The modern-day definition of a lawyer is a person whose profession is to represent clients in a court of law or to advise or act for clients in other legal matters. This term lawyer or lawyers appears seven times in the New King James Version of the Bible. However, what the Bible referred to as lawyers in that day and time was somewhat different than our current version of this profession.
Lawyers In The Bible
When the Bible refers to a lawyer it is meaning someone who was an expert or scholar in the Mosaic Law. These were religious leaders who were teachers of the Law of Moses. They were not attorneys who were hired to file lawsuits or to defend individuals in court. As seen in the verse below some versions of the Bible refer to them as lawyers, while other versions call them experts in the (religious) law.
(Luke 10:25)
One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” NLT
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” NIV
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” NKJV
Woe To The Lawyers
Six out of the seven times that lawyers are mentioned in the Bible it is not in a favorable way. On more than one occasion the Bible says these experts in the law, along with the Pharisees, tried to trap Jesus by testing Him with questions (Luke 10:25, Mathew 22:35). Luke 7:30 says they rejected God’s plan for them by refusing John’s baptism.
One of these religious experts went so far as to tell Jesus, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (Luke 11:45-46)
Zenas The Lawyer
Zenas represents the one time that Bible lawyers were not spoken of in a negative way in the Scriptures. In Paul’s letter to Titus he instructs him to do everything he can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need (Titus 3:13). This is the only time Zenas is mentioned in the Bible.
His usefulness to Paul, along with the fact that he was traveling with Apollos, indicates this law expert had most likely converted to Christianity and was assisting Paul, possibly as a missionary. Tradition counts Zenas as being one of the seventy-two disciples that Jesus sent out in (Luke 10:1).
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