Acts 11:23 – Grace and Joy

Originally posted on November 27, 2025 – by Andre Piet

When he (=Barnabas) came and perceived the grace of God, he rejoices…

Barnabas arrives in Antioch, and something immediately stands out to him: the grace of God. Not as an abstract concept, but as a concrete observation. He heard and saw it—in the good news that was being proclaimed concerning the Lord Jesus (:20) and in the many who were touched by it, believed, and turned about (:21). Precisely in connection with that, Luke then adds: “he rejoices.”

That is striking. Grace (charis) and joy (chara) belong together. Both words have the same root, yet they are not the same. Greek makes that distinction clear: charis is what gives joy, chara is the joy itself—the emotion that flows from it. Barnabas perceived charis, and he experienced chara.

That is what makes this scene so striking. Grace is not abstract, but reveals itself in what it brings about: a good message that is unmistakably powerful and transforms lives. Where charis is at work, chara arises. Joy cannot be forced and is not manufactured. It is not the result of human effort, but of what God imparts freely. Barnabas’ joy did not lie in the outward success of Antioch, but in what he could attribute only to God. Where grace appears, it evokes joy.

Delen: