Paul in Corinth becomes public enemy number one in the local synagogue. With Timothy and Silas’ arrival, Paul is able to double down his efforts by going back into full time ministry.
Acts 18:1-5; Romans 1:14-17; Romans 3:21-26
The men push their way into the small chamber next to the synagogue, tersely greeting one another, nodding and sharing this common moment of purpose. Tension mounts as the men silently await their leader. The room warms from the many bodies huddled in its space.
“Men of God.” Sosthanes announces, as he makes his way into the sweltering room and stands on a chair to survey it. He gauges his audience and confidently continues. “We have been poisoned.”
The men hiss and harden their gazes back at him.
“A yeast has risen within our midst and continues to rot whatever it touches.” Sosthanes points at several men, as he continues. “Mind you, nobody is immune here. Even the smallest amount of yeast can completely change the composition of the dough, and the only thing we can do right now is purge out the yeast… no matter who has been impacted by it. Do you understand me? If we are going to weather out this storm, we must fight to purge out the yeast.”
Composing himself, Sosthanes then softens his voice. “Men, you know of whom I speak. When that Syrian Jew came into town several weeks back, our peace loving Jewish family has since been torn apart. We have been divided, the weak minded who buy into this Messiah rubbish from those of us who are sound in our approach. We need to stand our ground and purge out the yeast.”
As if in unison, the men stamp their feet and yell out, “Purge out the yeast!”
…
The landscape thaws, as the sun perches overhead. The townspeople have made their way out to see the merchants and food vendors. Paul awaits his food order and seats himself at an array of outside tables. Unable to tune out three different conversations, Paul cannot help but to eavesdrop.
“Can you believe that?” A man seated at an adjacent table asks the other seated with him. The two stare out into the pedestrian filled street to identify an obvious group of characters. “Who wears that?” He asks while shaking his head.
The other chimes in. “And goes out in public wearing it. I wouldn’t let my wife even see me in that.”
The first man laughs and continues, “I dunno, I could see it on you… right as your funeral procession goes down the street in front of the whole city.” He blurts out while slapping the other guy on the back.
The second man nearly spits out his wine from laughter and says, “Yeah, just before they light me on fire.”
Paul stares at the men and while looking back to see if his food is ready, he sees another group of men glaring at the two men laughing it up. Startled by the outburst of laughter, the men contemptuously shake their heads for a moment and resume their conversations.
Changing the subject, one of the men gushes: “You aren’t going to believe this, guys, but… we sat… right next to… the emperor’s box.”
“Get out!” One of his tablemates exclaims. “Which event were you watching?”
“We were at the…” He begins before being interrupted.
“That’s nothing!” Another blabs out. “When Daphne and I went to the Olympic games two years ago…”
“What?” Another guy asks in surprise. “You went to the Olympics?”
Another chimes in. “With Daphne? What, was she like the only woman there?”
“Oh yeah.” The man says. “We go very faithfully. And as for Daphne, she would win a few events if she could compete.”
The other guys look around at each other, wince, and nod understandingly. “Yeah, I bet she would.” One of them says. “You don’t mess with Daphne.” Another responds.
Yet another one of the men speaks up. “Yeah? Listen… that’s nothing. We used to spar around with some of the athletes from time to time. Wanna know who I got to wrestle with?
“Food’s up.” The vendor yells over at Paul…
With a sigh, Paul quickly stands to grab the order and makes his exit.
…
With the arrival of Sabbath, the five make their way through some of the rougher parts of Corinth. Turning a corner on to a small side street cradled by apartments, Paul sees a familiar face some 100 yards away. He smiles at the man who smiles in kind and purposefully beelines towards Paul and his small group.
“Titius Justus!” Paul exclaims with his arms open wide.
With a somber look, Titius quickly assesses his surroundings and quietly corrals the small group towards his home on the others side of the street. Sitting them down on a bench inside his courtyard, Titius then takes several steps back to see if the street is clear.
Priscilla nudges her husband who looks just as baffled as she is.
Timothy and Silas exchange a more knowing glance at one another.
“Here we go… again” Timothy mutters, as he looks down at Silas’ feet. “Got your running sandals on?”
Paul looks up at Titius and asks, “What’s wrong, my friend?”
Titius’ rugged face softens a bit, as he quickly chooses his words. “You remember when last time I had to rush you inside the home here?”
Paul nods.
“Well, let’s just say you have a few more enemies now.” Titius says.
“What are we talking about?” Paul asks. “How many?”
Titius breathes out and says, “A lot! And, they’re out for blood this time.”
“And Crispus?” Paul asks. “What’s happening with him?”
“Well, that’s the thing.” Titius muses. “Crispus is out. Took too much of a liking toward you. Sosthanes and he had some sort of falling out. I guess it was on account that Crispus showed too much of an interest.”
“Okay…” Paul replies. “What does this mean?”
“It means…” Titius warns. “You no longer have an advocate in the Jewish community here. It means that you have a rapidly growing group of men who wish to destroy you.” Wringing his hands and thinking for a time, Titius finally speaks up again. “I don’t know if I’m going to regret doing this, but… you’ve been inside my house. You know there is a fair amount of room in there… sizable enough to meet here instead of the synagogue.”
Paul begins to smile at this, as he shakes his head in disbelief. “You want to bring this upon yourself?” He asks.
“I’m just stupid that way.” Titius confesses.
Paul pauses and says, “Well alright then. We’ll start meeting here.”
Titius sighs with relief. His expression quickly changes as he watches Paul begin to stand and make his way to the street. “Wait!” He exclaims as the others exit with Paul. “Where are you going?”
Paul smiles and responds. “To synagogue. It’s the Sabbath you know.”
Titius’ eyes widen, and he shakes his head in disbelief. “They’ll kill you there.”
Timothy quips quietly over to Silas. “You never quite get used to this, do you.”
Paul turns back to Titius and remarks: “We’ve got one more thing to do. Lord willing, we’ll be back.”
…
The room tenses, as its occupants watch Paul come in from the outside. Buried in quiet conversation, Sosthanes gets distracted by the door’s opening and sees who walks in. He tries to hide the scowl that has come across his face, and he immediately excuses himself from the others. His mind races, as he tries to figure out how this scene is going to go down.
The room grows even more quiet than it was, as the synagogue members watch a number of men follow Sosthanes to the entry doors.
Priscilla looks worriedly over at Aquila, Silas and Timothy. “What’s happening here?” She asks.
Aquila steps between her and the men encroaching upon them.
The room’s temperature drops. Crispus quiets his family, and he stands to see to the matter. He looks around at the men in the room and hears an unmistakable hissing noise permeating throughout the room.
Silas glances over at Timothy, and shows him his sandals. “Yes, I do.” He remarks.
Standing feet away from the small group, Sosthanes points at Paul and cries out: “You. You seek to destroy our way of life, and you have the audacity to show yourself here again? You have divided our people and seek to dismantle our faith. You, sir… You are not welcome here.”
More hissing and chanting.
Timothy leans over to whisper and asks. “Silas. What are they chanting?”
Not taking his eyes off the men in front of them, Silas shrugs. “Purge… something.” He finally offers.
Working his way between the standoff, Crispus faces Sosthanes and the men surrounding them, and he raises his hands. “Gentlemen,” He says, “Let’s simmer down. This is no place to become hostile towards one another. You have…”
Sosthanes raises his voice at Crispus. “I warned you not to get involved here. Your soft handling of this heretic has rendered you as a Jesus sympathizer and unfit for leadership.”
The other men yell out in agreement.
His eyes fixed on Crispus, Sosthanes yells out. “You have been removed from this Synagogue.”
Not knowing how to respond, Crispus replies, “You must be reasonable here.”
“This is about me!” Paul interrupts, as he walks between Crispus and his accusers. “He isn’t the one you take issue with. It’s me.” He raises his voice for all to hear. “In truth, however, it is not me. Nor was it the prophets before unbelieving Israel. They were mistreated, beaten and even killed for their message. “Get right with God.” They exclaimed. And our ancestors killed them for it. I bring the same message, and you wish to do me harm as well.”
Sosthanes tries to interrupt.
Paul yells on top of him. “No. You have ignored God’s message of reconciliation long enough. I have proclaimed to you how God sent Messiah here to redeem you from your wayward lives. You bear the name, “Jew” and boast in the God of the Law. You know His will and agree with the teachings found in the Law. The Law instructs you, and you act as if you’re a guide to others who are not as enlightened as you are. You correct the foolish, and you teach the immature. You are the embodiment of all that is true and holy.” Paul says with a smirk. “You’ve got it all figured out… You say, “Don’t steal.” Yet do you steal? You say, “Don’t commit adultery.” Yet, have you had affairs? You say, “Don’t give in to idol worship.” Yet, do you serve anything or anyone besides the Lord? You boast in the Law. Yet, do you break it? In breaking the Law–in seeking out the workarounds–aren’t you dishonoring God?”
Paul gestures over at the Greek converts seated on the far side of the room. “When you dishonor God, aren’t you Jews painting God in a bad light among these Gentile converts? For it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.””
“Get out!” Sosthanes yells out. “All of you who follow this trader and his band of mindless minions. None of you are welcome in this house of God.”
The men surrounding Sosthanes hiss even louder, as they creep closer to Paul and his little group.
Seeing the imminent threat, Paul raises his hands and says, “Fine, we’ll go and not return.” He sweeps his hands over his garment, as if to brush off any dust. “This is on you. Your blood is on your own heads.” He then raises his hands above his head. “These hands are clean before the Lord. I’ve been sent to you, but I’m done. From now on, I’m only talking with Gentiles.”
“Get out!” Sosthanes roars, while his men close in.
…
We’re going to stop here for today
Oooooohhh boy, things have tensed up again. Much like the other synagogues around Turkey, Macedonia, Greece, and now Achaia, Paul is stirring things up here in Corinth as well. However, Corinth is a very different type of city than the others we’ve seen so far. Lot’s of wealth and money to be made here and even somewhat of a middle class exists. Lots of celebrity worship, entertainment, and Vegas-like living. You know… what happens in Corinth, stays in Corinth, sort of living. Even for the Jewish community, things are a little looser here than it is in other cities. Curiously, many of those who attend synagogue are non-Jews, or Gentiles, who have converted over to Judaism. Many of these folks have not grown up with the Law and are freshly learning about it.
Here’s the challenge. Paul is seen as a divider, but he’s also been given the task of reconciling the world with Jesus. For the Jews unwilling to recognize Jesus as Messiah–God’s chosen instrument for bringing the world back into a harmonious relationship with Him–let’s just say… they’re not buying it.
For Paul, he took this responsibility on when Jesus first got his attention and helped him reorganize his priorities. That is, Jesus temporarily blinded Paul, smacked him around a bit, and gave him the task of reaching out to Jews and Gentiles alike. What is Paul to do? For him, it’s either to tick off the sensitivities of fellow Jews… or disappoint God. What to do, right? Not wanting to water down or stray from his calling, Paul lifts up “holy hands” in front of the Corinthian Jews to indicate that his heart is pure before the Lord and that they are clearly in the wrong for refusing to hear his message.
Lifting up “holy hands” was an outward gesture that communicated to those watching, “Hey, as God as my witness, I’m living right before Him, and He’s happy with me. As for you… God will deal with you accordingly.”
Such an encouragement is found in 1 Timothy 2:3-8, where Paul advises the younger Timothy to teach fellow believers this same mindset:
This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth.
In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
— 1 Timothy 2:3-8
The goal… listen to what I’m saying, and live right before God.
The problem here with Paul in Corinth appears to be similar to the problems found in just about every other Jewish synagogue where Paul has taught. Just like in Damascus, Jerusalem, Iconium, Antioch Pisidia, Thessalonica, and other cities, Paul has clearly sought out the synagogues to proclaim God’s message of reconciliation–first to the Jews, so that they may live rightly before God.
In fact, in Romans 1:14-17, Paul explicitly states that he went to the Jews first to communicate God’s message of reconciliation.
For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight.
— Romans 1:14-17
Paul reiterates this idea of “to the Jew first” in other passages as well (see Romans 2:9, 10). Why would Paul give preference first to the Jews and then the Gentiles? Is it that God likes the Jews better? Well… Not exactly. There are a number of passages that speak to the contrary. Here are just a few:
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
— 1 Corinthians 12:13
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.
— Romans 3:29
So God is definitely interested in the Gentiles as well. Going to the Jews first isn’t about whether God likes the Jews better. No. There’s a lot of background to what I’m about to say, but there’s no way I will be able to tackle this here. God had raised up the Jews as the ultimate underdog. From the perspectives coming from surrounding nations which were far greater, more powerful and much more sophisticated, the Jews were seen as a curious, peculiar and flat out inferior group of people who served a very foreign god.
From the Jewish perspective, God had made particular promises to them, rescued them, parented them, instructed them, created a homeland for them, and made them into a closely connected people–who placed themselves under the authority of Mosaic Law.
Typically, when foreign nations come in and take control of a people group, the general populace is eventually integrated into the new culture within one or two generations. Much like second or third generation Americans who would speak English with no accents and be generally adopted into American culture, people groups would change and eventually take on a new cultural identity over time. For the Jews, things were different. Jewish culture was unique and Jews would fight at all costs to make sure that the Law of Moses was still the overarching authority for Jewish culture.
Going to the Jews first was motivated by two main factors. Yes, there were others, but these are pretty important:
First, as those under the authority of the God who has cared for them, Jews shared A LOT in common. Paul went to the Jews first because of what they shared in common, which was just about everything pertaining to everyday life. From circumcision as a form of worship to education; from meal restrictions to employment skill sets, common ground was commonplace with Paul and fellow Jews. When sharing the message of Jesus, Paul didn’t have to unpack all of the background stuff that would go along with sharing. They had the same background.
The second reason pertains to the expectations that Jews had about God’s promises. Jews had a shared anticipation of a coming King, God’s chosen one, who would come and set up permanent residence in Israel while righting the wrongs of the world.
So, why the Jews first? With so much in common, wouldn’t it make sense to do it this way? In Romans chapter 3, Paul points out the advantages Jews had over Gentiles simply because they were much further down the road in their journey with God.
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.
— Romans 3:1-2
But many of the Jews struggled with Paul’s message, also for two major reasons: First, Paul points to Jesus as Messiah, the coming king who will right the wrongs of the world. The Jews rejected the message and Jesus as the promised chosen One of God. Second, is that Paul has included the Gentiles into the fold as recipients to the Kingdom promises of God. This is something the Jews did not favor at all.
But, Paul remains steadfast to the message by helping Jews understand that all people, regardless of whether they were Jewish or not, are sinful in comparison to a good (perfect) God. Paul writes that whether Jew or Gentile, we’re all messed up.
What then? Are we Jews better than they (Gentiles)? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.
— Romans 3:9
While Jews would admit that they had some issues, it was nothing like their Gentile counterparts. Compared to the Gentiles–even the converts–many Jews saw themselves as far superior to those outside of their own.
So… when Paul brilliantly explained how God had leveled the playing field between Jew and Gentile alike, many flat out rejected this idea. But, Paul remained persistent here: God has declared that all are under sin and in need of reconciliation to Him. Those obedient to the Law have cut corners. Those without the Law are well… they’re just a mess. Either way, all have missed out on God, so God had to do something to fix the problem.
But now God has revealed how we may be right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are declared in right standing with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
For Jews and Gentiles alike; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He justly did this through Christ Jesus when he redeemed us from the penalty brought upon us by our sin problem. For God publicly displayed Jesus as the sacrificial lamb for sin. People are declared righteous with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood, as a substitute for sinful humanity. This sacrifice of Jesus shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who have sinned, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
— Romans 3:21-26
What’s the bottom line with this? Regardless to who you are, your ethnicity, your social class, your family, your country of origin, or your background, God is interested in you. What better way to demonstrate such interest than to give away your most prized possession to restore the relationship? That is exactly what God has done for you, whether you are Jewish or not.
Well, that’s it for this week. May you know how God has gone to great lengths to demonstrate his love for you. May you know that God sent Jesus to free you from your sin problem and reconcile you to Him. Talk about going to great lengths! With that, let’s move forward… together.