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Total Transformation

Paul changes gears as he finalizes his ministry in Corinth for the time and begins to set his sights on heading back home to Jerusalem and Antioch. But his time in Corinth has paid off, especially as the core group he has impacted shows up in a surprise visit in Cenchrea.

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Acts‬ ‭18:18-22; Ephesians 1:17-21

Only a stone’s throw away, a merchant ship with three masts sits in the Cenchrea harbor awaiting its departure. Like an army of ants, Its crew busily climbs on and off while making more room for additional cargo, while a short but girthy man barks out orders without lifting a finger to help.

Seated on a bench nearby, Silas observes the ship and its crew making its final preparations. “It’s been a while since we’ve sailed, hasn’t it.” He says.

Paul slightly moves his head to look in Silas’ direction, but he doesn’t want to pull any sudden movements with a razor over his head.

“Keep your head straight.” The ornatrice warns. “This is sharp.”

“Yes, maam.” Paul complies, as he notices a swath of long, peppery strands of hair fall to the ground.

Laughter is heard a few feet away, as Aquila makes another joke with his wife and Timothy. Paul shifts his eyes away from the ship and towards the three and lets out a deep breath. 

“You!!!” A female voice is heard from behind. “Paulus, you have changed our world.” She says.

Paul starts to turn his head.

“Uh uh.” The ornatrice warns again. “Stop moving your head.”

“I’m sorry.” Paul says.

“Keep turning it, and you will be.” She threatens.

The other female comes into view and stands in front of him.

“Chloe?” Paul says. “I thought that might be you.”

“We couldn’t let you sneak away without a proper send off, now could we?” Chloe pats Paul on the shoulder and walks over to Silas.

“Ow!” Paul suddenly cries out. He winces. “What are you doing back there?” He asks.

“I’m removing these stray hairs from around the neck.” She says. “Especially these long scraggly gray ones.”

“Why is he shaving his head?” Chloe quietly asks Silas. 

Silas looks over at Paul, who appears to be writhing in pain. He rubs his own neck, as he empathetically witnesses the ornatrice pluck out each of his gray neck hairs, one by one. “Ooooh. That looks like it hurts. 

They both cringe at the ordeal.

Silas finally explains. “He’s completed his Nazarite vow.”

“His what?” Chloe asks.

“His Naza.” Silas barely gets out.

“Chloe.” Paul affectionately says. “Corinth is eight miles away from here. Did you come alone?”

“Well… kind of, anyway.” Silas mutters out to the air, as Chloe turns and walks away.

“Oh, heavens no.” Chloe replies as she walks towards him. “We had quite the caravan.” She looks over Paul’s shoulders and yells behind him. “Hey everyone, let’s let our man of the hour get a look at you.”

Priscilla nudges Aquila to notice the group behind Paul and both make room for the stream of people coming to see them off. “Woah.” She mumbles. “That’s a long way to walk to say goodbye.”

Aquila shrugs. “I dunno, hon. We’ll be walking a lot further than they did to follow this guy. Two years ago, we said, this is the place! Remember? No more moving.”

Priscilla concedes while the small bon-voyage crowd comes into Paul’s view. 

“Hey, don’t let this bald man scare you.” Chloe teases. “It’s the same man we have come to love and adore.”

“Thanks for that, Chloe.” Paul sarcastically drips as he deadpans back at her. He shifts his eyes up and asks, “Are we almost done? Ow!” He yells out.

“Now we’re done.” The ornatrice exclaims with satisfaction. She then wipes off his head a final time. Not a trace of hair to be found.

“What about blood?” Paul jokes. “Any of that there?”

Looking directly into his eyes and holding the razor in front of his face, she replies. “No… but there could be.”

Paul raises his hands in surrender and replies. “Yes. Yes. I suppose you’re right.”

…

As the crowd lingers towards the merchant ship, Paul locks eyes with Timothy. “Hey.” He says while pointing over at them. “That’s your brood now.”

Timothy smiles.

“I suspect your work here will be harder than it was in Thessalonica.” Paul contemplates.

Timothy nods.

“Lots more to distract people here.” Paul goes on. “Too many competing interests vying for their love and affection.”

Timothy stays quiet, as the two observe the group chatting it up with one another in the distance.

“You’re probably wondering, ‘how long?’” Paul asks.

Timothy, lost in his thoughts, continues to quietly stare out at the boat.

Paul breaks the silence. “I don’t know when I’ll return, but I don’t plan on sticking around in Antioch or Jerusalem for any amount of time.”

“Then why are you going back?” Timothy finally asks. “We’ve made so much progress out here.”

“We have.” Paul replies. “And… we will continue to do so with your diligent work. I’ve been away for three years, Timothy. To be honest, I don’t know what I’ll find upon my return. My greatest concern is that the others will revert back to Judaism or some form of it. I noticed it in Lystra, when I came back for you, and together we saw this happening in Iconium and Antioch Pisidia too. The tiny house churches in Galatia were already feeling more and more like synagogues and not Spirit led communities.” He lets out a long breath. “Timothy, my son. We have made so much progress that we cannot afford losing ground on the homefront.”

“But you’re talking about the apostles themselves.” Timothy says with surprise. “They built the Church. After they have accomplished so much? Do you think they would revert to following the Law?”

“It’s already been a point of contention.” Paul replies. “And, I suspect it will continue to be so, especially if Peter and John were somehow to leave to lead ministries in other cities. That’s why I have to check in and get a feel for things. I’ve already rebuked Peter once for giving preference to his own fellow Jews over the gentile believers. When in Antioch, his behavior changed and made the Gentile converts feel like they were inferior to their Jewish brethren.  Don’t you see?” Paul asks. “The pressure for living under the Law is so great, that reversion back to the Law is no different than gravity keeping us glued to the earth. It’s a natural force.”

The ship ebbs and flows with the gentle tide. A bell gongs nearby giving warning for departure, as a flock of seagulls circle above it and take turns plunging in on their potential quarry.

“I think that’s us.” Paul guesses. He then points at Erastus. “I think our Lord is up to something with that guy.”

“Erastus?” Timothy asks. “Yeah, we’ve spent a lot of time together since you had the blowout with the synagogue in front of Gallio.”

Paul stares and slowly nods. “Is he still clerking for him?”

“Yeah.” Timothy replies. “For now, anyway. He has a lot on his plate as a Freedman under Gallio’s service. I would like to see him dedicate his time fully to us though.”

Shrugging, Paul says. “Hmmm. Who knows what the Lord will do there? I suspect God will use him wherever he serves, and who’s to say that God hasn’t used him best right where he’s at?”

“You never know how God will surprisingly use you to bring others to him.” A voice from behind announces.

Both men turn around simultaneously, surprised to see the two men in front of them. 

“What?” Crispus asks. “You think walking eight miles is too far for a send off?” He winks at the other man next to him.

Paul and Timothy stare speechless at the man standing on his right. 

Crispus laughs. “I told you they wouldn’t know to say if you showed up. For the first time… ever… you’ve been able to keep them quiet.”

Sosthanes shrugs. 

…

As the captain barks a litany of coordinating orders, the merchant ship slowly drifts towards the outer harbor to await a tow into the queue. 

Aquila heads over to the side and points. “There! Can you see it?”

The others stand and stretch momentarily before heading over. 

“Have you ever been here?” Silas asks Aquila. 

“Once.” Aquila says. “When our family made its way to Rome.” He laughs. “From backwoods Pontus to the epicenter of the world.”

“You can’t take the hick out from the sticks.” Priscilla teases as she joins in the conversation. 

“You miss it?” Silas asks. 

“What? Pontus? Let’s see,” Aquila lists. “Do I miss the bitter cold with little opportunity for work.”

“Yeah, but your family.” Silas empathizes. “Didn’t you leave them behind?”

“Not exactly.” Aquila shrugs. “Sure, we have many who stayed behind, but my immediate family and I went together.”

“Do you think you’ll ever get back?” Silas presses. 

Aquila and Priscilla look at one another with amusement. 

“We dunno.” Aquila says. 

“Yeah,” Priscilla adds. “Now that we seem to be following you guys around everywhere you go…”

Paul gives one final look over the side of the boat at the jetty that makes up the enormous man made harbor. Nearly tripping over a bag of grain, he makes his way over to the conversation. 

“Wait,” Silas asks the couple. “Are you coming with us to Syria?”

Aquila looks over at Paul and says, “No. I don’t think that’s the plan. We’re itching to see what we can be doing here in this town. Is this your first time here?”

“Ephesus?” Silas asks while laughing. “Most of these cities have been firsts for me.”

“Well.” Priscilla chides. “You’ve had quite the orientation, haven’t you. Jailed, flogged, ran out of town…” she points at Paul. “Stick around with this guy and you’ll be living in luxury.”

The group laughs. 

Silas grins and replies. “Yeah, I’m not sure how much opulence I can handle here.”

The ship abruptly slows as a crew emerges out from nowhere. Several ropes are thrown over the side to secure it alongside the pier, and like a well-oiled machine, the crewmen immediately start to unload the haul. 

Paul looks up to see the columned strewn arcade a short distance away. He pats Silas on the back and says, “Ephesus! Well, let’s see what mischief we can cause here.”

Priscilla laughs at this and retorts. “I give it a week.”

…

We’re going to stop here for today:

Leaving Timothy behind to continue the work in Corinth for a season, Paul, Silas, Aquila and Priscilla make their way to Ephesus. While Aquila and Priscilla will make Ephesus their new home, Paul and Silas stay for only a week or two before they move onto Caesarea Maritima, Jerusalem, and eventually Antioch.

Whether Silas stays in Jerusalem or Antioch, we’re not completely sure, but it’s good to note that by this time in AD 52, the Christ following community in Antioch had become a large hub for ministry among the early church. While the church in Jerusalem continued to also be a hub for apostolic ministry, the levels of tension were percolating once again between specific Jewish groups and the Roman government under Claudius’ appointment of Herod Agrippa II in AD 53. The Romans would act, some of the zealous Jewish factions would revolt, and then Rome would squash the factions in a brutal response–further unsettling the peace in this region.

Reading the “writing on the wall”, some of the apostolic leaders, such as Peter, John and some of the others were itching to be doing ministry elsewhere, especially as during this decade many Jews migrated towards cities like Antioch, Alexandria and even Ephesus later on. 

As has been the case with Paul since he stepped foot into the mission field, his greatest concern has been the threat of new believers and new communities reverting back to the Law for worship and daily practice. For those with Jewish backgrounds, this was an everyday occurrence. Paul understood all too well where his greatest problem lay.

That said, Paul’s message was not to avoid the Law altogether, as many accused him of doing, but to understand that obedience to the Law is not the same as being empowered by God. We’ve unpacked this at length before, but it’s helpful for us to be reminded about one of the Apostle Paul’s most central messages directed at the early church. Our right standing before God is not made possible due to our attempts to fully obey the Law. No, that mindset only leads to our shortfalls, our attempts to rationalize our shortcomings, and even our condemnation for not measuring up.

No… 

When we stand exposed before God, it will become plainly clear to us that our ability to stand in His presence has been made possible by the sacrificial work of sinless Jesus who traded places with sinful us. Furthermore, our standing before God will reveal how God worked within us, how He called us, how He promised an inheritance for us, and how His power flowed through us. Our “work” will have been a work of trust and surrender before the God who rescued and empowered us. 

At its core, faith is trusting God’s ways to be best, and letting our responses, our choices reflect that trust. Instead of a mindset of compliance, ours is to be a mindset of total transformation that comes by trust in the One who made this possible. 

As we wrap up today’s episode, let me leave you with a passage that Paul would later share with the church in Ephesus.

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

— Ephesians 1:17-21

May the boundless greatness of God be abundantly clear in you who trust Him more than you trust yourselves. Furthermore, may you engage in the total transformation that comes from trusting God with everything. With that, let’s move forward… together.

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How God’s Got Your Back

A pressured Sosthanes makes the hard decision to deal with a Syrian Jewish evangelist named Paul. The efforts to get rid of this troublemaker by some of the more zealous types have not panned out–even to the point of gaining the attention of the city official.

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,,,

‭‭Acts‬ ‭18:11-21‬; John 17:9-18; Psalm 91:14-16; Psalm 31:19-24

Seated in the caldarium, Sosthanes lets out a long breath and looks out into the empty circular room. “More heat.” He yells out to nobody in particular. 

“Yes, sir.” A muffled voice calls back from a room below. “The fire is getting low.” An even more muffled voice yells out, as the heavy thunking sound of wood being placed into the fire is unmistakably heard.

Sosthanes listens in to hear the footsteps of at least two men entering the room, but he doesn’t look up. With his head in his hands, the burdens of the week’s turn of events continue to race through his mind. 

“That was a bold move, my friend.” a familiar voice echoes throughout the room. 

Sosthanes looks up from his palms to see Chaim and another standing in front of him. He sits upright and tries not to betray a look of alarm. 

“You have taken the moral high ground.” Chaim continues. “That’s commendable.”

Sosthanes stays quiet and wonders where this interruption to his day is headed.

“Mind if we join you?” Chaim offers. 

Without waiting for a response, both men sit on either side of Sosthanes and take in the increasing heat of the sauna.

Feeling the discomfort of either the rising heat or maybe it’s the coming storm, Sosthanes no longer thinks about how much he loathes Chaim. “I never liked him.” Sosthanes ponders while not saying a word. “Always the unscrupulous schemer.” He lets out a breath and now wonders if he will make it out of the room. 

Silence ensues for several moments before Chaim continues. “It’s moments like these that define a man… When a man must take a stand and do what’s needed, no matter how unpleasant the task might be.”

Sosthanes says nothing, and the silence continues. 

Chaim leans over and says, “We trust that you will do what’s needed, Sosthanes.” His heavy set eyes linger for what seems like an eternity just inches away from Sosthanes’ face.

Feeling the weight of Chaim’s breath finally let up, Sosthanes remains silent, as he watches both men stand and walk towards the door.

Finally, Chaim turns around, looks Sosthanes directly in the eyes and says, “Just… be careful.”

…

Strolling around the agora, Erastus and Gallio greet those passing by and continue with their exchange. 

“My lord,” Erastus reports. “I have shared this with you before, but I believe things have worsened.”

Gallio stops to stare back at Erastus. “With what?”

“The Jews, my lord.” Erastus replies.

Gallio lets out a long breath and says, “You’re kidding, right? What of them?”

Looking ever at attention, Erastus continues, “Well, sir, I believe they are at their wits’ end with this Syrian Jewish evangelist.”

“I’m at my wit’s end with their constant complaining.” Gallio replies.

“Yes, my lord.” Erastus complies.

Gathering his thoughts, Gallio asks. “You’ve mentioned this to me before. What did the troublemaker do to them this time?”

“He persists, my lord.” Erastus shrugs.

“He persists… at what?” Gallio inquires with growing impatience. “What is he doing to tick them off this time?”

“And resorting to violence, my lord.” Erastus finishes.

“And resorting to…” Gallio parrots, then stops. With new curiosity, he asks: “What kind of violence are we talking about?”

“Well…” Erastus catches himself. “It was more the threat of violence.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry my Lord, I should explain this better. The leadership in the synagogue removed the Syrian from fellowship. And… they banned some of their own higher ups from fellowship as well because they have taken an interest in learning from this evangelist.”

“What does that exactly…” Gallio asks.

“They kicked them out and refused to let them come back.” Erastus finishes Gallio’s sentence. “But, the Syrian befriended Titius Justus who happens to live next door to the synagogue.”

“Wait, Titius Justus.” Gallio thinks aloud. “Where do I know him from?”

“He’s a retired Primus Pilus.” Erastus says.

Gallio laughs at this. “So this agitator cozied up to a ‘first spear’ who happens to live right next door to the synagogue? You can’t make this stuff up. So, I’m guessing the Jews weren’t too pleased to see their tormentor right next door to their house of worship.”

“Well, it gets more interesting, my lord.” Erastus replies.

Gallio laughs, as he spots a bench nearby. “This is too good to miss.” He seats himself as Erastus continues to stand as he reports.

“Titius was kidnapped.” Erastus says bluntly.

Gallio bursts out with a gfaw. “He what? By whom?”

“By some of the Jews, my Lord.” Erastus replies. “Some of the more… well… eager ones.” 

They attacked a ‘first spear’ and kidnapped him.” Gallio persists. 

Erastus scratches his head and replies, “Yes, they attacked his home, bound him and took him hostage for a time.”

“They didn’t know he was a Premus, did they.” Gallio says with a laugh.

“No, my lord.” Erastus says. 

Gallio laughs even harder. “Talk about showing up at the wrong time and in front of the wrong people. This is like a theatre production. I need a snack or something. Well… What happened?”

“They let him go, my lord.” Erastus says. “My understanding is that cooler heads prevailed and the leaders of the synagogue tried to make things right.”

Gallio nods and says, “The only smart thing they’ve done so far. So, let me get this straight. A segment of some zealous, testosterone infused Jews went to a retired and likely decorated Roman ‘first spear’s’ home, looking for the Syrian Jewish evangelist who I’m guessing was absent at the time of their arrival? 

“He happens to also be a Roman citizen, my lord.” Erastus adds.

“What!?!” Gallio asks. “Are you kidding me?”

“No, my lord.” Erastus quips.

Gallio laughs again. “This keeps on getting better!” He says. “So, instead of the Syrian Evangelist who happens to be a Roman citizen, they mess up the home and take hostage a Roman soldier? Oh my, this is too good! Where’s Titius now? Where is the evangelist now?”

“I think they are back to normal now.” Erastus says. “The damage to the home is slowly being repaired and Paulus… er… the Syrian Jew… is back to teaching from Titius Justis’ home.”

Gallio tilts his head and stays quiet for a moment. “Hmmm. So, things have become peaceful again?”

“Well… no sir.” Erastus responds. “Quite the opposite. More Corinthians and a lot of refugees have left the synagogue to learn more from this teacher. Titius’ home is quite crowded these days and the synagogue isn’t nearly as full as it once was. Many of those younger zealous Jews continue to cause havoc to those passing by on the streets. They don’t get near Titius’ home, but they look for opportunities to cause harm to those trying to get there.”

“I’m surprised Titius hasn’t recruited his own security team.” Gallio wonders.

“He has, my lord.” Erastus says. “And, they are doing what they can to allow for safe passage, but with the synagogue next door, it gets a little challenging. They also have a smaller detail at the home of Stephanas.”

“They have more than one meeting place?” Gallio asks. “Is that the strategy? Converts who aim to meet out of several homes?”

“I believe so, my lord.” Erastus replies. 

“Hmmm.” Gallio muses. “Do you see these converts as any sort of threat?”

“If by ‘threat’ you mean the synagogue losing more and more of their people and retaliating, then yes.” Erastus postulates. “But, these converts appear to be peace loving.”

Rubbing his face, Gallio processes all that has been shared. Finally, he asks. “So, tell me. How did you find out about all of this?”

…

Sosthanes takes a deep breath, as he mutters to himself. “Well, here goes.” Acknowledging the large group of men in front of him, he then projects authoritatively: “Men, this is our day to make things right. This man has divided us, and he has built his own little empire through deception and outright lies. Furthermore, he and his lackeys must take full responsibility for the damage caused to our family. But, don’t mind them. We want to take out the head, and when the head is removed, the body will collapse.”

“Yeah!” The crowd yells out.

Fearful for how much he’s motivating them, Sosthanes continues. “He has brainwashed even our most dedicated people and turned them against us. Some of you have lost your own family members to the talons of this deceiver who has plucked them out from your own hands.” 

He looks around to see the anger escalate among those in the room. He continues. “Yes, he has dealt us a severe blow, but we will respond…” He lets this moment pass before continuing. “Some of you have firmly recommended that we take the law into our own hands and do away with this man, that we hire mercenaries or that we take him hostage. ‘Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.’ But, such underhanded responses is not what makes us who we are. We are the children of God and we will behave as children of God. Some of you have even threatened me because of my course of action.” He looks directly at Chaim who stares menacingly back at him. “But we answer to God and we will take no such improper channels to deal with this wretch. Are you ready to capture this heretic and drag him before the Romans?”

The room erupts in support. “Yeah!”

…

We’re going to stop here for today. 

Sosthanes motivated his crowd sufficiently to stir them to action. They now had one mission: Bring the Syrian heretic before the Romans and have them harshly deal with him. But not everyone in the crowd was on board with this plan. Some had promised something far more sinister, but Sosthanes refused and marginalized those efforts as dishonorable before the Lord. And, this would only exacerbate the tension between them.  

Meanwhile, Paul and his team kept teaching with some level of security in place. While I don’t know if Titius Justus was a retired Roman soldier, I do know that Titius Justus is a Romanized name and is at least a citizen, which would have placed him in the upper echelon and among the few within a Roman outpost like Corinth. A level of security had to be in place, especially after the blow up in front of Gallio. How do I know this?

Paul did not need to escape by night like he did in some of the other cities where he taught, cities such as Thessalonica or Damascus. He didn’t run away from the jeering mobs like he had in Berea, Antioch Pisidia, Iconium or Lystra. Incidentally, he didn’t need to run away from Philippi. Nope. The Roman officials, however, begged him to leave after improperly flogging and imprisoning him as a Roman citizen.

Here in Corinth, things were different. Paul didn’t have to run away. He remained here in Corinth for some time after this incident (Acts 18:18). So, either things had completely calmed down and all were at peace with one another… or, security had heightened.

I would argue that just because Sosthanes’ plan didn’t quite go as he wanted doesn’t mean the issue came to rest when he was out of the picture. It is likely that others would have risen up to deal with Paul in their own ways. Remember, many mercenaries called Corinth home, so finding the right ‘hit man’ wouldn’t have been too difficult for those with enough money.

Paul had to have a level of protection surrounding him during this time. Moreover, Paul took to heart the vision that assured him that he would not be harmed if he remained in Corinth, which should indicate in retrospect that Paul was at risk and the threat was real. However, in some way, Jesus provided for Paul’s preservation.  

One quick takeaway comes to mind: Do God’s business and he’ll have your back. But things can get a little tricky with our understanding here.  

We may immediately think that nothing can happen to us since we’re investing ourselves in God’s Kingdom business, as if we’re untouchable. So, we take great encouragement from reading passages like these from the Psalms.

How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues. Praise the LORD, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the LORD!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. Love the LORD, all you godly ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!

— Psalm 31:19-24

The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

— Psalm 91:14-16

Our tendency is to fear God, take these promises and immediately apply them for our own safety, thinking that nothing can harm us as long as we’re doing right. While many studies can trace longevity and quality of life to the sound principles with which God provides us, God’s got your back in another way. 

Think about it.

Paul would receive plenty of beatings and death treats, eventually to die by the hand of Rome under Nero. In fact, each of Jesus’ own disciples, save one, would be martyred for being outspoken in his faith. The one exception, John, would be exiled for his outspokenness. Many of Paul’s disciples would suffer in kind.  

Protection from physical and even emotional safety doesn’t seem to be God’s priority with us. In fact, God has intentionally placed us on the front lines so to speak where we would be confronted with danger on a recurring basis. So, you might be wondering… “Andy… how exactly does God have our back?”

A great passage to look at is John 17, where Jesus offers a prayer to God the Father on behalf of his followers. Beginning in verse 9, Jesus gives us some insight here. 

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.

— John 17:9-18

The protection Jesus is offering is protection against the temptation of succumbing to evil, against being used for evil purposes, and ultimately against the forfeiture of the Kingdom of Heaven while being sent to an eternity of destruction, to a real place called Hell. 

Just as Jesus does not belong to this world, neither do his followers. Yet, his followers will remain in the world until their time is due to reconnect with Jesus and the Father in His Kingdom. In the meantime, their job is to purposefully be sent into the world, as God’s ambassadors, proclaiming and living out lives that reflect His Kingdom for the duration of their time on earth. 

Let’s wrap this up. May God encourage you to stay the course and remain faithful to doing His business. While we know this may invite physical and even emotional challenges, God invites you into this place of trust whereby you may receive comfort that goes way beyond anything this world could offer. With that, let’s move forward together.

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The Law Is Good… But It Isn’t Enough

Paul shares a key message with the first believers in Corinth about what the Law of Moses can and cannot do. Sosthanes, the leader in the Corinthian synagogue, feels the pressure intensify from his own people.

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…

Acts 18:7-17; Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 3:19-20

Across the street and some distance away, two men stand to observe the five men seated at a table in front of Titius’ home. One of the men spits. He looks back and forth between the five laughing in the courtyard and the dormant synagogue next door. He shakes his head and spits again. “This isn’t right.” He grumps with disdain, as he looks back at the empty synagogue. “It’s like he’s fishing in a barrel.”

“Can you even hear what he’s saying?” The other man asks. “I’m not able to make anything out.”

“No.” The first man replies. “But look at them. Isn’t it obvious this charlatan is teaching them about his false messiah, right in front of us? He’s mocking us and every family in our synagogue, and he’s doing it from a doorstep away. Don’t you see it?”

The other man nods. “No, you’re right.” He agrees. “I just didn’t want to believe it at first. Then again, they could just be having a pleasant conversation.” He strains to listen in and wonders. “I want to know what he’s teaching them.”

“Okay.” The first man affirms. He starts walking across the street.

“Wait, what are you doing?” The other man asks with surprise.

The first man turns back and coldy replies. “I want to hear what he’s teaching them too.”

…

Laughter ensues, as Aquila cracks a joke at the table.

Paul smiles and quips, “Who let this guy in?”

“Who let this guy in?” Aquila mimics.

The table laughs again.

“Hey,” Paul counters. “You’d better play nice… or I’m telling your wife.”

Aquila cowers in fear, as he pretends to bite his nails.

“Oh, she’ll take you out, tentmaker.” Paul says with a laugh.

As the laughter continues, another at the table becomes distracted. He looks out across the street to see two men slowly moving closer to them. “I think they’re here for us.”

Paul looks around and asks, “Who is?” 

The man points out the men encroaching from a hundred feet away and says, “Them.”

“Hmm.” Paul smirks. “Maybe they’ll join us. Let’s get back to it gentlemen. Where were we?”

“Sacrificial offerings.” Says another.

Some of the men at the table continue to cautiously stare over at the men nearby.

“Right, thank you.” Paul acknowledges. He then becomes focused once more. “Let me ask the looming question here. How does the blood of a goat or a bull bring about expiation?”

The men fall quiet for a moment.

“The Law of Moses clearly communicates that it does.” One of the men finally offers as a matter of fact. “Aaron must take some of the blood of the bull, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle it on the east side of the atonement cover. Seven times, he must sprinkle blood with his finger in front of the cover.” The man recites. 

“Yes… He does.” Paul responds, as he goes on to finish the recitation from the Law. “Then Aaron, or descendant of Aaron, must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering, and do the same as he did with the bull.” Paul then shakes his head as he continues. “Yes, that speaks into the details of how God wanted Israel to worship him. But, it doesn’t address the ‘why’. What is God trying to accomplish here?”

“Appeasement.” Another man offers. “This is an offering for Israel’s atonement.”

“Appeasement… Atonement… for what?” Paul asks.

“For sin.” The man abruptly answers, wondering why his teacher is addressing the obvious. 

“So…” Paul reasons. “God is appeased when an atoning sacrifice accounts for the wrongdoing?”

“Yes.” One of the men simply replies. “This is pretty basic stuff.”

“For how long?” Paul asks.

Puzzled by the relevance of this question, the man waves his hands and says, “Until the following year, and depending on the offering, until the next time sin is committed and another sacrifice is needed.”

“Hmmmm.” Paul wonders aloud. “Don’t you find it odd that God would need to have us schedule out atonement offerings for each year?” 

The man raises his hand and begins to speak but catches himself and says nothing.

Paul smiles at this and continues: “It’s almost like God knew in advance that Israel would repeatedly blunder and fail him. But, I digress. Sacrificial covering… atonement… has been made for sin over and over and over, meaning God has had to be appeased over and over and over. Doesn’t this reveal to us that Israel has a problem with sinning… over and over and over?”

The men nod.

“And…” Letting the moment linger, Paul finally asks. “…this makes God happy? 

The men say nothing.

“Here all along I thought it was obedience that makes God happy. That righteous living makes God happy.” Paul opines. “Now, you’re telling me that sacrificial offerings do the trick?”

After a lull of silence, one of the men shares. “No, no, no. The offerings are a provision that God has made available for times when we fall short in our obedience.” 

“Do you remember when King Saul failed to kill off the Amalekites as God commanded?” Paul asks. “The Amalekites gave Israel a rough go of it when they were coming out from Egypt. God instructed Samuel the Prophet to tell King Saul to settle accounts and take no prisoners. Saul carried out the Lord’s command… to a point. When the attack was on, King Saul noticed the quality of the Amalekite livestock, and he took the best animals back with them from the raid. He even brought the Amalekite king back with them. Kind of like a souvenir… Or maybe Saul had the idea that he would send him back to rule the Amalekites as a puppet king and collect ongoing tribute.”

Paul wonders about this for a moment then continues: “Anyway, when things settled down, he then tried to convince Samuel that he did everything in line with what God commanded. ‘What of the livestock? Why do I hear the bleating of sheep?’ Samuel asked. ‘Why did you bring them back with you?’ ‘Oh, those were for the sacrificial offerings that would satisfy God in worship.’ Or, so Saul claimed. Seeing through his deception, Samuel wasn’t amused, so he asked, ‘What is more pleasing to the Lord… your burnt offerings? Your sacrifices? Or, your obedience to his voice?’ Samuel, then and there, declared that Saul’s Kingship would come to an end and his descendents would never rule again.”

Paul slowly looks around at the men and comments. “‘Rebellion against the Lord is no better than witchcraft, and stubbornness is no different than idol worship.’ Sounds like a conundrum doesn’t it?”

Aquila stares across the table, as he tries to unravel Paul’s puzzling implications. “I’m sorry… what is? I’m not getting the whole picture here.”

Paul shrugs and says, “That in order to make God happy, you need to be completely obedient as the Law requires. Yet, you can’t fully live up to the Law in deed or in motive. Furthermore, God doesn’t seem to appreciate the sacrificial offerings in the way we might think. While a temporary provision for our disobedient behavior, these sacrificial offerings we make are by no means a substitute for the obedience God demands. Like I said… It’s quite the conundrum. It’s like the Law tells us what God expects, but it doesn’t have the power to make us obey. Instead… the Law only shows us how disobedient we really are.

…

“His teachings violate the Law of Moses.” The man says while trying to keep his cool.

Sosthanes looks up from where he and five others are seated and asks, “How so? What is he saying against Moses?”

Carefully choosing his words, the man then says, “That righteousness doesn’t come from the Law. That the Law should not be obeyed.”

“He said that?” Sosthanes asks. 

The man nods as he makes eye contact with the others and replies, “Those were his exact words.”

“What further proof do we need, Sosthanes?” One of the men bursts out with rage. “He’s not only trying to undermine our synagogue, he’s set on destroying our entire way of living.”

Another man seated at the table looks Sosthanes directly in the eyes and asks: “What are we going to do about this?”

Feeling the weight of stares coming from the men seated around him, Sosthanes takes a beat  then wonders aloud. “Gentlemen… this can get resolved quickly enough.” He says. “I’ve recently heard from the other synagogues that this man has visited before coming here to Corinth. We do what they have done in Thessalonica and Alexandria. We take it up with the Romans and have them deal with him.”

Suddenly slapping the table in front of him, another raises his voice in protest. “No! We take things up with the Romans, and it will come back to bite us in the butt, much like it did in Alexandria and Rome. The Jews were removed from Rome altogether, remember? We’ve fed and housed a number of the refugees that have fled here to Corinth because of it. No, we do this without the Romans knowing about it.”

“Do what?” Sosthanes asks with new concern.

The other men look knowingly at one another and wonder who will share the news.

Feeling ever the odd man out, Sosthanes asks with a steady voice. “What are you doing?”

Placing his hands on Sosthanes’ arms, the man sitting next to him speaks endearingly. “Sosthanes, our brother. Chaim is right. We take this up with the Romans, and we invite a whole new level of oppression. Look around you in this city, my friend. Many Jewish refugees have just arrived here in Corinth because Claudius forced them out of Rome. That should tell us enough of what happens when the Romans get involved.”

“He’s right.” Another chimes in. “You take it up with the Romans, and you invite us to become the next target for their capricious discrimination.” He looks around at the others and says, “We have no choice but to do this another way.”

Not liking where this discussion is headed, Sosthanes furrows his brow and asks, “What are you suggesting?”

“It’s better for you not to know.” Chaim responds cooly. 

The others nod.

Sosthanes shoots up from his chair and shakes his head in disgust. “You’re asking me to just go along with you without knowing what you’re doing? Who do you think I am that I would agree to any underhanded dealings here? We have proper channels in place for a reason, and I will not sink to ‘back alley’ tactics to rid us of our problem.”

“Sosthanes.” Another says softly and places his hand on Sosthanes arm to sit him back down. “Do not force our hands here. Let us do what needs to be done.”

Shoving the man’s arm away and refusing to sit, Sosthanes replies: “You’re the ones forcing my hand by asking me to turn a blind eye to whatever shenanigans you’re up to. What… are you hiring mercenaries?”

The men say nothing.

Sosthanes eyes grow wide. “I was kidding… But, that’s exactly what you’re doing, isn’t it. You’re going the way of Rome and contracting out killers? No! No! No!” Sosthanes responds. “This makes us no different than the sovereign thugs who oppress us. We will grab the heretic, and we will drag him in front of the Romans who will do exactly what we need them to do. I will not sit idly by and let you commit outright evil before the Lord. The last thing I need to weigh on my conscience is to turn a blind eye to your conspiring to murder.”

…

We’re going to stop here for today:

Paul has ramped up his teaching efforts and Sosthanes is being pressured to a whole new level to do something about it. 

What do you do when justice doesn’t seem to work in your favor? In the case of the zealous friends of Sosthanes, it means they were willing to put the law into their own hands and would stop at nothing, even if it meant committing a terrible evil before the Lord. Not a fan of that plan, Sosthanes refused to go in that direction. Sosthanes would not agree to the Mafia style hit on this outspoken troublemaker named Paul. Instead, he insisted upon taking up his concern through the proper channel of the Romans who, in his estimation, would deal with this problem child. 

Worlds are colliding: Here we have Paul who is committed to bringing the long-awaited fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan to his own people, the Jews. Yet, for the most part, his own people are fully rejecting this idea of Jesus as Messiah, and they see Paul as nothing more than a destroyer of the Law and their faith. Meanwhile, we have the Romans, who have established their own rule of Law throughout the known world which has been, in some instances, unfriendly to the Jews and Mosaic Law. 

Some of the more zealous Jews have violated their own principles in an effort to kill Paul, yet Sosthanes refuses to budge and go down that road. What does Sosthanes do about this? We’ll have to wait until the next episode to find out.

Even some of the early church leaders, such as James the Just, saw Paul as someone who was fairly cavalier in his attitude towards the Law. It’s easy to make that assumptive leap when your culture insists upon following the Law of God and you see one of your own not upholding it to the “Nth” degree. 

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem after his third mission trip, he shared all of the great things God had done among the Gentiles during his time away. While the elders in the church in Jerusalem were excited to hear this news, they were also quite worried about having Paul in their city. James the Just warned Paul about how he was being perceived around Jerusalem as one who dismisses the importance of the Law (Acts 21:17-26). James told Paul to fall in line with the necessary rituals when he was going about his business in Jerusalem. That way, those who would be carefully observing Paul would give a nod of approval and no longer place him under the microscope.

Why was Paul so unconcerned with carrying out the Law? Why did James and the elders in Jerusalem feel the need to give Paul such a warning when he returned to the mother church? 

Later in his writings, Paul spent much time addressing both the Galatian and Roman believers, many of whom were either Jewish or Jewish converts, about the role and purpose behind the Law of Moses. The majority of believers that made up the Jerusalem church were Jewish families who lived in a culture that highly valued the Law of Moses as the authority for everyday life. They had the Jerusalem temple right in their backyard, and they themselves still routinely followed the Law, as it was the Law of the land. In fact, the closer one traveled to Jerusalem, the more Jewish the church felt. Even some five hundred miles away, many of the church members in Roman Galatia struggled to distinguish between following the Law and living by the Spirit. 

As you may have already guessed, I’m bringing up one of the biggest issues facing the New Testament church in the first century. As followers of Jesus, what do we do with the Law of Moses? Furthermore, what’s the difference between living by the Law and living by the Spirit?

Writing to the regional churches, Paul’s aim was to help believers understand what living a life by faith in a supernatural God is really about. Yes, Paul shares the importance of the Law, but he also is vigilant to share the limitations of the Law. The Law is good… but it isn’t enough. 

Yes, God demands complete obedience. Yes, God understands that humanity prefers to act independently of him in a spirit of rebelliousness–which is likely the main reason why God gave Israel the Law in the first place. Yes, God gave the Law to help humanity see the need to change its rebellious nature. 

Yes, God gave the Law to curb the abusive behavior of humanity and to help us learn of what He expects from us. Yes, God gave provisions for substitutionary sacrificial offerings to help humanity see the need to make amends when acting out in rebellious ways. Instead of us being offered as sacrifices, God made certain animals available to be sacrificed in our place. What a provision! God went to precise lengths to set up proper sacrificial worship practices. 

But… it wasn’t enough to change the hearts of humanity. The Law is good… but it isn’t enough. That said, God gave the Law with all of its intended purposes and sacrificial provisions to show Israel its need for a God-sized solution. With everything God had done to establish Israel and the Law that would govern her, something much greater was still needed.

Israel was incomplete. Even though God’s people were able to see the need for changed hearts, they couldn’t sustain it. The Law is good… but it isn’t enough. Why? Because, Israel, trying as hard as she could, could never fully obey God. For that matter, neither could the rest of humanity. So, God hinted at a solution, a new covenant would be in the works, where a one of a kind sacrificial offering would intervene as a permanent substitute for humanity, despite all of its rebelliousness, all the while fully satisfying God Himself. Whereas, the Law couldn’t empower even God’s own people to fully obey it, God needed to intervene with a supernatural empowerment, a Spirit of God empowerment… Only then, would the human heart undergo the needed change.

The very fact that sacrificial worship was set up in the first place is a helpful indicator that God was up to something. If God wasn’t going to be pleased with the sacrificial offerings of goats and bulls as a means to atone for humanity’s rebelliousness, why even have it in the first place? Why go to all that trouble of providing the Torah and its very specific guidelines for worship? Why redeem Israel out of Egypt in the first place? Why create an entirely new nation of people that God would call his own? If there was nothing more than what was already in place as required by Mosaic Law, then Israel, and the rest of humanity for that matter, would be left as incomplete and without hope. It would be as if God was saying. “Yeah, I did what I could for my people, but they let me down, so I think I’ll go do something else.”

But…

God did not give up on Israel or humanity. In fact, this was a part of God’s promised plan all along. This is why Paul is going to great lengths to share what God is up to and why he is willing to put up just about anything the Romans and Jews alike could throw at him. God is not finished! That’s the message Paul is trying to communicate. In fact, God has done something huge to change humanity in a way that the Law was never capable of doing. The Law is good… but it isn’t enough.

While we won’t be able to work through each and every passage pertaining to the value as well as the insufficiency of the Law, we can at least get a glimpse of how Paul explains the importance of the Law as well as its primary weakness.

The Law is good…

The Law clearly communicates about what is good, and it is a reflection of God’s nature as the source of all things good. The Law upholds the importance of worshiping God alone, the creator of all things, as well as the fair treatment of fellow human beings. Love God, love others. When asked about the most important aspect of the Law, Jesus responds:

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

— Matthew 22:36-40

Love God, love others. The Law is also good in how it condemns the behaviors of those who rebel against God and treat others unfairly.

Paul builds his case in Romans 2 and 3 against those who say they uphold the Law of Moses. He explains how nobody is truly able to carry it out. Nobody is completely altruistic, where they think nothing of themselves and completely devote themselves to serving God and others. So, he summarizes this in Romans 3:19-20:

Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 

— Romans 3:19-20

We cannot uphold the Law, so God rightfully condemns us for the rebellious people that we really are. The Law is good but only in the way it shows us how messed up humanity is. 

The Law is good… but it isn’t enough. If God was aiming to be pleased by the behavior of humanity, a huge intervention would be needed–something far greater than what the Law could possibly bring about. Something God-sized. Something supernatural. And this brings us back to the very message Paul is making here to the Corinthians. 

Well, we’ll need to wrap things up for today. May you be inspired to learn more about what God’s bigger role-out plan was–the unfolding of God’s ultimate mystery of what He would do to help a highly rebellious humanity come to love both God and others. With that, let’s move forward… together.

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Sosthanes (Paul in Corinth)

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…

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.

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Nothing Else Matters (Paul in Corinth)

In Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus, this experience changed everything for him: His career, his obsession with destroying the early church, his position in the Sanhedrin and his ambition to move up within the ranks of all Jewish authority. Yet… once he met Jesus, nothing else mattered.

Paul is confronted by Sosthanes and forcefully expelled out from the synagogue. Paul teaches from a new venue and others want to know more.

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Acts 18:6-8; John 6:53-58, 6:66-69; Philippians 3:4-8

With their eyes fixed upon one another, Sosthanes’ nostrils flare and his brow lowers. He points to the door and says with a measured voice, “This is my final warning. Leave… now!”

Slightly bowing his head and raising his hands to gesture no offense, Paul takes a step back and retreats out from the room and into the cool, overcast day. 

Watching the small group exit, Crispus turns to stare at his two younger sons. He sighs, as he surveys the room of people that have been his people, his family. Feeling both lost and numb, he startles when he hears his name being bellowed.

“Crispus!” The voice yells out again. 

He turns to see an emotional yet determined Sosthanes looking back at him and pointing towards the door. He shakes his head in disbelief. Looking Sosthanes in the eyes, he utters, “My friend, you don’t want to do this!”

Sosthanes sharply responds. “A friend of a heretic is no friend of ours.

Crispus gathers his family to move towards the door, as the further confused congregation stares back at them. Walking by the men he had personally nurtured over the years, Crispus says, “Don’t destroy everything we’ve built here, guys. You’re better than this.”

“They aren’t the ones destroying this synagogue.” Sosthanes corrects. “You are! Now, get out!”

…

Seated alone in the courtyard in front of Titius’ home, Paul emptily stares out into the street. Lost in his thoughts, he gives curious attention to the chirping of birds in a nearby tree. He shivers, as he exhales to see the mist of his breath in the air.

“It’s cold.” A voice calls out.

Waken from his daydream, Paul turns to see Crispus staring back at him.

“What happened to you?” Paul asks. “Where’s your family?”

“It’s been quite a day.” Crispus responds. He looks to see the youngest of his children turn a corner onto a distant street, presumably following the others. “They headed home.” He says quietly. “I’ll catch up with them, as we figure out what to do next.” 

Paul stares back at him, letting a silence linger between them.

Suddenly overwhelmed by the moment of events, Crispus tries to keep himself steady. “Our lives… my family… I don’t get it.”

“I know.” Paul replies. “It’s the same everywhere I go. Leadership feels threatened, so they resort to self-preservation at all costs.”

“But to throw out my family.” Crispus despairs. “We’ve invested our entire lives into these people, and in one fell swoop… we’re gone. Because… because…” He stammers. “Because I listened to you.” Crispus begins to pace around the tiny courtyard. “I simply gave you a chance to speak because I…”

“Knew you were being told the truth.” Paul finishes. He looks over in the direction of the synagogue and shakes his head. “I share what I’ve seen. I share what others like me have experienced. They spent years with Jesus; whereas, I only had a key moment with him after he raised from the dead. In nearly every instance, the response of my kinsmen has been the same.”

“Nearly every instance?” Crispus asks.

Paul laughs. “Yes, nearly.” He says. “The leaders in Berea went right to Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the psalmists and the other prophets. They scoured their writings and gave me a chance.”

“Anybody else?” Crispus says.

“Nope.” Paul responds. “Now… some were more hostile than others.”

Crispus chuckles at this. 

“But, why should I expect any less?” Paul asks.

“What do you mean?” Crispus asks with curiosity.

“My kinsmen were far more hostile to Jesus, than anything I’ve ever gone through.” Paul responds. “I’ve just been flogged or thrown in prison. They tortured and crucified him as a common thug. Why should it be any different for me?” He looks directly at Crispus and says.” Crispus, God came to rescue his own, and they turned around to destroy him. And… I was one of their greatest advocates.”

Crispus looks puzzled and says, “I don’t under…”

“Crispus.” Paul quietly shares, “I was Sanhedrin’s main guy who first set out to persecute the Jesus followers.”

“What?” Crispus asks. “You were…”

Paul interrupts. “I was Gamaliel’s protege who was chosen to arrest, torture, and in some cases even destroy, the Jesus followers.”

Crispus’ eyes grow wide. “I’ve heard of you. You’re… Saul of Tarsus.”

Paul looks down at the ground and responds. “Yes… and I have literally given up everything to follow Jesus. I have been forsaken by those in the Sanhedrin and throughout Judea. I have been labeled as their greatest enemy, and should I show my face again, they will seek to kill me. I have been belittled, mocked, tortured, and nearly killed because of my outspokenness about Messiah’s coming.” Paul looks steadily into the eyes of Crispus and asks, “Besides a direct confrontation from Jesus himself, what could possibly motivate me to do that?”

Not knowing how to respond, Crispus simply asks. “Okay… now what?”

…

Entering his office, a man announces to get Gallio’s attention. “My Liege!” He says.

Briefly looking up from a parchment, Gallio waves his clerk in. “Well, what do you know about this? Claudius has installed Didius as the governor of Britain.” He shakes his head in disbelief and says. “Grab a seat, Erastus.”

“Yes, my lord.” Erastus replies. “I heard the news.”

Gallio opines, as he looks back at the communique. “Britain, the final frontier. Nobody thought it could be conquered, and many have tried. And now? They’ve become domesticated. Even Caligula tried to attack, but he seemed to be more impressed by the sea shells. Did you know that when his army failed to take Britain, he had them collect thousands of them off of the beaches in northern France? They had to fill their helmets and tunics with them, never mind lugging their heavy equipment back home. Madman. But then again, that was Caligula. No wonder why he was hacked into pieces.”

“I heard he tried to kill your brother.” Erastus replies. 

Gallio laughs. “More or less, yes. Caligula was so offended at Seneca’s negative portrayal of him, that he ordered Seneca to commit suicide.”

“What happened?” Erastus asks. 

“Well… Seneca was already sick at the time.” Gallio responds. “Caligula’s advisors said it was likely that Seneca would die shortly anyway, so leave him alone to die in peace. Caligula relented, and… well, let’s just say that Seneca is still alive. And what of Caligula?

Erastus smiles at the phrasing. 

“What can I do for you?” Gallio asks.

Suddenly realizing his place, Erastus quickly stands to attention and reports. “My lord, just as a matter of interest right now, but I’m hearing complaints of skirmishes among the Jews.”

“Oh?” Gallio asks while continuing to focus on the parchment.

“Yes, my lord.” Erastus confirms. “Some of their own are causing quite a stir. I do not know much of the details, but some of them seem to be a bit ill tempered.

Gallio gives a brief wave of his hand, and says. “Thank you. Just keep me apprised. Anything else?”

…

Somebody knocks. Titius walks over to the door and creeks it open. Those seated at a nearby table can only slightly hear the muffled voice on the other side of the door. 

Titius then responds: “Wait. Give me just a moment.” He turns to Paul, Silas, Timothy and Aquila who sit at the table and says, “Gentlemen, we have visitors.”

Paul looks up to see Titius swing the door wide open to reveal Crispus, his family and others gathered just outside. He gets up and walks to the door to better see. He looks at Crispus and asks, “What are you all doing here?”

Crispus gives a slight smile and shares a knowing glance with his sons. He then looks back at Paul and says, “We’re ready. All of us.”

Paul chuckles at his response. “You know what you’re getting yourselves into?” He asks.

Crispus shoots back. “If God is calling us, God is calling us. Who are we to deny Him?”

Paul slowly nods. “Well… alright then.” He looks over at Titius and asks, “So… where shall we baptize these people?”

…

Sipping water from the hillside spring, the three men then take in the view of the city below and the isthmus beyond. 

Catching his breath, one of the men finally looks over at Sosthanes and broaches the subject. “So, Crispus is out?” He asks.

“He had to go.” Sosthanes concedes. “He was advocating for the rogues. He wanted us to give them an audience above and beyond what we’ve already seen.”

Listening in, the third man shakes his head and says with some uncertainty. “I dunno. My wife is furious with you.”

Sosthanes breathes out a heavy sigh. 

The man continues: “Crispus and his family have been involved in my family’s lives for years. He’s taught us. He was there when my children were born. He’s been a trusted friend for a long time.”

“Yes.” Sosthanes explains without emotion. “This is the way of such things. Those of whom you have known and trusted for years often can be led astray and bring you down with them.” He shakes his head and goes on: “Crispus has been a dear friend of mine as well. You are not the only ones grieving here. You know he is regularly meeting up with the Syrians who continue to teach him their heresies. By the way, did you know there are other Syrian teachers who have recently come to our city to help this guy? 

The men’s eyes widen at this revelation.

“Do you now understand?” Sosthanes exclaims. “The problem hasn’t gone away now that Crispus and the heretic have been removed from our family. It’s just beginning. Things are going to get much worse. They have been meeting at Titius Justus’ home, right next to the synagogue. Many of our Gentile converts have fallen away from our group and have since joined theirs.” Sosthanes then looks deeply into the eyes of both men and shares. “This is war.”

…

We’re going to stop here for today.

Crispus, one of the Corinthian Synagogue’s leaders, and his family are removed from fellowship in an unpleasant and public way. His sympathetic ear to Paul’s teaching has rubbed Sosthanes, another synagogue leader, the wrong way. Fearing an internal doctrinal coup, Sosthanes is both motivated and pressured to “purge out the yeast” of any of Paul’s heretical Messianic teachings. 

Meanwhile, Paul is wondering if he’s having any benefit here in Corinth, so he resolves to increase his teaching efforts even though he is no longer welcome in the synagogue. Titius Justus, a converted Gentile opens up his home to Paul and the others, which happens to be right next door to the synagogue. The synagogue becomes somewhat divided by Sosthanes’ forceful approach, and many Gentile converts who want to learn more about Jesus are now learning from Paul at Titius’ home. 

What does all of this mean? It means things are heating up here in Corinth. 

One particular point I want to make is this: When you meet Jesus, nothing else matters. This is a truth that Jesus made painfully clear to anyone who was taking an interest in him. I don’t think there is a better example than when he described himself as “The bread of life”…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the manna that the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

— John 6:53-58

This was a jaw dropping moment for those listening in the crowd. “Did he just say what I thought he said?” Many would have asked themselves. Some might have taken this literally, but most would have understood that Jesus’ words here were to be seen as a line drawn in the sand. “If you want God, then you need me.” If that’s not clear enough, later on in John’s writings, Jesus said something similar:

Jesus *said to him (Thomas), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

— John 14:6

So, just in case you were wondering… Jesus makes the audacious claim that says, “You cannot know God apart from me.” Naturally, there are those who will not respond well to this message. But for those who were closest to him and spent nearly every day with him for four years, they would later on be willing to put everything on the line for him. Why? Because nothing else mattered. 

Peter responded to Jesus’ flesh and blood comment this way:

As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

— John 6:66-69

Later on, In Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus, this experience changed everything for him: His career, his obsession with destroying the early church, his position in the Sanhedrin and his ambition to move up within the ranks of all Jewish authority. Yet… once he met Jesus, nothing else mattered. 

In 2 Corinthians 11 and 12, Paul goes to great lengths to share the hardships he had endured for being outspoken about the risen Jesus. In Philippians 3, Paul shares about what he gave up to follow Jesus and that it was of no consequence to him. Why? Because he met Jesus and nothing else mattered.

If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 

— Philippians 3:4-8
When you meet Jesus, nothing else matters. Yet we may forget this when we get tied up in other pursuits. May our Lord bring you back to this simple truth. If you have been called, as Peter has been called, as Paul has been called, then may you live today as if nothing else matters. May you trust that God rewards such living with an intimate connection with Himself and that he will provide for you along the way. With that… Let’s move forward… together.

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God’s Interest (Paul in Corinth)

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.

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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.

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God’s Wisdom (Paul in Corinth)

Two synagogue leaders are not seeing eye to eye, especially as Paul in Corinth has shared a risen Messiah to an audience that has already rejected the idea.

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Acts 18:1-5; Isaiah 45:23-25; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

With every fiber of his physical being constricting, every muscle tightening and joint throbbing, Sosthanes waves over to his old friend and says, “Okay… I’ve had enough of this room. Let’s get back to the heat.”

The two men quickly walk out from the frigidarium and back into the caldarium for the fourth time.

“This never gets old.” Crispus says looking over at his fellow Jewish friend. “How much longer can you last?”

Sosthanes laughs and asks. “Are you challenging me?”

Crispus smiles and responds, “Not at all. I don’t think I could keep up. I might have one or two more times left in me.”

Breathing out a heavy sigh of relief, Sosthanes confesses. “Thank you… me too. So…” He says to broach another subject. “You met with him?”

Crispus wipes the sweat from his brow and looks back at his fellow synagogue leader. “Met with whom?” He asks.

“The traveling teacher.” Sosthanes replies. “You know who I’m talking about.”

Crispus slowly nods and takes his time to process his thoughts. Finally, he affirms and says, “I did.”

“And…” Sosthanes asks impatiently. “What became of your conversation?”

“And…” Crispus slowly continues. “He… makes a compelling case.”

Sosthanes lowers and shakes his head. “You can’t be serious.” He replies. 

“I am.” Crispus says as he straightens up. “He’s quite proficient in the Law and the prophets. Well… the entire Tenakh is his playground. To be honest, he danced circles around me with his understanding of the Scriptures. I was somewhat ashamed of myself, so this past week I have had to personally review several passages he addressed with me.”

“Go on…” Sosthanes flares. “What did you find?”

Crispus says. “I think I’ve had enough.” He grabs a linen to wipe off his face.

“You’re kidding me.” Sosthanes replies. “You’re done talking about this?”

“With the bath.” Crispus replies. “I’m done with the bath. I’m tapping out. Wanna get something to eat? There’s a vendor just outside that sells lamb skewers.”

“Fine.” Sosthanes grumbles. “But this isn’t over.”

“Not at all.” Crispus says with confidence. “Not at all.”

…

“Hey hey, you two!” Paul exclaims upon seeing his long lost friends. The three hug for a moment when Paul turns to make introductions. “Aquila… Pricilla… these are my long trusted friends and ministry partners. Timothy and Silas.” Paul beams and then says. “This is reason for celebration. Let’s all grab some food and catch up.”

“Good.” Timothy replies. “It’s cold out there.”

Seated in the corner area inside Aquila and Priscilla’s apartment, The five wrap themselves to keep warm and nibble away at the array of bread and olives in front of them. Paul looks affectionately over at Timothy which causes him to awkwardly look in another direction. 

Feeling the weird glances from the others, Paul asks: “Can I not look at my son?” He then pats Timothy on the knee and says, “I’m just so glad you’re alive and well, my friends. I can’t tell you how concerned I was for you.”

“Silas!” Paul goes on. “What of Athens?”

Finishing his bite of bread, Silas wipes his mouth and shrugs. “Well… it’s Athens.”

Paul nods understandingly.

“I kept meeting with both Dionysius and Damaris to train them as best as I could.” Silas continues.

Paul smiles upon hearing both of their names and shares his previous interactions for the others’ benefit, “Dionysius is a judge over Athens who often held court on the rock. Almost every day, he would nod when he passed by me in front of the stoa, and he finally came to listen in when the Epicureans threw me in front of the wolves… Good man.”

“Yeah, he’s steady as a rock.” Silas agrees and continues. “Anyway, we did our best to meet regularly, and we tried to find a home to open up for the Jesus followers there in Athens. But, stuff happened, and we would have to change out places to meet for one reason or another.”

“So, are Dionysius and Demaris leading others over there?” Paul asks.

“They both appear to be pretty faithful.” Silas says. 

Paul nods in agreement and replies, “The wisdom of the world.”

“Come again?” Aquila asks after listening quietly for a time.

Paul turns to his host and says, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, but wisdom apart from God isn’t wisdom at all. In their wisdom,” he quotes. “They grope around looking for God, yet they never find him. Isn’t that the point of wisdom? That one may know his creator? So many in Athens are well educated and highly intelligent, yet they cringe at the idea that God would offer himself, in all of his perfection, his complete righteousness, for the benefit of lowly man. To the Greeks, or even the Romans, man is just a pawn in a celestial war game and used as such between the capricious and self-serving gods. But to the true God, man is the apex of his creative work and worth every effort to rescue. To the Athenians, the way of the cross is a sign of weakness, as if God isn’t strong or authoritative enough and has given in. So, they dismiss it and look for other ways to know God.”

Timothy blurts out, “But there is no other way to know God. To look for another way is to brush aside the lengths that God went to by placing Jesus on the cross.”

Paul smiles at his young protege. “Those who have dismissed the cross have dismissed the God who has orchestrated a way for their deliverance.

…

Seated on a bench on the outskirts of the agora, Crispus stares out at the columned rows of the Temple of Apollo in front of them. He nibbles from a skewer of lamb and various vegetables, and makes conversation with Sosthanes who sits next to him. 

“Did you watch any of the games?” He asks.

“Not a chance!” Sosthanes replies in disgust. “Thousands of drunk people flooding the streets to watch a few naked guys compete for a bunch of pine needles? No thanks.” He waves dismissively. “We locked the doors and avoided the events at all costs.”

“You know the games are held in Isthmos, right?” Crispus chides.

Growing agitated, Sosthanes replies, “Yes, but the riff raff stays and carouses here.”

Crispus laughs and replies, “Okay, okay. No games.” He looks up to see two men exit from a meat market across the street. He then looks down at his skewer and asks. “I wonder if that vendor over there gets his meat from this market?”

“I certainly hope not.” Sosthanes says as he uses his elbow to point over at the temple across the street. “I shudder to think we’re eating leftovers from the sacrifices that go on in there.”

Crispus smirks and replies, “Maybe we need to stick with the fish.”

Sosthanes looks over at Crispus and finally asks: “I want to get back to our conversation about this… traveling teacher. We’ve been warned about such Jewish men coming from Syria. You know this. You know that several Jewish communities have been turned upside down because of these rogues who have destroyed our synagogues. They are largely responsible for causing such commotions that the Romans, thinking they’re part of us, have thrown us out of our homes and our cities. Our businesses have been shut down, our families have been scattered on account of them. We’ve been told to avoid them at all costs. Yet, you dabble with them, like a moth to a flame.”

“I take issue with how you just painted this scenario, Sosthanes.” Crispus replies. “I agree, they proclaim something we don’t wish to hear, but we are by no means innocent in the way we have responded. In the case of the Romans expelling the Jews out of Rome, you seem to forget that the Jews there formed a mob to get rid of these Syrian Jews and escalated the problem so much that the civic authorities had to get involved.” Crispus shakes his head. “We risk doing the same thing here if we’re not careful.”

“What do you mean?” Sosthanes asks. 

“I mean, we’ve already seen some younger men pick a fight with this guy.” Crispus replies. “Right after he spoke in our service, we walked together…”

“You’re all sorts of chummy with him, aren’t you?” Sosthanes accuses.

“I want to understand where he’s coming from.” Crispus counters. “And getting violent with him isn’t going to accomplish anything. In fact, it only degrades us as God’s people. If he’s a heretic, fine we’ll remove him from speaking in our synagogue. But, he’s a human being and a very well trained Jew. If nothing else, we owe him an opportunity to speak to us–at least to us as leaders.”

Sosthanes stands and brushes some crumbs off of his garment.

“Wait…” Crispus says. “That’s it? You want to know more about what he teaches, and yet you’re done with me?”

“I already know where this is headed.” Sosthanes sorrowfully replies. “This man proclaims a dead Davidic King, and if you want to follow him, fine! But, as for us… Well, I cannot follow you in this direction, and I will seek to remove you from leadership.”

Not fully knowing how to respond, Crispus finally says as Sosthanes begins to walk away. “You look for signs, signs of God’s hand at work.”

Sosthanes turns around while walking backwards. “What about it? The pillar, our deliverance, our history… The Lord has always shown up this way.”

“Yet…” Crispus replies. “The sign you should be looking for is the sign of Jonah.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sosthanes impatiently replies. He turns back around and walks away.

“Don’t be surprised if the pagans repent at the Lord’s doing.” Crispus yells out.

…

“What is this?” Paul asks, as Timothy sets a bag in front of him.

“This is a gift.” Timothy replies. “From our friends in Thessalonica.”

Paul looks up at the others seated around the table. He then peers into the bag to feel the numerous coins inside. He looks back at Timothy in surprise.

“I know you sent me to fan any of the embers that might still be there back into a flame. Of course, I wasn’t excited about walking all the way back there, but I’m glad I did. But to my surprise, when I arrived they brought me right in and asked me to train them as best as I knew how. By the way, they had a bunch of questions for me to ask you. Paul, don’t you see, they have been forever changed by your being with them.” Timothy says with a smile.

“Even the ones who were roughed up?” Paul asks. “What about Jason? Aeneus? Dmitri? What happened to Dmitri?”

“Jason has stepped up to lead, as has Aeneus.” Timothy responds. “They’re actually friends now.” He laughs at the irony of this. They’re both good guys whose faith has become very apparent in light of their receiving such maltreatment.” Timothy’s smile vanishes as he continues. “Dmitri… well, Dmitri got pretty bruised up at his kiosk a few times. Jaden and his henchmen kept showing up when he would close up his shop and did a number on him.”

Aquila and Priscilla exchange glances, and Aquila finally speaks up. “So… what kind of business was Dmitri in?”

Timothy quickly turns his head to Aquila and says, “Oh, he was a tentmaker.”

Startled at hearing this, Aquila asks. “So… what happened to Dmitri.”

Timothy becomes somber once again and looks back at Paul. “Dmitri… well, he’s gone. He just couldn’t recover from the beatings.”

Paul breathes out a heavy sigh and places his head into his hands. “I don’t know what to say… I blame myself for what happened there. And, here they give me a gift for it.”

Silas shakes his head. “No, they gave you a gift to continue what you started with them. You have given them life and hope. It was Jaden and that thug, Marcus, who did this to Dmitri. Not you.”

“Why do I feel like this is blood money?” Paul asks. 

Timothy replies. “Not at all! This is to empower you to engage in ministry without having to support yourself.”

“Does this mean you will no longer be working with us?” Aquila asks. “Whew!” He says. “For a second there, I was wondering if we needed to flee town ourselves.”

“Again.” Priscilla chimes in.

Paul chuckles and then sighs at the implications. “It’s the last thing I want to happen to you. Please know this.”

Timothy looks over at Aquila and says, “Hey, they don’t know us.”

Silas perks up at this. “He’s right. They don’t know us here, and this guy has taught us everything we need to know about tent making.”

“Well that’s a relief.” Priscilla teases to break the tension. “This guy can barely tie a knot.”

Paul shrugs and replies. “The students have become the masters then. You will see that they can earn their keep.” He then looks over at Timothy and says. “I need to write to these people and say, “thank you.” With this gift, they will have opened a whole new door of ministry for us. You said they had some questions too? What were they?”

…

We’re going to stop here for today.

Paul receives a sizable gift from the weathered fledgling church in Thessalonica. While in Athens Paul sent Timothy back to the church some 350 miles north after fearing that his labor there had gone without bearing any fruit. To Paul’s surprise, Timothy comes back with a glowing report of how the church has begun to thrive, even in the midst of some violent pushback. He also comes back with a sizable collective gift from the church to fund Paul into full-time ministry. In response, with the help of Silas and Timothy, Paul in Corinth writes a letter to thank them and to address the issues they raised with Timothy. You may know this letter as 1 Thessalonians. While we’re not entirely sure if this letter or a letter to the Galatians came first, we do know this full time opportunity afforded Paul the time to write these churches and regions with which he had the greatest impact. 

Meanwhile, current leaders within the local Corinthian synagogue, Crispus and Sosthanes part ways, as Crispus warms up to Paul’s teaching. Sosthanes will partake in the escalation of the hostilities and bring the matter before the Roman officials. He later receives a thrashing from his own people after Gallio refuses to hear the issue. Curiously, Paul greets us and mentions a Sosthanes as a brother at the beginning of 1 Corinthians (1:1). Could this be the same Sosthanes? Could the turn of events that resulted in Sosthanes public beatings right there in court (Acts 18:17) be the cause for him to take another look at the Gospel? Maybe!

You must be insane to believe the Gospel! This is a common reaction that many have today. It was a common response held by many 2,000 years ago too. To the Greco-Roman, the Gospel–the idea that God would send his son to sacrificially die in our place… so that we may yield to him and receive His righteous position before God as our own–was regarded as lunacy. The prevailing wisdom of the day, which was based on several presumptions of how the world worked at the time, discarded the crazy idea that God loved humanity. Consequently, most rejected the idea… at first. To be fair, it wasn’t just the Greeks who struggled with the Gospel. Even Israel and Judah some 700 years earlier struggled with the notion. 

For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and in Israel He shows forth His glory. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone, causing the omens of boasters to fail, making fools out of diviners, causing wise men to draw back and turning their knowledge into foolishness.

— Isaiah 45:23-25

Regardless of the era and the prevailing winds of thinking at any given time in history, the idea of God loving humanity enough to save it from its own self-destructive tendencies was just plain absurd. 

In this way, things haven’t changed much. Even with present wisdom as seen today, God still continues to confound such wisdom and reaches people. For those who accept the idea of a loving God who has sought to redeem humanity, they are the ones who see God at work on a regular basis. They see the power of God, and they continue to move forward in faith. In first Corinthians 1, Paul contrasts the foolishness found in common wisdom with the wisdom found for those who seek after God.

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

— 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

The power of God is often identified by those who have the mind of Christ. While the supernatural power of God may show up for any and all to witness, the transformational power of God is seen by those who wish to look for His fingerprints. As a deposit for God’s Kingdom of Heaven which is yet to come (Eph 1:14), the Spirit of God has been made available to those who routinely yield to Him, ever imparting to them the mind of Christ. When we take on the mind of Christ, we see God’s goodness at work in the lives of others.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them–because the things of God are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

— 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

So… what kind of wisdom comes with the mind of Christ? There are a number of examples that we might point to pertaining to this idea. It often shows up in what we value as Christ followers. Instead of valuing what we want to value, a Christ follower trusts that what God wants for her is better than what she can want for herself. This trust stems from her understanding about the nature and character of God. “If God is good and wants good things for others,” She might reason, “then I will follow his counsel in all things.”

Ideals such as… What does God want for us? How do we view ourselves as Jesus followers? How does God regard us as his creation? Why are we here? How do we treat one another? Why are the fruits of the Spirit so important? How do we regard relationships with others? Why are marriage and family so important? Why should we not worry so much about building wealth? How do we respond when things become difficult? How does God fight our battles? Etc… those sorts of things.

There’s much more to discover here, but I think we’ll need to wrap it up. Though the wisdom of God may seem like foolishness to many, to those who choose to follow, they will experience the goodness of living the way God intended.

May you choose to live as God desires, even when it doesn’t make sense at the time. By doing this, you’ll see that your acts of faith will engage the Power of God in your life and in others around you. With that, let’s move forward… together.

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Bought With a Price (Paul in Corinth)

Paul in Corinth acclimates to his new surroundings, whereby he befriends husband and wife team, Aquila and Priscilla.

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A Jesus follower’s response when things get tense

Wherever you may find yourself in society’s structures, Jesus has purchased you with his life-giving sacrifice, and now you are a bond-servant, a volunteer slave, to Jesus himself. Your life mission… as a slave to Christ… is to further the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Acts 18:1-4; Acts 9:13-16; Acts 22:24-29; Philippians 3:7-8, 20-21; 1 Corinthians 7:21-24; 1 Timothy 6:17-18

A small group of men huddle around Paul as they quickly whisk him out the doors of the synagogue. From the side, a man pushes his way into the huddle.

“Back off!” Warns one of the men next to Paul. He pushes the younger man away and replies, “This is no way to treat our guest!”

The man circles around the huddle to find an in, while Paul wonders if the group around him is interested in what he has to say or a bunch of guys just trying to protect him.

As the mild hostilities settle, the cadre of men walk out of the small courtyard and along the narrow road. A larger brick wall runs along the road and attaches itself to the synagogue’s courtyard. As the men continue walking, they pass by an entryway to another courtyard, apparently belonging to the man who happens to be standing there and watching the small group walk by. 

Paul looks up and catches the eyes of the man staring back at him. He nods, and the man steps out to greet him.

“Go back inside, Gentile!” A voice yells out from behind. “You’re not one of us!”

The group of men turn around to identify the antagonist. Recognizing the troublemaker, one of the men from the group sighs and says, “I’ll deal with that.” He leaves the group and grabs the younger adversary by the hair and drags him away.

Paul and the homeowner stand there and observe the younger man scream out in obscenities, as he gets dragged down the street and away from them.

“Nice boy, I’m sure.” The homeowner offers.

Paul chuckles, looks at the man standing next to him and says, “Paul.”

The man reaches out to place a hand on Paul’s shoulder and says, “Titius.” He then looks around and says, “You’ve managed to stir up a bit of a commotion here.”

Paul shrugs and softly laughs. “Not my intent. I promise.” He says.

As the two continue to stare out at the commotion still happening some distance away, Titius replies, “I’ve been here for much of my life. For years, I’ve seen people come and go to peaceably worship in that synagogue. For the most part, I’ve come to admire these folks, and I have appreciated their unswerving devotion to their practice. I’ve even learned from the Torah, the prophets and the writings from these devout people who have taken the time to explain them to me.”

Paul steps closer to listen in and nods his head.

“But.” The man continues. “I’ve never heard anything quite like what you just shared in there.” He gestures over at the other men surrounding Paul. “And… by the looks of it, neither have they.”

“You were inside then?” Paul says. “I must have missed seeing you.”

Stumbling to find the right words, the man continues, “I’ve come to appreciate the fire in the bellies of many of these Jews here. They are passionate people. They take their worship seriously, so when I see them responding this way to a message coming from one of their own, it tells me that this is a hotbed issue.”

“That it is.” Paul affirms. “How does anyone respond to the idea that they have rejected the very God they have sworn to worship? Some are bound to get angry at this message. It’s really no different than how the prophets of old were treated.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Titius responds. “I guess… what I’m saying… is that I’m intrigued. Anyone willing to step into a room like that and say what you said… Well, I would like to better understand what you’re advocating. I’m wondering… would you come and eat with us and better explain this stuff to us.”

…

Carefully approaching the man leaning against a column at the front of the Julian Basilica, the clerk announces his arrival by clearing his throat. “My lord,” He asks. “Shall I orient you to the forum.”

Gallio turns to see his administrative assistant who bows his head. He looks back towards the square and nods. “The statue,” He points to the massive bronzed figure towering above the center of the forum and asks.

“The dedication to Tiberius Caesar, my Lord?” The clerk asks. “Yes, certainly you know of the Augustales in Rome. Yes, well they are alive and well here.”

Gallio looks at the clerk and asks, “They are loyalists?” 

“Oh, yes sir,” The clerk responds proudly. “Most are Roman citizens and all understand the value of Roman leadership here in Corinth. The Augustales will likely be some of your greatest allies here.” The clerk looks out into the forum and points to the other side. “That smaller statue in the far corner was provided by a benefactor whose origins are of neither Greek nor Roman nobility. A freedman who worked tirelessly and became quite rich here.” He pauses to look back at Gallio. “Many “rags to riches” stories have taken place along these very streets. Freedmen, or descendants of Freedmen, have become magistrates here in Corinth, and all have governed by keeping economic opportunity in mind. You see, Corinth has thrived as an economic powerhouse since the Romans forced their way in some time ago, so Rome is seen in a positive light… for the most part. Then again, Corinth hasn’t required active leadership from Rome and has gotten used to being self-governed. So, don’t be surprised to find some resistance as well.”

Nodding, Gallio points to the left of the square. “The Rostra?” He asks. 

“Yes… my lord.” The clerk hesitates. “Though, here in Achaea, you’ll find most prefer to call it the Bema, my liege. Your addresses will be made from there.” He then perks up. “You just missed the games.” 

“Oh?” Gallio asks. “I trust they went well.”

“They did!” The clerk says while smiling. “Yes, the Isthmian Games continue to grow in international popularity. We easily had more than twice the amount of people in the city and thousands of outliers camping between here and Isthmia.”

“Any trouble?” Gallio asks.

The clerk shakes his head. “Nothing more than normal. All walks of society treading along the same streets while shopping and eating at the same places. There’s bound to be some hiccups along the way.” Changing the subject, he continues: “The Italian contingent was fairly strong this year.”

“The Italians.” Gallio waves his arms dismissively and spits. “Over inflated egos with marginal capacity. What of the Spaniards?”

“Yes, my lord.” The clerk responds, suddenly remembering his audience. “You’re not from Italy. Cordoba, yes?”

Gallio smiles.

…

Focusing on threading a needle into a patch, Paul misses the man who walks up to the workspace. He startles upon hearing a voice.

“I thought I might find you here.” The voice says. 

Though overcast, Paul squints as he tries to look up at the man. “Sorry.” He says. “Sometimes, these cloudy days seem brighter than the clear ones.”

The man looks up at the sky and then back at Paul. “Sensitive eyes, eh?” He asks. 

“Yeah, I guess.” Paul says. “Linus, right?”

The man nods. “Yes, it looks like you have acclimated yourself to this town in short order.”

Paul laughs and replies. “I guess I’m somewhat used to it.”

“How’s business for you?” Linus asks. “With you and the Jews making a go of it in a new town, I suspect it’s a bit slow moving.”

Paul stops sewing to take a moment to process. “Yeah, a little.” He says, now looking directly at the man standing in front of him. “Hey, I know there are other tentmakers here in Corinth, and with you being fairly… well, connected here, I’m curious… How.”

Linus finishes Paul’s question, “Are the other tentmakers doing here?”

“Well…” Paul shrugs. “Yeah.”

“Quite well, my friend.” Linus gushes. “Quite well indeed.”

“Hmmmm.” Paul responds. “I guess the next question is…”

“Why you and your friends here are not seeing your share of the business?” Linus blurts out.

Paul laughs. “Yeah.”

“Corinth…” Linus waves to the city around him and opines. “Is a metropolitan city, yes. It’s a large city.” He steps next to Paul and whispers in a hushed tone. “But it’s a tightly knit city.”

“Okay…” Paul says as he draws back from the man standing a little too close.

“We trust our own.” Linus explains with a sweeping gesture. “Lot’s of people coming and going. Lot’s of hucksters who take advantage of others… so, we like to be careful here.”

Paul nods with new understanding and says. “I suspect you know a lot of the people here?”

Linus smiles and replies. “I do. My family and I have been here in Corinth for well over 100 years.”

Paul guesses, “Which would make sense that you would offer your tour guide services at the city gates… you know… for newcomers like me.”

“I know every in and out of this city, the Isthmus, and the Acrocorinth above.” Linus announces.

“You’re good at what you do!” Paul praises. 

“Yes… I am.” Linus affirms.

“Do you have other business interests?” Paul inquires. “I would imagine that being a tour guide here and knowing every detailed part about the city and its people makes you quite the matchmaker.”

Linus ponders this for a moment. “I’ve never quite put it that way, but yes I do often make referrals.”

Paul nods and asks, “That makes sense. So… what does it take to receive a referral from you?”

Linus looks around at the pedestrian traffic picking up and sizes Paul up. Wiping his hand on his garment, he then responds in a measured tone. “You see… It’s a simple percentage of what you sell.”

…

As Paul, Aquila and Priscilla make their way out from the synagogue and into the street, Aquila looks over at Paul and shakes his head. “Wow.” He says. “Well that was different.”

Paul looks back at Aquila and smirks, “Pretty normal day for me.” He says.

Aquila looks back over his shoulder to see a number of men following them. He then looks over at Priscilla who shrugs and asks, “This… is normal?” 

The three continue to walk while looking behind to see what now appears to be a small crowd of men following. They come to a complete halt when Aquila bumps into a man they didn’t see in front of them. 

“Oooof.” Aquila says. “I’m sorry… I didn’t.”

Interrupting, the man looks over at Paul and says. “Looks like you’re winning over the crowd.”

Smiling back at the familiar face, Paul asks: “Titius Justus, right?”

Titius smiles in return and responds. “Why don’t we go inside? Remember, you owe me a meal.” He rushes them over to a doorway and says, “I’ll be right in. Make yourselves at home.”

The three stand at a corner inside the cavernous room, looking at one another and wondering what might be happening outside. 

The door finally opens, as Titius walks in with three other men.

“What’s happening out there?” Paul asks. 

“Nothing to fret about.” Titius replies. “Just some ill-tempered young men trying to find their way in the world.”

Paul looks over at one of the men by Titius’ side, drops his jaw, and points, “You… you are…”

The man smiles at Paul’s efforts to identify him and finishes Paul’s sentence. “Crispus… The synagogue chief.” He says while firmly grasping Paul’s shoulder. He continues. “This is Stephanas, and this is Fortunas. You’ve said some bold, if not fiery, things these past few Sabbaths, both in our services and outside in the courtyards. Do you really think that approach has worked?”

Caught off guard with the question, Paul thinks for a moment, smiles, and finally responds. “I don’t know… we’re here eating a meal in this man’s house and about to talk further, aren’t we?”

The three men look at eachother and smile. Crispus then assesses the room before looking back at Paul and says, “Yes… yes we are.”

…

We’re going to stop here for today.

Paul in Corinth gets acclimated–or at least as settled as Paul gets. He finds a place to both live and work with Aquila and Priscilla, and he establishes his ministry with regular teaching times in and out of a local synagogue. Like many Greek and Roman cities, synagogues are filled with both Jews and Jewish converts alike. Whereas, many of the early church believers had Jewish lineages, Paul discovered that the further he moved away from Jerusalem, the more he saw a change in this demographic. Many here in the Corinthian synagogue would have either been Jewish converts with Gentile backgrounds or Jewish refugees who had recently made their way here from Rome. Yes, there were birthright Jews here as well, but the make-up of this synagogue would have felt much different than say a synagogue in Antioch, Thessalonica… or especially… Jerusalem.

That said, there are other demographic divisions happening here in Corinth, which Rome regarded as a colony with special perks, to consider as well. Those who were slaves versus those who were free; those who were military veterens versus those who were of the aristocratic and ruling class; those who were full fledged citizens of Rome and those who were not… By the way, while 70% of those from Italy were Roman Citizens by birth, Corinth would have had a much smaller percentage. Here in Corinth, nearly 30% of its citizenry were slaves and even fewer were Roman citizens. By this time in AD 51, the Roman Empire had grown to about 55-65 million people with approximately 5 million classified as Roman citizens. Less than 5% of the outlying regions, such as modern day Turkey, Syria, or Israel, would have been made up of Roman Citizens. On another side note, mortality rates were high in comparison to today. Half of those born would not make it past their first birthdays. 

To say the least, freedom and equality as we have come to experience here in 21st Century United States was not understood or even conceived of within the Roman Empire.

Where am I going with this? 

Paul, who enjoyed the perks of full Roman Citizenship by birthright–which hints at a more aristocratic upbringing, especially since he was raised far away from Rome or Italy–used his Roman Citizenship to further advance the Kingdom of Heaven and to gain audiences from high-profile men and councils that would have otherwise never given him the time of day. 

Then again, Jesus promised Paul that this would be the case. Shortly after interrupting Paul’s day–he was headed to Damascus with his police escort to arrest a bunch of Jesus followers–Jesus blinded Paul and shortly afterwards, gave Ananias–a local follower of Jesus in Damascus–instruction to support Paul during this time of need. Luke later records this interaction:

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 

— Acts 9:13-16

Jesus did not intend to let Paul sit idly by and enjoy the perks of his citizenship or his aristrocratic upbringing. Nope! Jesus intended to use Paul’s privileged access and training as an attorney to bring forth the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Remember the moment when Paul was questioning a Roman Commanding officer in Acts  22? God used Paul’s citizenship card to place him in front of an audience of people that would have never otherwise given him the time of day. Let’s listen into that exchange:

The commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to whip a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains.

— Acts 22:24-29

Paul was well aware of his special privileges as a Roman Citizen, but he rarely played that card, only in instances where he would gain an audience of those in authority. What was Paul’s attitude towards his citizenship and his well to do upbringing and training? Without a doubt, Paul used his background to get him into places and in front of people. However, his goal was not to build himself up but to move the Kingdom of Heaven forward. Here’s what Paul says to those in Philippi:

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ… But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

— Philippians 3:7-8, 20-21

What does Paul focus on here? His focus isn’t upon preserving his rights as a Roman citizen–though he uses his special privileges to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. Paul’s one and only aim is to bring the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven in front of as many people–people from all walks of life–as he can. Later to the Corinthian believers (and others), Paul addresses how they should live given the restricting circumstances they find themselves in:

Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, of course take advantage of that opportunity. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of the world and what the world values. Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.

— 1 Corinthians 7:21-24 

Here’s Paul’s point: Wherever you may find yourself in society’s structures, Jesus has purchased you with his life-giving sacrifice, and now you are a bond-servant, a volunteer slave, to Jesus himself. Your life mission… as a slave to Christ… is to further the Kingdom of Heaven. 

To the slave… there is freedom in Christ. Your citizenship is in Heaven and the joy that comes with the Kingdom of Heaven. You belong to Jesus.

To the Freedperson… you’ve been bought for a price, therefore, you belong to Jesus and need to spend your freely given time dedicated to the one who has purchased you.

To the poor… the Kingdom of Heaven is seen with much greater clarity. How so? Because for you, this world has little to offer. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain with the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3).

To the aristocrat and ruling party… you’re here to generously shower the goodness that pours out from Kingdom of Heaven to others by giving much and being reminded that what you have was given to you. Here’s what Paul writes to one of his closest followers: 

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

— 1 Timothy 6:17-18

True life, as God has designed it, is made visible when others see the Kingdom of Heaven through our efforts. And, what we see here is only a glimpse of what is yet to come. 

That’s it for this week. Regardless to your stature, your social position, your wealth, your citizenship rights, may God use you to show the Kingdom of Heaven–which is an all encompassing reflection of God’s goodness–into the lives of others.

With that, let’s move forward together…