Acts 16:22-24). So Silas was beaten and put in prison because of His commitment to the name of Jesus Christ. Through a miracle their bands were loosed and ultimately they were freed—after converting their jailor—and they continuing traveling and preaching. In Thessalonica and Berea they were further persecuted causing Silas and Timothy to separate from Paul, after which they joined back up in Corinth. There the Jews “opposed themselves, and blasphemed” and Paul departed from the unbelieving Jews, and Silas was not heard of any more in the book of Acts. But surely his missionary labors continued as well as his suffering for the Lord’s sake. Later in Peter’s epistle to the church he was described as “a faithful brother unto you,” telling us that he stayed true to the work and faithful to the Lord (1 Peter 5:12). His story and that of Judas Barsabbas invite us to consider our devotion to the Savior and whether we too are willing to hazard even our own lives for His name.