Priscilla & Aquila
The Redemptive Power Couple
When I think of power couples Jay-Z and Beyonce, Barack and Michelle Obama, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and David and Victoria Beckham come to mind. Loosely defined, a power couple is a union of two influential individuals. According Wikipedia, a supercouple is a pairing of the popular or wealthy that intrigues public interest or fascination (a). If we take queues from lifestyle magazines or social media we love power couples. They’re aspirational and Instagram shows us through #RelationshipGoals and #CoupleGoals about 40 million of the social media platform’s posts are categorized by those hashtags. For context, #Jesus is only tagged 33 million times. I think that simple observation reveals a lot about the impact of romantic relationships in the digital age.
Let’s playfully look at the Genesis account and view Adam and Eve as the world’s first OG(b) power couple. Once God breathed life into Adam and created Eve from Adam’s rib, he exclaimed “One like me!”. Eve’s likeness and status mirrored his own and God blessed them to replenish and beatify all of creation. Through American lenses, society attributes power to wealth, popularity, and dominance. Subversively, God shares his likeness with us.
In Acts 2 the Spirit of God descended on the tarrying disciples giving them the wisdom and power to renew the same mission Eve and Adam were tasked in the garden. While theologians debate the evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism, most will agree that the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is revealed by a boldness of the person to accomplish the Great Commission. In the case of Priscilla and Aquila’s ministry, their determination and partnership stands out as a fascinating model of a redemptive and power-filled couple.
For the sake of our seminar series on biblical leadership qualities, Priscilla and Aquila would best embody adaptability.
The popular leadership assessment, StrengthsFinder, describes adaptability as a calmness and clarity during change (c). More specifically, highly adaptable leaders build strong relationships that hold teams together and, intelligently and readily respond to circumstances as they come (d). For those of us familiar with church-planting or start-ups this nimbleness in the face of pressure is greatly desired by followers of visionaries and pioneers.
We find this couple mentioned six times in the New Testament by Paul (Acts 18:1–3,18,19,26; Romans 16:3,4; and 2 Timothy 4:19). He regards them as his coworkers who have “risked their necks” for him on many occasions. We learn that they were a married church-planting duo that partnered with Paul to minister to the fledgling churches in Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome. This required them to follow Paul to new cities, learn those languages, and reestablish their tentmaking business in each community they were called to serve. Their adaptable and yet subversive disposition enabled them to assimilate to different cities and influence culture through the gospel transformation of the Gentile converts they were discipling.
A common question readers ask is, why does Priscilla’s name comes before Aquila in most texts. Many scholars note this was because Priscilla came from higher social class and was a Roman citizen. Aquila is typically thought of as a freed Jewish slave from the artisan class. There are commentators who go further to say that Priscilla’s status would deem her more apt to teaching because of her access to education in philosophy and rhetoric. This does not undermine Aquila as a leader and a husband. Instead it can be seen as Paul highlighting the gifts and competencies of Priscilla just as Jesus had done with women in his ministry.
In Acts 18:24–26, Priscilla and Aquila discipled the energetic and articulate Alexadrian Jew, Apollos, in the way of God more accurately. This is important to note. Apollos would later become a famed leader of the gospel movement in their time. The Way followers even disputed in 1 Corinthians 12 who was a better apostle — Paul, Apollos, or Cephas. Yet before Apollos would become a popular leader, he was taken in by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus. There they would teach and introduce him to the Baptism of the Spirit and activate his ministry to be both effective and reflective of the good news of Jesus’s resurrection. On an interesting note both Apollos and Priscilla (along with Luke and Barnabas) have been seen as candidates to attribute the authorship of the Book of Hebrews.
The partnership of Priscilla and Aquila in contrast to Adam and Eve fractured relationship provides a hopeful glimpse of the gospel’s restorative intention. Genesis accounts the enmity between the serpent in the garden and the woman. In the Old Testament women were treated as inferior citizens and chattel. However, this New Testament couple brilliantly shines as an illustration of an equitable relationship where women and men can cooperate and embrace God’s promises and mission together again.
Priscilla and Aquila’s marriage highlights the possibilities men and women have through doing ministry together. It’s an expression of how the early church, fueled by the Holy Spirit, adapted to the kingdom vision of unity and collaboration. Galatians 3:27–29, 28 says for all who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. While we saw Adam and Eve sent out of the garden, Priscilla & Aquila were then sent out to make disciples. They are examples of God healing the broken partnership in Genesis and restoring man and woman’s joint purpose together to fulfill the Great Commission.
*Originally published February 29, 2020 for Women of Wonder (WOW!)
a: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercouple
b: OG (“Original Garden” power couple for “dad-joke” fans)
c:https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/250166/adaptability-talent-calmness-clarity-during-change.aspx
d: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252146/adaptability-theme.aspx
