King Agrippa enters our story to determine the fate of the imprisoned Paul when Festus is unable to comprehend the situation or make an accurate determination. Agrippa takes the lead in this, sitting in on Paul’s hearing and taking part in the follow-up meeting.
After hearing Paul present his case, the group adjourn to discuss Paul’s situation. Agrippa concludes that Paul hasn’t done anything to deserve the severe penalty his detractors seek. This is the right determination, the wise decision.
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
After Felix lets Paul languish in jail for two years, he’s replaced as governor by Porcius Festus.
Shortly after he takes over, the Jewish leaders, not content to merely let Paul rot in prison, request that Festus transfer Paul back to Jerusalem. They’re still plotting to ambush him along the way and kill him.
Instead, Festus tells them to come to Caesarea and present their case there. He convenes court and Paul’s enemies accuse him of many serious charges, but they can’t prove a thing. As for his part, Paul persists in claiming his innocence.
Confused by their accusations against Paul, Festus isn’t sure how to proceed, so he asks if Paul will travel to Jerusalem to stand trial before the religious Council. Paul suspects a plot to kill him. To avoid returning to Jerusalem, he appeals his case to Caesar, a right he has as a Roman citizen.
Festus agrees with Paul’s request. However, Festus doesn’t know what charges to list in Paul’s appeal to Caesar. King Agrippa and Bernice, who have a better understanding of the background of this situation, agree to give their input.
Paul makes his case before the three of them, and they conclude that Paul is innocent and could have been released, had he not appealed his case to Caesar.
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
Felix is a Roman governor in Caesarea. His jurisdiction is the next stop for Paul and his legal ordeal as a prisoner for telling others about Jesus.
In response to a threat against Paul’s life, a Roman centurion moves Paul from Jerusalem to the garrison in Caesarea. Felix leaves Paul behind bars until his accusers arrive to present their case.
Five days later Ananias (3) shows up, along with some of the other religious leaders and their attorney, Tertullus. Paul’s trial is convened, and Tertullus presents their case.
He gives misinformation and accuses Paul of various crimes, but he offers no proof, though the Jewish leaders who came with Tertullus agree with everything he says.
Next Paul presents his defense, but he doesn’t dissuade Felix.
He could release Paul—since the charges brought against him have no merit—but instead Felix keeps him in jail, hoping for a bribe. Two years later, when Felix leaves his post as governor, Paul still languishes in prison.
How often does our love for money keep us from doing what is right?
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
Ananias (3) is a high priest and part of the religious Council, the Sanhedrin. This is at a time when the Jewish religious leaders are doing their best to get rid of Paul, trying to silence him forever or at least remove his influence on their community.
Paul, a prisoner for his beliefs and for telling others about Jesus, is brought before the Council. Paul looks at them and declares, “I’ve been faithful to God and have a clear conscience, up to this very day.”
At that moment Ananias orders someone near Paul to hit him in the mouth. We don’t know if this is a mere slap or a punch.
Regardless, Paul reacts. “You hypocrite! You claim to judge me according to the law, but you violate it by commanding someone to strike me.”
The people standing next to Paul inform him that he just insulted God’s high priest.
Paul apologizes.
cWithout justification, he ordered that Paul be punished.
Being high priest doesn’t give him the right to do that, but his position does give him the power, whether it’s okay or not. And the people support him in this.
Despite whatever good qualities Ananias may have, he’s a corrupt leader who uses his power to advance his personal agenda, opposing God’s plan in the process.
Whether we have little power or much, do we abuse what power we have or use it to honor God in all things?
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
After the riot in Ephesus, Paul travels to Macedonia. Luke lists the team who goes with Paul, or at least part of the team: Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus.
We’ve already covered Timothy, Aristarchus, and Gaius. We know nothing about Sopater because this is the only verse he appears in, and we know little about Trophimus.
That leaves Tychicus.
Tychicus makes an appearance in five Bible verses. The first is in Acts, and the other four are in Paul’s letters. From these we learn that Tychicus is a trusted member of Paul’s team, someone Paul often dispatches as his representative.
Paul tells the church in Ephesus that Tychicus is a dear brother and faithful servant of God. Paul plans to send Tychicus to them to give a personal update with information that isn’t in his letter.
When Paul writes to his protégé Timothy, he confirms that he sent Tychicus to Ephesus. However, in Paul’s letter to his protégé Titus, he writes of his plan to send Tychicus (or Artemas) to fill in for Titus so he can come to visit Paul.
Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful missionary, and servant of God, helps Paul be more effective in ministry, serving as his ambassador and messenger.
These roles aren’t big, but they are important.
Regardless of the size of our assignment, are we a faithful servant of God?
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
Aristarchus isn’t a leading player in the early church, but his name comes up on five occasions. From these we see a man committed to advancing the cause of Jesus.
We first encounter Aristarchus in Ephesus, during the riot caused by Demetrius (1) and his followers. Unable to locate Paul, the mob grabs Gaius and Aristarchus simply because they’re part of Paul’s team. Aristarchus and Gaius escape harm, but surely it must be a couple of tense hours as they wonder what will happen to them.
We see these two men a bit later when Paul travels through Macedonia. Not only are Aristarchus and Gaius part of his squad, so too are Sopater, Secundus, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus.
When Paul writes to his friend Philemon, Aristarchus is present and sends his greeting to Philemon. In this correspondence, Paul calls Aristarchus one of his “fellow workers,” along with Mark, Demas, and Luke.
Much later in Paul’s life, as a prisoner, he boards a ship headed for Rome. Aristarchus is with him. We don’t know if Aristarchus is also a prisoner or merely there to support Paul. However, when Paul writes to the church in Colossae, he does refer to Aristarchus as a fellow prisoner.
Though we don’t know much about him, Aristarchus is part of Paul’s missionary team, is esteemed as a fellow missionary, and suffers in prison for the work he has done.
Like Aristarchus, are we content to play a supporting role in a greater ministry?
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
John writes a letter to his dear friend Gaius. It’s recorded for us in the Bible. This is likely the same Gaius grabbed by the riotous crowd in Ephesus.
He, along with Aristarchus, goes with Paul, traveling to tell others about Jesus. This makes Gaius a missionary.
John’s letter to Gaius is a short message. It’s a warm letter, full of encouragement and affirmation. John also reinforces some teaching with Gaius. Then John tacks on a short testimony about Demetrius (2).
It seems Gaius knows Demetrius, or John anticipates the two of them will interact. John simply writes that everyone speaks well of Demetrius. It’s important to John that Gaius knows this.
We get one more insight into Gaius as Paul wraps up his book to the Romans. He notes that Gaius sends greetings to the Roman followers of Jesus, making mention of Gaius’s hospitality.
Paul has enjoyed Gaius’s hospitable nature and so has the whole church. We don’t know where this church is, but his hospitality is well-known in the area.
Gaius first travels as a missionary and later opens his home to other missionaries as they travel.
Are we known for our hospitality? If not, what should we do about it?
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
Paul travels to Ephesus to help the believers there and spread the word about Jesus. Paul stays there for a couple years. First, he preaches with boldness in the synagogue, and later he leads discussions in a lecture hall. Under God’s power, Paul performs some amazing miracles.
As Paul prepares to leave Ephesus, a tradesman named Demetrius sparks some serious opposition. He’s a silversmith who specializes in making silver shrines for Artemis, a local deity whose temple is in the city.
Demetrius opposes Paul, not because of theological disagreement (not really) but because of financial threat. Demetrius and the other craftsmen earn their living making things for the worship of Artemis. He fears that as people turn to Jesus, they’ll stop buying Artemis-related products.
He gathers his fellow tradesmen together and makes a passionate plea for them to act. Even though he has a profit motive, he argues that Jesus’s followers are discrediting Artemis and robbing her of her divinity. He stirs them into a riotous fervor.
The mob rampages, shouting, “Hail Artemis, god of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city is in an uproar.
They grab some of Paul’s ministry team, Gaius and Aristarchus, when they can’t find Paul. Then they push Alexander forward to talk, but when he starts speaking, they realize he’s a Jew and shout him down.
The tumult continues for two hours.
Eventually the city clerk quiets the crowd. He appeases them by affirming Artemis’s greatness, but he also confirms that Paul and the other believers haven’t wronged Artemis.
He tells Demetrius and his crew that if they have a grievance, they must address it through proper channels. Then he chastises the crowd for their riotous behavior and sends everyone home.
The Bible tells us nothing more about Demetrius’s opposition to Jesus’s followers, so we can assume this is where the story ends.
Demetrius masked his personal agenda in religious terms. How often do we do the same?
Apollos is a Jew from the city of Alexandria, but he later moved to Ephesus. Well-educated, Apollos has a deep knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures. He knows about God’s ways, is a charismatic speaker, and teaches others. Though what he says is correct, he doesn’t know the whole story. He only knows about John’s baptism.
When Priscilla and Aquila hear Apollos speak, they’re impressed. They invite him into their home to tell them Jesus’s story, for whom John prepared the way.
Armed with this knowledge, Apollos wants to go to Acacia. The church in Ephesus encourages him to go. They write letters of introduction for him. When he arrives, he helps the believers there. He engages in public debate with Jewish opponents, using the Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.
This is the last we hear directly about Apollos’s work. However, in some of Paul’s letters we get glimpses of how powerful and effective he is at spreading the good news of Jesus.
When Paul writes to the church in Corinth, he implies that Apollos’s teaching is equal to his own and Peter’s. The only problem is that people are aligning themselves with one of these three teachers—human, fallible leaders. Then Paul adds, “I plant the seed, Apollos waters it, but God makes it grow.”
When God calls us to a task, are we ready to acknowledge his role in the outcome?
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
Exiled from Rome, Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, are missionaries who work with local churches and help other missionaries. Tentmakers, like Paul, they first meet him in Corinth where they work together. Later they travel to Syria and then to Ephesus.
While Paul goes on, Priscilla and Aquila stay in Ephesus to help that church grow.
In Ephesus they meet Apollos. An educated man, he tells others about God with much zeal, but he only knows about the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila explain the full story of Jesus to him. Then Apollos goes out on his own to tell others about Jesus.
In his letters, Paul calls Priscilla and Aquila his coworkers, confirms they risked their lives for him, and affirms the church’s appreciation for their work.
Later Priscilla and Aquila are back in Rome when Paul writes to that church, and they are with Timothy when Paul sends his second letter to the young preacher.
However, when Paul writes again to the church in Corinth, Priscilla and Aquila are with him. At some point they start a house church, but the Bible doesn’t tell us where.
The Bible always mentions Priscilla and Aquila together, never as individuals. They work as a team. That’s how they can best help the church of Jesus grow.
What’s interesting is that contrary to the cultural norm of listing the husband, Aquila, first and the wife second, Luke and Paul usually name Priscilla first and then Aquila.
While we could assume this means Priscilla takes a lead role in their work, another understanding is that they are equal partners, with both Luke and Paul often mentioning Priscilla first to show her equality in ministry.
If we serve God with our spouse, do we work as equal partners, or does one lead and receive all the credit?
Read more about other biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in 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.
