Tag: Biblical Characters

Biblical People: Eunice

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 14, 2021

Eunice is the mother of Timothy, who, as Paul’s protégé, grows in his faith to help others grow in theirs. Though we know the results of Eunice’s character as reflected in her son, we know little about her.

She’s only mentioned twice in the Bible. She’s Jewish and believes in Jesus. However, contrary to Jewish law, she married a non-Jew. This puts her on the outside of Jewish society, causing true Jews to shun her or look down on her.

She also doesn’t circumcise her son, as required by Jewish law. However, despite the ramifications of who she marries, we also know she has a real faith, which she learned from her mother and passes on to her son.

Our faith is the greatest thing we can give to our children. Are we doing all we can?

[Discover more about Eunice in Acts 16:1 and 2 Timothy 1:5.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Tags Biblical Characters, Eunice

Biblical People

Biblical People: Artemis

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 14, 2021

The people in Ephesus worship the goddess Artemis. Though history tells us much about her, the Bible doesn’t. Looking only at the biblical text, we see her as a character of mythological stature, either a complete work of fiction or a blatant distortion of someone who once was.

The people have elevated her to the status of a god, and the tradespeople have built businesses around her.

The silversmith Demetrius is one such person. He crafts silver shrines, which he sells to people who worship her. Demetrius cares nothing about Artemis, only the profits he can earn by exploiting her notoriety. He even acknowledges she is a made-up god, void of divinity.

Yet he seeks to uphold her legend for personal gain, opposing Paul—and ultimately Jesus—in the process. Demetrius doesn’t want to see her discredited in any way, for his financial future depends on her.

He resorts to rhetoric. His zealous speech stirs up a mob. The agitated crowd yells for a couple of hours. The situation threatens to turn into a riot. At last, the city clerk quiets the crowd and restores civil obedience.

They misuse the memory of Artemis to mislead people and generate income, exploiting her for personal gain.

How have we ever exploited a person, or their memory, to maintain power or earn a profit?

[Discover more about Artemis in Acts 19:23–41.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Artemis, Biblical Characters

Biblical People

Biblical People: The Fortune Teller

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 14, 2021

When Paul and Silas are in Philippi, they meet a slave girl who has the psychic ability to tell people’s future. Using her fortune-telling skills, she earns a great deal of money for her owners.

When she sees Paul, the spirit within her shouts supernatural truth: “These men are servants from God Most High. They’re telling you how to get saved.” She continues proclaiming this day after day. Finally, Paul grows exasperated. Evoking Jesus’s name, Paul commands the fortune-telling spirit to leave her.

The spirit obeys, and the girl loses the ability to tell people their future. Her owners can no longer charge people for having her tell them their fortunes.

She’s now free of her controlling spirit. Though we don’t know what happens to her after this, we do know what happens to Paul and Silas: they spend a night in the pokey for their trouble.

The slave girl is exploited by her owners and spiritually freed by Jesus, through Paul’s boldness.

Who does Jesus want us to help become free? He’ll take the lead. All we need to do is follow.

[Discover more about the fortune teller in Acts 16:16–19.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Biblical Characters, The Fortune Teller

Biblical People

Biblical People: Lydia

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 14, 2021

Lydia is a merchant who sells expensive purple material. She lives in Philippi. She worships God but doesn’t know about Jesus.

When Paul shows up, he tells her who Jesus is and what he did. She wants to follow Jesus too. She believes and is baptized to show her commitment to him. Then she asks Paul and his buddies to stay at her house.

Later, Paul and Silas heal a fortune-telling slave girl and end up in jail as a result. The next day they’re released and head back to Lydia’s where they meet with more of Jesus’s followers. After encouraging them, Paul and Silas leave town.

When Lydia decides to follow Jesus, she goes all in. She even has people meet at her home. She doesn’t need to take a class, join a church, or wait until her faith matures. She does what she can right away.

We later learn of an active local church in Philippi. I imagine Lydia is a key part of it. They might still meet at her house.

Do we make people wait before we let them serve Jesus or help at church?

[Discover more about Lydia in Acts 16:14–40.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Rhoda

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2021

Rhoda is present at the prayer meeting for Peter when he’s sitting in jail and facing execution. Rhoda is a servant, possibly of Mary (7) (mother of John Mark) at whose house the people have met to pray.

We gather that Rhoda is also a follower of Jesus, praying for Peter along with everyone else.

During the prayer meeting, there’s a knock on the door. As part of her duties, Rhoda goes to the door. Fearing for their safety, lest they’re arrested too, she asks who’s there. Peter identifies himself.

Overjoyed at hearing his voice, Rhoda runs to tell everyone the good news that Peter is there, but she forgets to let him in.

The people, despite their intense prayers for Peter’s release, don’t believe God answered their request. Though they pray for a miracle, they fear the worst.

It’s only after Peter’s continued knocking that they let him in and discover the truth. Once they see him, they finally realize God’s amazing answer to their prayers.

Unlike the others present, Rhoda prays with expectation. Merely hearing Peter’s voice is all the evidence she needs. Everyone else doubts. Their faith may not be as strong as Rhoda’s.

When we pray, do we pray in faith with the expectation of answers or in doubt out of fear? Or is it okay for our prayers to have a mixture of belief and unbelief?

[Discover more about Rhoda in Acts 12:12–16.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Mary (7) the Mother of John Mark

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2021

In the book of Acts, we come across another Mary. The Bible clarifies her identity through the name of her son: John, also called Mark. Scripture sometimes uses both names, as in John Mark.

Peter is in prison, with his execution likely. Mary—risking imprisonment herself if she’s discovered—bravely holds a prayer meeting for Peter at her home.

God answers the prayers of the believers, and an angel escorts Peter from the prison. Peter heads to Mary’s house, expecting to find some of his friends gathered there. They welcome him and celebrate God’s goodness.

Though we can only assume, John Mark, witnesses his mother’s faith in action and God’s supernatural answer to their prayers. What we do know is that John Mark later helps tell other people about Jesus.

Though his first effort with Barnabas and Paul ends prematurely, he finishes strong. Many people credit him as the author of the book of Mark.

Children watch what we do and say. What are they learning from us?

[Discover more about John Mark’s mother, Mary, in Acts 12:12–16.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Biblical Characters, mother of john mark

Biblical People

Biblical People: Tabitha (Dorcas)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2021

Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, lives in Joppa. Luke says she’s a disciple and a good person. She enjoys helping poor people. One way she does this is by making clothes for people in need.

She gets sick and dies.

Her friends prepare her body for burial. They mourn her death while celebrating her life.

Peter’s in a nearby town.

Some faith-filled followers of Jesus send for him. They ask him to come as soon as possible.

Peter agrees. When he arrives, he goes to where they’ve laid her body for viewing. He looks at her and tells her to get up.

She does.

Peter guides her to the balcony. He presents her to all those gathered to pay their respects. News of this amazing miracle spreads fast. As a result, many more people believe in Jesus.

Tabitha dedicates her life to helping people in need, but, like Jesus, it’s her death and resurrection that help them the most.

May both our life and our death point people to Jesus. What should we do to make sure this happens?

[Discover more about Tabitha in Acts 9:36–42.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Biblical Characters, Tabitha

Biblical People

Biblical People: Queen Candace

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2021

Candace is the queen of Ethiopia. That’s all we know about her. Some translations don’t even give her name, but instead call her the Kandake, which means the queen of Ethiopia. An important member of her cabinet, the treasurer, is in Jerusalem to worship God.

Returning to Ethiopia in his chariot, he reads from Isaiah’s prophecy but has trouble understanding it.

Meanwhile, God directs Philip into the desert for an undisclosed reason. As Philip walks along the arid trail, he meets the Ethiopian treasurer. Philip explains that the confusing passage refers to Jesus and tells the man who Jesus is and what he did.

The man receives Philip’s teaching about Jesus. When they come to some water, he asks Philip to baptize him. Philip does. Then he’s whisked away by the Holy Spirit, while the man continues his journey home, overflowing with joy.

When he gets there, I suspect he tells everyone about Jesus.

We see Candace as a wise leader, allowing one of her most trusted lieutenants time off for religious reasons. As a result, he returns a changed man, which likely influences his work, the government, and the nation in a positive way.

It’s easy for us to envision him telling Queen Candace about Jesus, but we’re left to wonder how she responds.

Who can we tell about Jesus?

[Discover more about Queen Candace in Acts 8:26–40.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Biblical Characters, Queen Candace

Biblical People

Biblical People: Sapphira

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2021

Sapphira and her husband sell some land and give part of the proceeds to the church. They keep some of it for themselves, which they’re free to do, but they say their donation is the full amount of the sale.

Peter confronts Sapphira’s husband about his duplicity. The man drops dead. There’s no mercy offered, no second chance given, and no investigation conducted. In this case, God’s judgment is swift. It’s final.

Later, not knowing the fate of her husband, Sapphira shows up, and Peter confronts her as well. Again, there’s no mercy, second chance, or investigation. She, too, falls dead. A holy fear grips the church.

We seldom suffer immediate punishment for the wrong things we do. This delay could cause us to assume judgment won’t happen, but without Jesus’s saving power, punishment is inevitable.

Sapphira and her husband conspire to deceive the church, but more significantly, they lie to the Holy Spirit. In their case, lying to the Holy Spirit is punishable by death, an immediate death.

How might we lie to the Holy Spirit?

[Discover more about Sapphira in Act 5:1–11.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

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Biblical People

Biblical People: The Other Mary (6)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2021

Matthew twice mentions “the other Mary.” Who is this other woman named Mary?

Since he also mentions Mary Magdalene in those verses, we know it’s not her. It’s also doubtful that he would refer to Jesus’s mother with such a vague reference. It’s also unlikely that she’s Mary the mother of James and Joseph because Matthew mentions that Mary elsewhere in his writings.

A possibility is that “the other Mary” could refer to Mary the wife of Clopas, whom Matthew doesn’t mention. The same applies for Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, or she could be Mary the mother of John Mark.

It’s also possible she’s another Mary altogether.

What we do know is this Mary, along with Mary Magdalene, watches Joseph entomb Jesus. The next day they return to his grave.

Why do we bother to have all these considerations over someone we can’t identify?

“The other Mary” reminds us that sometimes we don’t receive credit for the things we do. Or that our actions may receive only a vague nod. But Jesus knows. That’s what matters.

How willing are we to serve Jesus if no one else were to know what we do?

[Discover more about this Mary in Matthew 27:61 and Matthew 28:1.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Biblical Characters, Mary