Scripture: After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove them from the tribunal. And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
Acts 18:1-17 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Paul wandered the city of Athens, observing numerous idols, greatly disturbing his spirit. Nevertheless, he followed his usual protocol of reasoning the evidence of Scripture that revealed Jesus as the Christ with the synagogue leaders on the Sabbath while publicly proclaiming the Gospel daily to the Gentiles in public spaces. Because Athens attracted philosophers who spent most of their time sharing and listening to new worldviews, Paul engaged with a gathering of Epicureans and Stoics. Some deemed Paul’s Gospel as just babble, while others found his claim to a superior foreign deity intriguing.
The latter took him to the Aeropagus, where Paul reasoned to his audience that the divine cannot be limited to the artistry and imagination of man. He added that the one true God graciously overlooked such foolishness but will no longer since he has given us the righteous man Jesus, whom he raised from the dead as judge of the world at the appointed time. So now is the time to repent. Some mocked him regarding the resurrection, while others emplored him to speak again about this new teaching. Luke concludes Paul’s time in Athens by noting some came to faith and joined his fellowship.
Today’s reading chronicles Paul, Timothy, and Silas’ mission to the Corinthian church. Here, Luke tells us that Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, refugee Jews expelled from Rome by Claudius. Learning they were tentmakers like him, Paul sought them out and joined their enterprise to cover his expenses.
As typical of his mission protocol, Paul first appealed to the Jews in the local synagogue on the Sabbath. When the Jews opposed him and his Gospel message, Paul demonstratively repudiated them, declaring his innocence regarding their looming demise and his revised focus on the Greeks. So he connected with Titius Justus, a convert to Judaism who lived next door to the synagogue and used his house as his headquarters for the eighteen months of his outreach. During this time, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and exhorted him to continue proclaiming the Gospel, promising that no harm would come, for he is safe in the company of many Corinthian Christians. Consequently, the synagogue ruler Crispus and many other Corinthians came to faith and received baptism in Christ.
When Gallio assumed his position as proconsul of Achia and relocated to Corinth, the synagogue elders seized the opportunity to silence Paul by bringing charges against him of persuading citizens to worship a sect of Judaism contrary to Roman law (as did the Philippian Jews in Paul’s earlier travels). But this time, the proconsul nixed their allegations as an internal matter regarding Jewish law and drove them out of the tribunal. Frustrated, this enraged mob seized a co-leader of their synagogue, Sosthenes, whom they deemed had failed them, and beat him in front of the tribunal. Unimpressed and unwilling to entertain their provocation, Gallio ignored the mob’s violent protest.
Takeaway: The Jews accused Paul of proclaiming religio illicita (an “illegal religion” that threatens the authority of the emperor). Gallio wisely discerned that what Paul preached was religio licita (a “legal religion” of no concern to Rome). His ruling was a penultimate event for the church’s survival and the spread of the Gospel. While the Jerusalem Council provided the paramount unification of the church, here, Gallio’s ruling validated the church’s message, establishing precedence that would permit Paul and the other apostles to continue their work throughout the Roman empire.
Regarding the Lord’s promise to Paul that no one would attack or harm him in this city, we can understand that this did not imply there would be the absence of resistance or false allegations. Indeed, once again, prideful Jewish leaders verbally assaulted Paul, but this time, he walked away from the conflict exonerated by the Roman authorities and unharmed—true to the vision promise.
Our takeaway? There are two that follow this storyline. First, the Holy Spirit validates our Gospel proclamation. He is the one who testifies to the hearts of our audience to confirm the integrity of what we share and proclaim. Secondly, the Lord protects the saints. Whether we face physical harm, martyrdom, or psychological rejection, God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction are sufficient to guard our minds and hearts with his peace and keep our spirits unharmed. And if we are blessed to receive a vision that promises no harm will come to us, like Paul, we must not despair when others lodge false allegations against us but instead carry on, confident that our Lord’s truth will prevail and that his church will triumph over its enemies.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who trusted in your protection through three-plus years of conflict culminating in his crucifixion, for you vindicated and glorified him with his resurrection and ascension to his heavenly throne. And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, our helper, who validates our message and guides and strengthens us amid conflict (Luke 12:11-12). Still, in the heat of the moment, it is hard for us to resist succumbing to our fear or anger. So would you please help us lean on your Holy Spirit to carry on, remembering the church prevails (John 10:28-29)? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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