 Pastor Jeff Shreve in his From His Heart devotion says his name was Joseph. He was a great guy, full of love and life. Everyone enjoyed being around him. There was just something about this man named Joseph that made you feel good inside and filled your heart with hope that God was able, no matter how bleak your situation might be. His mentors noticed how encouraging Joseph was, and they changed his name to Barnabas, which translated actually means son of encouragement.