Manaen and his friend, Herod Antipas

The references:

Acts 13:1                     In the church in Antioch… Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod

Luke 8:3                       Along with the twelve were… Joanna, wife of Chuza, the manager of   Herod’s household

The story that emerges:

Our subject is a man named Manaen, one of Paul’s friends in Antioch. He will take us to two tiers: a witness of Jesus among hostile leaders, and a disciple ready for missionary instructions.  

We’ll follow him first into the hostile family of Herods, since he was raised with them. The Herods appear throughout the New Testament. Sizing them up on the same page is challenging; I found this link¹to be helpful.

The place to start is Herod the Great. His magnificent building projects reflected the magnitude of his ego. His projects included fortresses, ports, and cities, as well as the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. He had six wives and over 14 children. The evidence is that paranoia and violence took over at the end of his life. The evidence? He poisoned one of his wives, convinced that she had designs for his empire. Then he had their two sons murdered. Just before his own death, worried about a coup by his firstborn son, Antipater, he poisoned him. And, yes, this was the Herod who had the young boys of Bethlehem murdered, attempting to kill off the Messiah.

Into that home life was born Herod Antipas, one of the surviving offspring. After his father’s death, this Herod was given the territory that included Galilee. He divorced his wife, the daughter of the king of the Nabateans, and married his half-brother’s wife, Herodias. John the Baptist publicly rebuked his breach of biblical laws. The response came following a sensual dance by Herod’s step-daughter, Salome. At the request of Herodias, Herod had John the Baptist beheaded. 

Moving forward a few years and over to Antioch, Luke lists the prominent leaders of that church. Among them is Manaen, the subject of this profile. Luke adds about him, “He was a companion of Herod (Acts 13:1).” The word for “companion” clearly indicates a playmate or close friend. We may assume that Manaen grew up in the upper and wealthy class in Jerusalem, enjoying Herod Antipas as a close companion. 

Another list by Luke mentions several of the women who ministered to Jesus in His itinerant ministry. One of these is Joanna whose husband, Chuza, was a manager of Herod’s estate (8:4).

There were, then, at least two followers of Jesus in high government positions and close to Herod Antipas. One was his long-term friend, and the other was his business manager. This brings up issues of the first tier -- the balance of persevering witness and/or exodus from unbelieving and hostile people. What influence was there about Jesus the Messiah? Did Chuza’s close interaction include discussing Jesus as the fulfillment of prophesies? Did Manaen’s witness call forth repentance?

We do not have the answers, but the questions are pertinent. Those same issues face many today. These two men surely recognized Herod Antipas responsible for horrifying policies and deplorable personal morals. At what point did Manaen separate from his friend? What was the telling incident or rejection? Did Herod persecute his friend who turned to follow another king? How long did Chuza remain in his post? What made him break?

The only mention of Herod’s attitude about Jesus came at the crucifixion when Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. Then Luke tells us, “Herod had heard of Christ and wanted to see him” (Luke 23:6). No matter what we may extrapolate from that reference, the conclusion leaves the blood of the Savior on the hands of this Jewish king as well as Pilate, the Roman governor.

Finding Manaen for a conversation on a heavenly bench was easy. I could tell by his loafers, wardrobe carryovers from his affluent days.  The tassels had been removed but a polished shine came through. He was easy to engage in conversation, although a nearby game divided his attention.

Here was one to ask about the witness of the church to the secular authorities. For us these are timely concerns since our own president has been accused of questionable policies and embarrassing morals. I asked if he was keeping up with our situation through the Internet. He rolled his eyes. “Internet? We lived quite well without that.” How about paper, then? Had he read the paper that carried the Christianity Today editorial²about our president? Well, he had. And??? The score of the game was close and his attention did not hold. But he did elaborate, adding comments like, “Lift up holy hands in prayer” and “constitutional democracy.” Also, he added, “Pray for those in authority.” Then he turned and spoke directly, “And remember that the one who is really in control is the Holy One, and this King neither slumbers nor sleeps.” 

And at that his head was turned. If you had trouble keeping up with the athletics and rules of Harry Potter’s games, this game was – shall we say – unearthly! After all, these angels were hard at it. I had lost all contact with Manaen. 

I didn’t even get to ask him my recurring question, the one that moves us into the other tier--the missionary instructions from his Lord, where he went after leaving Antioch. That question doesn’t have an answer either, but I bet it was the Koli people of India³.

1.    https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/herod-the-great-herodian-family-tree/

2.    https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/december-web-only/trump-should-be-removed-from-office.html.

3.    http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/koli-people-of-india/