February 26 - Priscilla & Aquila

February 26 - Priscilla & Aquila

This couple is always mentioned together. We don't read about Priscilla or Aquila, they are a single unit.

When Paul was in Corinth, he ended up staying with them for awhile. They had come to Corinth from Rome after Claudius had issued the edict in 49AD that all Jews were to leave Rome. Since they were tentmakers, as was Paul, it seemed only natural that he would work with them. (Acts 18:1-3)

They went with Paul as far as Ephesus when it came time for him to leave Corinth. (Acts 18:18) In 1 Corinthians 16:19, Paul mentions the church that meets in their home. They had established a house church in Ephesus and after Paul left Ephesus and began traveling through Galatia and Phrygia, they came into contact with Apollos. He was a learned man and knew the way of Jesus. When he began preaching in the synagogue, there were obviously some errors because Luke tells us in Acts 18:24-26, that Priscilla and Aquila took him into their home and taught him more about the way of God.

Later on, it is probable that they returned to Rome. In Paul's letter to the Romans (Romans 16:3-5), he again refers to Priscilla and Aquila and the church that meets in their home. In this passage, he says that they risked their lives for him and that all of the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

Many years later, in Paul's letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:19), he asks Timothy to greet them along with the household of Onesiphorus. They are obviously back in Ephesus by this time.

Priscilla and Aquila were not without means. They had the ability to travel freely and owned property throughout the region. Their graciousness and generosity enabled Paul and many others to do the work that God had called them to do. This couple established themselves within the communities they were called to and mentored young men (Paul and Apollos) as well as opened their home to Christians for worship, prayer and teaching.

It's difficult to come up with couples that are truly a team. To have their names lifted up together so many different times tells me that they were something special. They worked together to bring Jesus to the Gentiles.