Priscilla and Aquila
Daily Reading: Exodus 12, Psalm 62, Acts 18, Proverbs 3
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila.
Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
Acts 18:1-4, 18-19, 24-28
When reading the Bible it is easy to spend most of our time thinking about the main characters.
Jesus, Moses, Paul, David, Abraham, Jacob and the list goes on.
We give quite a bit of our attention to old testament leaders like Isaac, Joshua, Samuel, Joab, Caleb, Gideon, Nehemiah, Ezra.
We study prominent women in the Bible, and the roles they played in shaping history, like Mary, Sarah, Rachel, Rebekah, Ruth, Esther, Deborah.
We pour over the prophets: Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jonah, Zechariah.
The thing that has struck me this year while working my way through the Bible, only a little over two months in, is how that list is only scratching the surface.
There are so many characters throughout the Bible that only make the smallest of appearances, and yet their impact is profound.
Today we read briefly about Priscilla and Aquila. Now, it is entirely possible that I have heard a sermon on these two, but if I have, I have no recollection of it. They pop in briefly and then we only hear about them in passing in a couple of Paul’s letters.
I want to shine a light on Priscilla and Aquila today, because I love their story.
This couple had to flee Rome when Claudius had ordered all of the Jews to leave. They had just arrived, were still getting settled in themselves, and then Paul showed up. They took him in when he arrived, gave him a place to stay, and helped him work as a tentmaker while ministering to Corinth, because that was his trade.
Paul needed a support system and they stepped up.
When it came time to depart from Corinth to spread the gospel elsewhere, Priscilla and Aquila felt God’s calling and joined Paul in traveling to Ephesus. They then stayed behind to plant the church there while Paul moved on to share the good news in other cities.
Enter Appolos.
Priscilla and Aquila were critical parts of his story, pouring into him and helping him better understand the gospel, before he also went on to Achaia to spread the name of Jesus.
All of this happened within a single chapter in Acts 18.
If we were to ask any Christian to name as many people from the Bible as they could, it would take quite a while before any of us would get to Priscilla and Aquila, and yet their impact was massive.
We don’t have to be Jesus to make an incredible difference in the world.
We don’t even need to be Moses, Jacob, Ruth, or Ester.
God calls all of us to make an impact in our own ways.
Perhaps you are called to be a support system to others when they need it the most, like Priscilla and Aquila were for Paul.
Perhaps one day you might be called to plant a church in a brand new city.
Perhaps you will mentor and disciple a new believer, and that person will go on to plant churches all over the world.
We are all “main characters” in God’s story.
God doesn’t differentiate between Moses and Aquila. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Priscilla.
He has a plan for all of us.
So next time you feel intimidated by the calling God has put on your life, remember Priscilla and Aquila. Stop thinking you have to be Moses, and remember that your short chapter in Acts 18 can have a generational ripple effect in countless lives.
Daily Reflection & Dialogue
What is the current verse in your personal chapter of Acts that God is calling you to?
