…
Paul ramps up his dedication to the Lord and takes on the Nazarite Vow. Sosthanes confides in his wife and has an unexpected conversation with Crispus.
Acts 18:6-10, Numbers 6:1-21
As the room begins to brighten, Paul wakes up and forces himself out of his warm bed and into the cold room. Dressing himself, he walks over to one of the splintered window shutters. He shakes his head upon closer evaluation.
“Yeah, I’m not a fan of them either.” A low voice calls out from behind him.
Surprised by the voice, Paul turns around to see Titius examining the shutters of another window. “What are you…” Paul starts. “What happened? Where?”
“All in good time, my friend.” Titius says. “All in good time.”
“You’re alive.” Paul responds. “I was beginning to think the worst.”
“Let’s just say that our friends next door invited me to their little party, but it wasn’t for me.” Titius replies.
Paul laughs and replies. “I don’t see any bruising. You don’t look like you’ve been harmed in any way.”
Titius scratches his head, smiles and says. “Ahhhh, they know better than that.”
Paul smirks, as he ponders a whole new dimension of the man standing in front of him. “Okay, now you’ve got me wondering about a lot of things.”
“I wouldn’t fret about any of that.” Titius replies. “But I would like to see to fixing these shutters.”
…
As the evening chills and the home grows quiet, Sosthanes stares at the ceiling while lost in his thoughts.
Seeing that he’s awake, his wife moves an oil lamp closer to see his face. “What is it?” She asks.
Not diverting his eyes away from the ceiling, Sosthanes gives a slight shake of his head and says, “It’s nothing. Go to sleep.”
She smirks. “It’s never nothing when you get that crease in your forehead.” She says while stroking just above his brow.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Sosthanes grouches.
Propping herself up on an elbow, she turns to him and asks, “How long have we known each other?”
Confused by the question, Sosthanes turns his head to look at the woman staring back at him and replies, “I don’t under…”
Cutting him off, she continues. “Do you really think that I don’t recognize your stupid stubbornness when it shows up? I’ve known you these thirty five years, and you think that this is the first time I’ve seen you this way?”
“You couldn’t possibly understand.” Sosthanes dismisses.
Raising her eyebrows at the insult, she then cooly nods her head. “I see.” She says. “Your situation is so complex, so confounding, that me, a silly, undereducated and simple woman… your wife… couldn’t possibly understand. Do I have that right?”
Sosthanes softens his face, knowing that whatever is said from this point on would only compound the matter.
“Never mind.” She says coldly. “I’ll let you bury yourself.”
“What do you want me to say?” Sosthanes asks helplessly.
She turns back to him and emphasizes: “I want you to share your life with me. But you seem to be so bottled up in that head of yours that you can only relate to yourself.” She pauses before going on. “One of these days, you’re going to need help from others, but if you keep shutting me and others who care about you out, you’ll never get it when you need it the most.”
“Fine.” He throws up his hands in concession. “You wanna know what’s bothering me? People are out of control, and they are trying to force me in different directions. I’m getting pressured from others in a big way. Some are accusing me of taking a hard line, while others are saying that I haven’t done nearly enough.”
“Are you talking about the evangelists?” She asks.
“Yes… well they’re just part of the problem.” He says. “Crispus’ defection stabbed me in the heart. This is the ultimate betrayal from a lifetime friend. So, now that I’ve removed him from the synagogue, some have exploded with their displeasure while others keep pushing me to take it up with the Romans. Even more so, we have a bunch of zealots who have sought to destroy Titius Justus’ home. And today, I just heard that they did something with him.”
She sits up in alarm. “What did they do?”
“I’m not sure.” Sosthanes replies. “They’re keeping me out of the loop, so I have only heard bits and pieces.”
“He is a dear man.” She exclaims. “Wait, keeping you out of the loop? Who’s doing…”
“I know, I know!” Sosthanes replies. “Everything we’ve built is falling apart at the seams, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Silence creeps in… before she finally asks, “Why did Crispus and his family follow that man?”
Sosthanes shakes his head and confesses. “Honey, I don’t know… I just don’t know.”
…
In a cleared out part of the larger room, Titius lumbers over to Timothy and Silas with a large window shutter in hand. He leans it against the wall and says, “There. Now we have a model to work with. We can remove what remains of the broken shutters and see what might be salvaged.”
Both nod their heads, as they do their best to estimate how long this project will take.
Silas rubs his face and replies. “I’m not a great woodworker, so if you have any tips along the way, be sure to point them out.”
Titius smiles and replies, “I’m sure we’ll get it right.”
Timothy looks over at Silas and asks. “Will it just be us today, or will others be joining us?” He looks around the room and notices Paul’s absence. “Hey, where is Paul anyway?”
…
Realizing the error of his timing, Paul watches, as a number of women exit the spring with their water jugs. He waits across the street from the spring’s entrance and wonders how women throughout the known world are drawing their water from a similar spring or perhaps a cistern to tend to their daily rituals. The line begins to fade, and fewer women trickle out from the spring. Walking through the entrance, he sees a number of smaller pools and spots that are now empty. He finds a boulder and begins to think through the crazy set of events that have just happened. Being thrown out of the synagogue, baptizing Crispus and his family, the jeering and the violent reaction from some of the zealous Jews, the time of frustration and even despair… and the vision. “What do I do with that… that vision?” He wonders aloud. “Lord, you came to me, to encourage me, and to get me to stick around and not run off to another city. You have your people here, many of whom drive me nuts. But, they’re your people, so they are my people too.”
Others drift in and out of the spring without Paul even realizing it.
“What is our next move, Lord?” Paul prays. “I know you’ve told me to stay, so I’ll stay.” He pauses to further contemplate. “You have a lot of your people here who long to know you. Lord, I need your help. I need to have an attitude change about being here. You’ve already blessed me through Titius, Crispus and his family, Gaius, and others. You’ve faithfully brought Timothy and Silas by my side. What’s my problem?” He asks. “Am I expecting too much here?”
Another thought creeps in. “I’m not fully committed here, am I. That’s my problem, Lord! I’m not all in. I need to dedicate one hundred percent of myself to these people and this city. And… up until now, Lord… in my heart of hearts, I haven’t done that.”
…
Removing his sandals and robe, Crispus walks into the caldarium to see Sosthanes seated on a bench with his elbows draped over his knees.
“I thought I might find you here.” Crispus announces.
Recognizing his voice at once, Sosthanes sits upright and fully alert. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s a bath, Sosthanes.” Crispus points out. “It’s what we do.”
Suddenly reeling from the emotional bandage being ripped from his wound and not knowing how to respond, Sosthanes stands and starts to walk towards the exit.
Sensing the agitation, Crispus says. “Hey, stop. Relax… It’s me.”
“I can’t be seen with you.” Sosthanes retorts.
Crispus looks around the empty room and says, “It’s just the two of us in here. We’ll sit on opposite sides of the room, okay?”
Sosthanes does not reply.
“Look.” Crispus says. “I know you feel like I’ve betrayed you.”
Sosthanes bursts out in anger. “Yes, you have betrayed me. You’ve betrayed our friendship. You’ve betrayed our synagogue, my family, and you’ve abandoned everything we’ve built together.”
Crispus shakes his head. “Hey, let us reason for a moment. You feel betrayed, not because I have abandoned you. But because I have chosen to believe in Messiah. I didn’t walk away from everything we built together. You had me and my family removed.”
“You forced my hand.” Sosthanes fires back.
Crispus takes a long breath to simmer down. “Look. There is something far more important to talk about here.”
“Wait…” Sosthanes says. “You’re here because of me then.”
“Guilty.” Crispus confesses. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. I know things haven’t been easy for you, but you must know that things have been quite challenging for me and for my family as well. My son was pelted with rocks the other day. He was badgered by a bunch of boys who took a stoning reenactment a little too seriously. His head and back were pretty bruised up.”
“I can assure you that I didn’t…” Sosthanes says defensively.
Crispus gestures peace. “I’m not accusing you of that.” He says. “Boys will be boys, and they can do things without really understanding the implications of their actions. All I’m saying is that we’ve faced quite a bit of pressure from the community.” He continues. “I’m betting that you are facing similar pressures.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Sosthanes responds.
“Okay, okay.” Crispus replies. “I get it.” He stretches out his arms for a moment and asks: “So, where is all of this going? More importantly, what do you think God is doing in all of this?”
“What?” Sosthanes asks with surprise. “You’ve abandoned God.”
“Not at all, my friend.” Crispus says. “I’ve simply responded to God’s offer.”
“What are you getting at?” Sosthanes skeptically asks.
“Sosthanes.” Crispus says, as he looks up into the domed ceiling. “What if we have misunderstood the purpose behind the Law.”
Sosthanes doesn’t respond.
Crispus goes on. “What if the Law wasn’t created for the righteous?”
“What?” Sosthanes dismisses.
“Hold on…” Crispus says. “Hear me out. What if the Law was given to stop abusive human behavior towards one another?
“You know that isn’t what the Law was for.” Sosthanes counters. “The Law speaks towards how God expects to be worshiped.”
Crispus concedes. “You’re right, you’re right. It certainly includes that. ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.’”
“And…” Sosthanes continues: “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.”
“Indeed.” Crispus responds. “And that’s the crux of the matter.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Sosthanes says, as he leans forward.
“Our righteousness before God only comes when we are completely obedient.” Crispus says with a smirk. “So, when’s the last time you’ve been fully obedient? When’s the last time you haven’t breached a command?”
“That’s why we make sacrificial offerings to the Lord.” Sosthanes says. “We may never be fully obedient, which is why God’s substitutionary sacrifice is so important here.”
“So, you agree then.” Crispus says.
Flustered with Crispus’ tone, Sosthanes responds. “What are you getting at?”
Sensing his tension, Crispus tries to lighten the moment. “All I’m saying is that the Law cannot produce righteousness in us because we can’t possibly live up to it. Do I lie from time to time? Do I act selfishly? Do I desire what others have? Do I cheat, even if only a little, to get my way? God has given us the Law as this huge mirror to show us how poorly we measure up to it.” He says while letting out a long breath. “God has had to do something much more permanent than the sacrificial offering of a goat or a bull.”
…
We’re going to stop here for today.
Acts 18:6-10, Numbers 6:1-21
Crispus and Sosthanes get into a curious dialog that will likely have an effect on Sosthanes down the road. We know this because Paul and Sosthanes later co-write the letter of first Corinthians about Sosthanes being a brother (1 Corinthians 1:1).
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother…
— 1 Corinthians 1:1
Is this the same Sosthanes in Acts 18? While I can’t fully prove this, I can argue that after Sosthanes gets ‘tarred and feathered’ by his own people and kicked out of leadership in the local synagogue, he would have likely taken a more serious look at the emerging body of Christ followers.
Sosthanes had become an advocate for the local synagogue to quell the Christ followers in Corinth. Pressured from many sides, Sosthanes escalated the matter before the Romans who wanted no dealings with him or the local Jewish contingency. Those who followed Sosthanes, and likely pressured him to force the matter before the civic authorities, immediately turned on him once the Romans dismissed the case. Right in front of the indifferent Roman authorities, Sosthanes co-supporters beat the snot out of him. Small wonder that Sosthanes would take a second look at the Christ followers who would welcome him, no matter how bruised up he might be, into fellowship.
Meanwhile, Paul takes on a modified Nazarite vow, whereby he dedicates himself to the Lord for a specific period of time. Numbers 6:1-21 describes what’s fully involved with taking the Nazarite vow, but Paul wouldn’t have been able to fully accomplish what was spelled out in the law itself. That would require him shaving his head at the temple in Jerusalem and having the priest offer up his hair as a peace offering (vs. 18).
We know that a vow was taken at some point during his stay at Corinth because we read how Paul shaved his head before moving on to Ephesus and eventually back to Antioch (Acts 18:18). If the vow was to be more in alignment with the exacting nature of the Law, Paul would have had to wait to shave his head until he arrived back in Jerusalem to fulfill the Nazarite vow as spelled out in Numbers 6.
The larger question at hand, though, is why Paul would have taken the Nazarite vow. While taking the Nazarite vow wasn’t an everyday sort of thing in Jewish culture, it wasn’t uncommon either. In some cases, a Nazarite vow was something that parents would have had invoked on their children for life, but in most cases, to take a Nazarite vow was to set aside a temporary time of dedication to the Lord whereby extra-focused attention would be given towards serving the Lord.
In the case of Paul, we see that he was struggling somewhat in Corinth. This was shortly after he got fed up with the Jews in the synagogue and declared that their blood was on their own heads for insulting him and rejecting his message. Paul’s struggle was so real that the Lord showed up in a vision and told him not to be afraid but to dedicate himself to the people of this city (Acts 18:6-10). So, my take is that in response to the vision he had, Paul ramped up his commitment level by taking on the Nazarite vow for the remainder of his time spent in Corinth. When he was ready to move on, he finished the vow and went back his normal way of missionary living.
As you can see, Paul wrestled quite a bit with the Corinthian community, both outside the church and, as we can deduce from his letters later on, inside as well. However, despite his inward struggle, Paul stayed the course and increased his dedication towards accomplishing God’s agenda in that city. What an inspiration! What a great model for us to follow.
We’re going to wrap this episode up. When things go to a dark place with you, as they did with Paul for a time, may you see the connection between your struggle and your need to increase your time of dedication to the Lord. This time of increased dedication may be what is needed to get you through a dark season.