Gallio gets word of the unsettling conflict taking place within Corinth’s Jewish community. Paul is arrested by a hostile crowd and brought before the city’s governor in an impromptu trial.
,,,
Acts 18:11-21, Luke 22:41-42
Standing in the foyer of Gallio’s personal home, Erastus announces their arrival. “My lord?” They hear a distant voice calling somewhere from the center of the home, and Erastus looks up at the husky man next to him and says, “That’s us. Come with me.”
The two men walk into the courtyard found in the middle of the home where they see Gallio bent over and tending to a succulent plant.
“My lord.” Erastus announces.
Gallio stands to see Erastus and the larger man standing next to him. He nods at Erastus and says to the man, “You must be Titius.”
Titius nods.
Gallio waves at the low table in the adjacent room with a spread of cured meats, olives and dates. “Please, join me over there.” He invites.
Exchanging pleasantries and partaking in the finer foods, Gallio spears an olive and finally gets to the point, “Don’t think I do this very often. I don’t. But, I’ve invited you here to learn a little more about you. I want to know what is happening at your home and why it is causing such a fuss in our city.”
…
With a cacophony of thoughts racing through his mind, Titius rounds a corner and makes a beeline for his home. Upon hearing voices engaged in conversation, he breathes out a sigh of relief. Getting closer, he identifies both Timothy and Silas amongst a larger group of people seated around a table. But, something’s not right. A twinge comes into the pit of his gut, as he picks up his pace once more. He nervously calls out: “Hey everyone!”
The group turns to see the familiar face walking towards them and responds. “Justus!” One of the men yells out in fun.
“Where’s Paul?” Titius bluntly asks.
Without looking up, Timothy nonchalantly replies. “I think he’s gone out.”
Titius grows wide eyed and firmly asks. “Where did he go?”
Silas turns around to see the man with an intensity on his face that he’s not seen before. “I wouldn’t want to face that on the battlefield.” He thinks to himself. Finally he asks, “Titius, what’s the matter?”
“Where is he?” Titius repeats.
Timothy finally looks up and sees the heightened concern on Titius’ face. He points in the direction of the other side of town. “He probably went to the spring. That’s usually where he goes this time of the day.”
With a sober look in his eyes, Titius says with urgency, “Meet me there.” He turns to run away.
Timothy looks over at Silas and asks, “What’s happening?”
Silas smirks in response and says, “I think you know.”
…
Slowly lowering his foot into a crevice, Paul carefully steps between two boulders and eventually finds flat ground. A moment of adrenaline courses through his veins, as he tries not to repeat getting his sandal stuck in the crevice and nearly falling some ten feet to the ground floor below. “Made it.” He mutters with relief while turning to observe the boulder above. “Today, anyway.” He chuckles to himself.
He stretches for a few moments in hopes to subdue a wrenching back pain. “Father,” he prays. “Back pain and all, It’s your day today. I’m just a humble and broken-down servant.”
“That’s him!” A voice yells out from behind him.
In an instant, the adrenaline returns. Paul turns to see a number of men just feet away. He looks for his escape, but there are too many of them. “Where did they come from?” He wonders. “What… is… happening?”
…
Titius sprints around the corner and comes to a sudden halt when he observes some thirty men standing outside of the gate that enters into the spring. “Oh no.” He says. He quickly retreats behind a wall, takes a long breath and despairs. “I’m too late.”
…
A knock rattles on Chaim’s gate followed by it creaking open.
Chaim’s courtyard warms with the morning’s sun, as he sits to enjoy his bread and fruit while tending to his various business matters. He notices the creaking gate and waves in the person on the other side. “Come.” He says, while finishing a bite. “Sit. Sit.” He waves at the man standing awkwardly above him.
The man glances over at the food spread out on the table and then back at Chaim.
Chaim stares at the man, raises an eyebrow, and asks, “Yes? You have news for me?”
Suddenly remembering his place, the man comes to attention and quickly reports. “We have him.” He says.
“Any resistance?” Chaim asks.
“No.” The man replies. “They’ve got control of the situation.”
…
Paul’s eyes widen as the small remnant of his long hair gets pulled by an unseen force. “What!?! Ow!” He exclaims just before feeling the saliva from another man who just spit on his face.
“Shut up!” A voice yells out.
Feeling helpless as several men work him over, Paul tries to explain, “But, what’s going…” He doesn’t finish the sentence after taking a blow to his head.
…
Chaim smiles as he picks up a date from the table and closely observes it in his hand.
The man watches hungrily as Chaim brings the date closer to his mouth.
Relishing the moment, Chaim then clenches the date in his hand and asks. “What of the others?”
“There were no others.” The man responds. “He was alone.”
…
Titius helplessly watches the mob of men drag Paul out from the spring and towards the nearby agora. Kicking him and spitting on him as they go, the men mock him.
“Oh God, what am I supposed to do here?” Titius laments. “Where are they taking him?”
He watches the crowd slowly drag their prey across the street and head towards the main marketplace.
…
Chaim nods, looks down at the date in his hand and then back up at the man. He pauses and finally says, “Good… good. So… Where are they now?”
“They are taking him to the bema.” The man replies. “He is to face the Romans.”
Chaim clenches his fist around the date and fumes, “Idiots.” He then throws the crushed date over the courtyard wall. “Meet me there.” He commands.
…
A ruckus, the flutter of men yelling at one another, bounces off the walls and causes the crowd in the agora to turn their attention towards the noise.
Erastus looks over to see the brood of men slowly parade into the agora. He notices the many who remain fixated on whatever might be in the middle. The thought then dawns upon him. “Oh no. Looks like they’ve had enough.”
He walks over to the judgment seat where Gallio has paused his own dealings to make sense of the yelling. Four Lictors, each holding his axe embedded fasces at the ready, close in to protect Gallio. Erastus decisively approaches Gallio and asks, “My lord, shall I alert the guard?”
“What is this?” Gallio asks.
Erastus replies. “My lord, I believe the Jews have a complaint.”
A look of understanding crosses Gallio’s visage. “No…” He says, “Let’s see how this plays out.”
“Yes, sir.” Erastus replies, as he takes several steps back.
Seated at the bema, Gallio observes the mess of men assembling below the Roman platform. Several men scoot away from the main attraction as if to showcase their bruised and bloodied quarry.
From the back of the forum, Titius spots Silas and Timothy and calls them over to where he’s standing. “Don’t get too close to this gentlemen.” He warns. “They’re out for blood today.”
Silas and Timothy exchange glances. As if in unison, they respond: “We know.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Titius then spots Chaim with his own entourage arriving on the scene and entering around the edges of the man-made circle. “What is he doing here?” He mutters.
…
As if the scene were put on pause, Gallio stares at the now unmoving scene of three men triumphantly pinning their helpless suspect to the ground. The crowd of men have moved several steps away to give Gallio the clear picture of how they have been wronged by this menace and that they are hungry for justice.
Growing more impatient as each moment passes, Gallio lifts his hands and tersely asks. “Well… would somebody mind telling me what is happening here?”
Slowly, a single figure saunters into the center of the circle.
…
Trying to improve their view, Timothy asks Titius, “I can’t see who it is. What’s happening?”
Titius gives a one word response. “Sosthanes.”
…
Making his way into the middle of the ring, Sosthanes moves towards the men still holding Paul down. He nods at the men who surround him and gives them a look of deep appreciation. He then gives his attention back to an unamused Gallio, bows and clears his throat.
“My lord,” Sosthanes says. “May Corinth live in peace at the hands of the mighty Rome.”
A smirk traces across Gallio’s face.
“As you know, my lord.” Sosthanes continues. “We Jews have peacefully lived under Roman rule and have labored deeply to contribute to Rome’s overall economic and political success.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Gallio mutters to himself as Sosthanes begins to drone on. He finally puts up his hands and says, “Enough. Why are you here? Who is this man in front of me?” Gallio stands up and barks out to the crowd pressing in. “Everybody, take five steps back.” He then points to the men still holding Paul to the ground. “You three, let the man stand.”
The men look over at Sosthanes for permission.
Noticing their hesitancy, Gallio looks over at Erastus and nods. Erastus scurries off to rally the additional guards. Gallio then looks at his key Lictor and motions for him to intervene. “I’m wondering if you understand what is happening here.” He says to the men several feet below him. “These guards are going to come down and permanently remove you from the scene if you don’t step back from that man.”
Seeing the open threat, Sosthanes rushes over to the men to get them out of harm’s way and shoo them to the side.
Paul finally looks up and sees that all attention is now on him.
“Are you able to stand?” Gallio asks.
Paul gestures to wait a moment, as he begins to lift himself off the ground. Eventually standing upright, Paul looks up to see the city official looking right back at him.
“Now.” Gallio says over to Sosthanes. “Enough of the fluff. Why is there a lynch mob here surrounding this court?
Patiently observing just outside the circle, Chaim chuckles at how things are progressing.
“Yes, my lord.” Sosthanes replies. “Let me get right to it then.” He points at the bruised figure standing in the middle of the widened circle and makes his accusation. “This man has deliberately come into our city with the purpose of dismantling our synagogue and our community.” He pauses to let that sink in.
He continues, “Several months ago, he divided our own community only to start a community of his own with our people right next door to us. He has pinned families against one another. He has caused our own leadership to fall apart. Even more so, he has single-handedly destroyed everything we have worked so hard to create for many years.”
Gallio smirks while gesturing at Sosthanes to hold. “Those are some fairly broad accusations. I need details. What has he specifically done?”
Sosthanes looks over to see the faces of his men and wonders why they are sneering back at him. He regroups himself and says, “My lord… yes, specifics. Our leadership within has imploded due to this man’s falsehoods. We have lost…”
“I don’t care about what has happened within your leadership.” Gallio barks. “What is the man’s crime?”
Chaim looks over at another man who sidles up next to him. “Doesn’t appear to be going so well.” He chimes.
“Not at all!” The other man says then spits on the ground.
“This man.” Sosthanes emphatically gestures while pointing at Paul. “Has persuaded our own people to worship God contrary to the Law.”
Gallio raises his eyes at this and asks, “To what Law are you referring? Rome doesn’t require allegiance to any one god.”
Realizing the moment to be slipping away, Sosthanes blurts out, “The Law of Moses.”
The crowd grows electric with agreement.
Gallio turns to see Erastus back at his post and observes the reinforcements surrounding the mob, significantly outnumbering them. He then notices Paul trying to get his attention.
“My lord,” Paul begins. “If I may…”
Gallio raises his hand to quiet him and says, “That won’t be necessary.” He then looks over at Sosthanes and responds, “Look, there has been no crime here, no malice, no wrongdoing from what I can see.”
Shaken by this, Sosthanes protests. “My lord.”
Gallio shakes his head and says, “Quiet. You’ve had your chance.” He then looks at the crowd and continues, “Had this been a matter of wrongdoing or a vicious crime, then it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. This is about your Law being violated, not the Law that governs us as a people. If you have questions about words or names and your own law, figure it out yourselves. I am unwilling to judge on this matter. Now, clear the area. Go home.”
“What!?!” Many in the crowd exclaim. “Do something!” Some cry out. “Where is our justice?” Others exclaim. Many raise their fists and shout out: “God will be vindicated!”
The Lictors look back at Gallio who then motions for them to escort Paul safely away from the angry crowd.
A number of men gather around Chaim and ask in desperation, “What do we do now?”
Chaim calmly shrugs. “Well…” He says while pointing over at Sosthanes who now stands alone. “There’s your leader. He’s the reason you’re in this mess. He’s the reason why Rome hates you even more than before. You follow him. So, why don’t you take your complaint up with him?”
The men turn.
“What is our next bidding?” Gallio turns to ask his clerk. “We’ve got a city to run.”
Erastus replies with the docket, when a new commotion begins behind them. “Uh, sir?” Erastus asks while looking over Gallio’s shoulder. “Uh, you might want to…”
The yelling increases below, as the men surround and start antagonizing Sosthanes. “That was your argument? Now you’ve placed us at risk here. This was your great idea? You’ve ruined us!” Several yell out. “Now Rome will be chasing us away.” Many form a new circle and begin pushing Sosthates around… Then come the blows.
Gallio turns to look at the developing skirmish, then back to Erastus. “Don’t bother. Now… what’s next?”
…
We’re going to stop here for today.
Acts 18:11-21, Luke 22:41-42
As had happened in other cities, Paul was dragged in front of the judgment seat, or Bema, in an impromptu trial. He was forced in front of the city’s governor against his will by those Jewish leaders who felt like he had committed a grave misjustice to the Jewish community here in Corinth.
To make matters somewhat more precarious, not everyone was on board with this move to get Rome involved. Many refugees had fled from Rome proper to Corinth after being expelled from Rome. At this time in AD 51-52, Many had arrived from Rome and had to start their lives, and livelihoods, all over again. So, to be under Rome’s magnifying glass here in Corinth wasn’t exactly their idea of a good time, yet by raising the issue in front of Gallio–who happened to be a Roman senator and the brother of the famous Roman writer and speaker, Seneca–many Jews were deeply concerned about how Rome would deal with their latest problem here now in Corinth, a problem named “Paul”.
So, when Sosthanes chose to get Rome involved, some vehemently disagreed with this approach. Consequently, when things didn’t go well for Sosthanes in the hearing, his own turned against him. While we don’t know exactly what motivated his own people to resort to violence against their own synagogue leader, I suspect there were several factors at play.
First, as mentioned a moment ago, we had the Jewish refugee contention. For the Jewish masses that were booted out of Rome due to an edict from Emperor Claudius in AD 49, they had to be nervous about the same problem happening here in Corinth. No doubt that legitimate fear entered into their minds as well as the minds of those who showed them hospitality for a time and, no doubt, heard their stories.
Second, with Crispus’ removal–he was a former synagogue leader who chose to follow Paul and Christ as Messiah–it’s likely that the synagogue leadership was trying to regroup and get their own house back in order. So, when Sosthanes insisted upon taking this matter up with the Romans, some were probably nervous to see that he was indirectly going after some of their own loved ones who had chosen to follow after Christ.
Third, it’s also likely that Sosthanes had a variety of “solutions” to this problem thrust upon him. In his mind, some of the presented solutions from the more extremist types would have been fairly unsavory. Solutions such as, “Let’s put a hit out on the guy and get him out of the picture.” Probably didn’t sit well with Sosthanes. Instead, he thought taking it up with Rome and using the proper channels would swing favor his way. But… he was wrong.
One thought that comes to mind: We have a number of players in this episode with each person trying to accomplish his own set of goals. As we strive to move ahead, we can come up against “no win” situations much like what both Paul and Sosthanes are going through. Even when trying to do the right thing, God may allow us to go through some real hardship as we aim to accomplish his purposes. Case in point: Paul. How much suffering did Paul need to endure to move God’s kingdom forward? A lot! From Paul’s perspective, it might have been seen as a “no win” situation for him. However, from God’s perspective, Paul’s suffering is exactly what needed to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. In the case of Sosthanes, he likely came to Christ due to his own “no-win” situation.
Maybe you’ve been in a “no win” situation, where no matter what said or did, you felt the sting of someone else’s pushback. Even when trying to honor God, it might feel like a “no win” situation, but when God is at the center of your motivation for doing what you’re doing, then move ahead and trust that God will turn this “no-win” situation into something beautiful.
He did exactly this when Jesus was arrested, tortured and killed. The moments before were spent in anguish as Jesus prepared his heart before the Father. While he wanted to do his own thing if only for a moment, he knew he needed to honor the Father with his decisions and his actions. Here’s Luke’s take:
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
— Luke 22:41-42
While it seemed like a “no-win” situation for him and his followers, in just three days following his death, God would do something to change the fate of all humanity, because Jesus sought to honor the Father.
There’s so much more to consider with all of this, but we’re out of time. When you’re up against your own “no win” situation, God may just be using you to advance His kingdom in a big way.
Have a wonderful week, and may God inspire you to see him at work in your own “no win” situations. Let’s move forward together.