Category: Biblical People

Gamaliel is a Pharisee and teacher of the Jewish law. He trained young Saul, who studied under him. All the people respect him for his wisdom and character. The Bible gives us one story about Gamaliel. 

Some of the religious leaders grow jealous of the influence Peter and the other apostles have on the people. After the apostles’ arrest and miraculous release from prison, they head back to the temple to teach about Jesus.

They’re rounded up again and brought before the religious Council. “We explicitly told you to stop talking about Jesus,” the high priest says, “but you persist, even trying to pin his death on us.”

“We must obey God and not you,” Peter says. Then he launches into a mini sermon. His words infuriate the Council, who want to silence him and his crew permanently. 

But wise Gamaliel intervenes. The Council goes into a private session and Gamaliel warns them that they should proceed with much caution. He reviews some historical examples of leaders who popped on the scene, built a following, and then died. Their followers scattered.

“My recommendation is to leave these men alone. If they’re acting on their own, their movement will fail. But if they’re acting on God’s authority, we’ll never stop them and will find ourselves fighting against God.”

This persuades the Council to not take excessive action. They have the apostles beaten and let them go with a warning.

When we encounter things that challenge our theology, what should we do to make sure our opposition to these ideas doesn’t cause us to end up fighting against God?

[Discover more about Gamaliel in Acts 5:33–42 and Acts 22:3.]

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 and his wife, Sapphira, sell some land and give the proceeds to the church. A lot of Jesus’s more well-to-do followers are doing the same thing.

However, Ananias and Sapphira keep some of the money for themselves. They’re free to do this. But they claim their donation is the full amount of the sale. They’re liars and posers.

Peter confronts Ananias about his duplicity. Ananias drops dead. There’s no mercy offered, no second chance given, and no investigation conducted. In this case, God’s judgment is swift and final. Some of the men in their community bury him.

A few hours later, not knowing the fate of her husband, Sapphira shows up. Peter confronts her as well. Again, there’s no mercy, second chance, or investigation. She, too, falls dead. The men who just buried Ananias then bury her.

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.

Ananias and Sapphira agree to deceive Peter and the church of Jesus. More significantly, they lie to the Holy Spirit. In their case, lying to the Holy Spirit is punishable by death—an immediate death. 

We need to guard against doing wrong, especially about lying to the Holy Spirit.

[Discover more about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–11.]

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.

We know Joseph (8) better as Barnabas. That’s the name the apostles give him. It means “son of encouragement,” which is a great nickname because he serves as a mentor and encourages others.

The Bible records two occasions when he does this, and there are probably many others we aren’t aware of. 

Barnabas’s first mentee is Saul (2). After Saul’s conversion, the disciples in Jerusalem are understandably afraid of him, but Barnabas helps Saul get plugged in.

The disciples send Barnabas to Antioch as their first missionary. When he sees how the Holy Spirit is at work there, he finds Saul and the two of them work in Antioch for an entire year. Barnabas is Saul’s mentor.

Without Barnabas, Saul may have never been connected to the church and learned how to help it grow. Eventually, the dynamics of the relationship shift, with Saul (later known as Paul) taking a lead role in their partnership.

The pair continues to travel, tell others about Jesus, and establish churches.

Then Barnabas wants to take his nephew, John Mark, with them, but Paul doesn’t. This is because Mark deserted them on a prior trip. Barnabas and Paul argue about what to do, and their ministry breaks up over their disagreement.

Though their split is disappointing, it serves to double their effectiveness. Barnabas takes Mark, to mentor him, and they head for Cyprus. Saul picks Silas as his mentee, and they head for Syria. 

Though Barnabas and Saul made a good team, it’s time for them to mentor others.

How can we decide when we should leave something that’s good to pursue something that might be even better?

[Discover more about Barnabas in Acts 4:36–37, Acts 9:26–28, Acts 11:22–26, Acts 13–15 (especially Acts 15:36–41), Galatians 2:1–14, and Colossians 4:10.]

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.

As we covered in the last chapter, Matthias and Barsabbas are both nominated to become the twelfth disciple, a role only one of them can fill.

They each have the needed credentials, having hung out with the disciples for three years, starting with Jesus’s baptism through to his return to heaven. They also both witnessed Jesus’s resurrection, his victory over death.

We don’t know anything else about Barsabbas, except that he has a couple of other names too: Joseph (7) and Justus.

As mentioned, both men are qualified, but only one can be chosen.

Though voting seems the fair way—the democratic approach—the disciples have a better idea. Instead of letting people decide, they’re going to let God pick.

To do this they will draw straws (literally, they’ll throw dice). They do this with prayerful confidence that God will cause the person he wants to draw the long straw.

Barsabbas gets a short straw. Bummer.

God picks Matthias over him. 

How humiliating for Barsabbas. We’re left to wonder how he reacts. Does he stomp off in a huff, mad that God selected someone else, or does he push forward in faith, striving to overcome this disappointment?

We do encounter the name Barsabbas again in the Bible—fully engaged and elevated to a leadership position—but we don’t know if this is the same man or not. It’s perplexing because this Barsabbas has a different nickname: Judas.

Personally, I want this to be the same man. It gives me hope that if we persevere in faith, we can overcome disappointment and be used by God later.

How can we respond to profound disappointment in a way that honors God?

[Discover more about Barsabbas in Acts 1:21–26 and Acts 15:22.]

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 Jesus’s death, his betrayer, Judas, is filled with remorse and commits suicide. The twelve disciples are now only eleven in number. Peter stands before them and quotes two passages from Psalms.

The second verse says, “May someone else replace him.” Though this may seem vague to us, the eleven disciples see this as a command—or a prophetic word—to find a replacement for Judas.

To do this they nominate two men who followed Jesus, from his baptism through to his ascension. They seek men who know all about Jesus and his ministry, including his resurrection from the dead. (Unfortunately, the verse specifies men.

Personally, I would have loved for them to have considered Mary Magdalene as the twelfth disciple.)

They nominate two men: Barsabbas (1) and Matthias. To us, the next logical step is to vote. But they don’t. Instead they pray for God—who knows everyone’s hearts—to choose which man should take the place of Judas.

Then, in faith, they cast lots, believing that the winner is God’s choice. The lot falls to Matthias. Again, we have twelve disciples.

What’s perplexing is that this is the last time we hear about Matthias. We don’t know if he becomes a loyal disciple or fizzles out. We don’t know if he helps advance the kingdom of God or abandons the cause. Does he finish strong or falter?

What do we need to do to make sure we finish strong for Jesus?

[Discover more about Matthias in Acts 1:15–26.]

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 Jesus dies, Joseph from Arimathea provides for the burial of Jesus. We don’t know much about this Joseph, but we do know three facts. 

First, he’s wealthy, rich enough to have his own rock-hewn burial vault on his property. 

Next, he is a member—a prominent one—of the Jewish Council, waiting in expectation for the coming of God’s kingdom.

Third, and most importantly, Joseph is a disciple of Jesus—albeit secretly, out of fear for what would happen to him if other Council members find out.

Not wanting to see Jesus’s body suffer the indignity of hanging on the cross over the Sabbath, Joseph seeks permission from Pilate to take down the body and give Jesus a proper burial. 

This tells us one more thing about Joseph. He is bold when it matters. 

Though he may have been cautious with what he revealed about his personal beliefs to the Council in the past, requesting Jesus’s body for burial clearly shows Joseph’s alliance with Jesus. There is now no doubt about Joseph’s loyalty.

In making his position public, Joseph risks much. He could be kicked off the Council, ostracized from society, and suffer death, just like Jesus. Though we don’t know if any of these things take place, we also don’t read anything more about Joseph in the Bible.

How much of our position, power, and prestige are we willing to risk if we let everyone know we’ve gone all in for Jesus?

[Discover more about Joseph from Arimathea in Matthew 27:57–60, Mark 15:42–46, and John 19:38–42.]

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.

Two criminals are executed with Jesus. Luke records a significant detail that doesn’t appear in the other biographies of Jesus. As the three of them hang on their crosses, they have a conversation.

If I were enduring the pain of torturous death, I doubt I’d say anything, but these three men talk to each other.

The first criminal says, “You’re the savior, right? Why don’t you save yourself—and us too?”

But the second criminal has a different perspective. He criticizes the first guy. “What’s wrong with you? We’re getting what we deserve, but Jesus is innocent.” Then he says to Jesus, “Please remember me when you begin ruling in your kingdom.”

Jesus responds with the most amazing, confusing, and comforting answer. “Today you will hang out with me in heaven.”

This second criminal merely affirms Jesus’s innocence and asks to be with him. He doesn’t repent or do any of the things most religious people insist we must do to go to heaven. Even so, Jesus offers him mercy and promises him a place in paradise. How cool is that?

Compare the second criminal to the first. The first one recognizes Jesus as the savior, the messiah that the people have been waiting for. He even asks Jesus to save him. However, Jesus doesn’t physically save him, and I doubt he spiritually saves him either. 

We could interpret Jesus’s promise of “you will be with me” as a plural you and apply it to both criminals, as in “you all will be with me,” but I think Jesus directs his salvation comment only to the second criminal, who admits his mistakes and the appropriateness of his punishment.

Both criminals recognize Jesus for his saving power, and both ask him for help, but only one admits his faults. Is that what makes the difference?

If the second criminal’s conversion doesn’t fit our idea of salvation, what do we need to change in our understanding?

[Discover more about the two criminals in Luke 23:39–43.]

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.

Another biblical character who only appears in one scene in the Bible (albeit in three different books) is a man we know as Simon. He comes from Cyrene—as in Simon from Cyrene. Simon is a man who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

According to the practice of crucifixion, the soldiers make Jesus carry his own cross to the site of his execution. In his weakened state, from the beatings and abuse heaped upon him, he’s not able to do so.

The soldiers certainly don’t want to lug this heavy instrument of death through the city streets, so they grab someone and force him to do it. The man’s name is Simon.

Other than knowing where Simon comes from and him being a victim of bad timing, we know one more thing about him. He has two boys: Alexander and Rufus. Aside from these things, we know nothing else about him. We can only wonder.

Is he a friend of Jesus or a foe? Does he see his forced labor as a service to his Savior or helping to end the life of a man who the Jewish leaders deride as a heretic?

We also don’t know what happens to Simon afterwards. Is his life forever changed because of his brief meeting with Jesus? Does he feel guilt for his unwilling role in bringing about the death of an innocent man?

Perhaps Simon ends up following Jesus. We can hope so, that his encounter with Jesus changes his life forever.

When we encounter Jesus, what is our response?

[Discover more about Simon from Cyrene in Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, and Luke 23:26.]

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.

While we look at Caiaphas as instrumental in bringing about the decision that Jesus must die, it’s Pilate—occasionally called Pontius Pilate—who has the authority to make it happen.

Though Caiaphas gets things rolling, Pilate—although he tries to stop Jesus’s execution—allows the proceedings to gather momentum.

After arresting Jesus and deciding he must die, the religious Council drags him to Pilate. They levy their ill-founded accusations against Jesus, but they can’t convince Pilate. 

“I find him innocent,” Pilate says.

The Jewish leaders persist.

Then Pilate, learning that Jesus is from Galilee, sees a way out. He sends Jesus to Herod (2) who has jurisdiction over Galilee. Herod happens to be in Jerusalem, likely for the Passover.

Wanting to meet Jesus, Herod asks him many questions—which he doesn’t answer—but then mocks him before sending him back to Pilate.

A second time Pilate tries to release Jesus.

A mob forms. They don’t want Jesus set free. They ask Pilate to release Barabbas instead. They shout for Jesus’s execution.

Unable to quiet the throng and unwilling to risk making them angrier by releasing Jesus, Pilate gives in to their demands. But first he washes his hands in front of them to symbolically claim he’s innocent of Jesus’s death.

Pilate has a sign placed on the cross, which says “The king of the Jews.” Though the Jewish leaders object to his wording, Pilate won’t budge.

Perhaps this is his small way to have the final word. But how much better would it have been for him to have done the right thing and protected Jesus from an unjust death?

When faced with a tough situation, do we do what’s right or give in to the pressure of others?

[Discover more about Pilate in Matthew 27, Mark 15, and John 18:28–19:38.]

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.

Two guys named Herod appear in Jesus’s story. The first Herod (1) attempts to kill Jesus shortly after he’s born. The second Herod (2) plays a part in Jesus’s death. 

But before we discuss that, let’s look at some other things Herod (2) does. Remember Herodias? She’s married to Herod, after he takes her from her first husband, his brother. Strike one for Herod taking his sibling’s spouse. 

John the Baptist criticizes their marriage, and Herod tosses him in prison. Strike two for Herod punishing an innocent man.

Then Herodias uses a situation with her daughter to manipulate Herod into killing John. Though Herod could and should have said “no,” he gives in and orders the beheading of John. Strike three for killing a guiltless man.

The next time we hear of Herod is when Jesus is being railroaded into his execution. Luke writes that Herod had wanted to see Jesus and is pleased Pilate sends Jesus to him.

Herod hopes to witness a miracle and asks Jesus many questions, but he doesn’t answer. Then Herod mocks Jesus before sending him back to Pilate. 

Herod didn’t need to do that. He could have kept Jesus under his jurisdiction and saved him from death. Instead Herod takes the easy way out and sends Jesus back to Pilate.

Have we ever avoided doing what was right and taken the easy way out?

[Discover more about Herod in Matthew 14:1–12 and Mark 6:14–28.]

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.