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. After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.
Comment: At the end of yesterday’s short passage we read ‘many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized‘. We read a number of times of physical attacks on the believers, and once previously they had been thrown into prison (at Phillippi). For some reason the opposition here attempted to use legal means to get rid of what they saw as ‘these evangelizing Jewish Heretics’. Because they were using a Roman court they had to make the accusation against Rome. But Gallio, the magistrate, saw through their reasoning and told them to deal with the believers according to their Jewish customs. Poor Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue was taken and beaten by the frustrated mob. I presume that he was a high level person (ruler of the synagogue) and a believer and the mob chose him as an example. On the other hand he may have been beaten for allowing the Christians some leadership in the synagogue. Taking his time, Paul set sail for Antioch in Syria, taking with him Aquila and Priscilla with whom he stayed at the beginning of his time in Corinth. His haircut and oath is mentioned here without comment but it comes into the story again later.
Prayer: Help me to be faithful in the long haul even against much opposition, O Lord.
As I read it! 