Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. – Acts 13:1 (KJV)
I’ve probably read this verse multiple times in my life. However, the last time I read it, something really stuck out to me. It was this person named Manaen. Here was a person in the church at Antioch that grew up with Herod. What?
The same Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded? Yeah, that one. And Manaen who is named in this verse grew up with that same Herod. Isn’t that interesting? It makes me wonder what Manaen must have walked away from to follow Jesus.
There’s not a lot of information about Manaen, so I’m just imagining, but I’m thinking that if someone was brought up with someone powerful like Herod, chances are their family might have been wealthy and powerful too. Manaen might have given up a good career in Herod’s court to be at the church at Antioch. It’s pretty interesting to think about.
Regardless of all the details, Manaen must have counted knowing Jesus as worth it. He knew that nothing compared to knowing Christ and he found his purpose in life in following after the things of God.
Today’s Truth: Knowing Jesus is our greatest purpose in life.
How about you? Are you like Manaen? Are there things that you need to walk away from to follow Jesus? The truth is, Jesus doesn’t call us to give up everything to make our lives harder. Jesus calls us to follow Him because He loves us more than we love ourselves. Following after Jesus isn’t about trying harder, but rather living out of a relationship with your savior.
I’m sure that’s what Manaen did. Because of his relationship with Jesus, he decided that it was the only thing in his life worth pursing. So most likely, he moved from where he grew up to Antioch to serve Jesus. Manaen followed after Jesus because he knew his savior and counted knowing him most important of all.
