A Person of Influence

1 Corinthians1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

‘Sosthenes’ is one of those names that rolls off the tongue in an interesting way. A name you can practically taste as it winds its way out of the mouth. Soss-The-knees. Did his friends call him “Sossy?” Sure.

Don’t know much about him, but this: At one point in his life he hated Paul so much he had him arrested and dragged before the proconsul Gallio in the Courthouse at Corinth. The charge: “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” (Acts 18:13.)

That could be a serious charge based on who may be listening. Corinth, like Jerusalem, was a Roman-controlled city, and laws about worship could be life-threatening to break, especially if the charge was misconstrued to be heard as a charge against Roman governance. (Eventually, first-century Christians would be put to death for refusing to call Caesar, “god.”)

You could say that Sosthenes was seeking to have Paul put to death; certainly flogged or imprisoned. I don’t think Sosthenes would have lost any sleep if Paul had been put to death.

But Gallio, the proconsul, was in no mood to listen to the Jews’ charges that day, and he summarily threw the case out of court. (It is interesting how the New Testament routinely portrays the Roman government as somewhat sympathetic, or at least helpful, to the cause of Christians, in this case, Paul.) The Jews were unhappy about the outcome of the case, and the implied ineffectiveness of Sosthenes, so they beat him up instead, right in front of the judgment seat and Gallio. (Acts 18:17.)

Now, as Paul addresses the church of God at Corinth, he sends greetings on behalf of himself, and Sosthenes, “our brother.” What happened? What could change the hard heart of even the ruler of the synagogue? A man you would have thought would be the last to convert to Christ? Sosthenes is one of those shining examples of the power of the gospel. Never give up when sharing it.

- Pastor Bill