“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 18:12-17
Devotional Thought For The Day
The Jews actually knew more about the civil law than the proconsul and judge, Gallio. Christianity was an illegal religion, principally because it denied the existence of the Roman gods and forbid sacrifice to them. This was considered antisocial and treasonous. Judaism did the same, but they had specific deference from Caesar – although they remained somewhat odious to the Romans. At least they were not attempting to convert others to their peculiar beliefs – but Paul and the Christians were traveling the empire to do so, and eventually they would be targeted for persecution and extermination by the government. This violence against Christians and the church continued with periodic pogroms until about 300 A.D., with the ascension of Constantine to emperor. As Christian tradition has it, the apostle Paul was eventually executed a few years after this incident by the emperor Nero, in the mid 60’s A.D..
There is quite a bit of secular history regarding Gallio, and he is generally held in high esteem by all, including Christian commentators. He is excused for not recognizing that Christianity was distinct from Judaism, and therefore not licit under Roman law, instead looking at the dispute as being one of mere theological argument within Judaism. In fact, in that we view the Roman state’s brutal persecution of Christians as a horrific evil, Gallio is often presented as being honorable, fair, and tolerant of religious freedom, and an advocate of the position that the state should not interfere in religious matters. This is not likely the case, regardless of his other positive personal characteristics. Ultimately, his indifference to these matters resulted in the illegal beating of Sosthenes, to which Gallio was also indifferent – and this is held against him.
There is much debate as to why Sosthenes was singled out for brutal treatment and beaten, and who actually did the beating. It is generally agreed that this same Sosthenes ultimately became a Christian, and is the same man mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:1. Perhaps he was somewhat “caught” between Judaism and Christianity at the time, and therefore a target both of the Jews and the Greeks. We can’t know for certain, but we do see in this incident that Christianity is brutally targeted by the forces of evil, and that secular government, even when exercised by fairly decent people, may be indifferent to the cause of Christ [God’s will that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth], neutral or remiss in regard to fairness toward the church, and recruited to participate in the persecution and eradication of the church. This has always been the case, even when government leaders and nations have been “Christian.” It has also been the case in America, and may become more so as our own leaders become less capable of discerning important religious differences, less concerned about the cause of Christ, and more ambivalent in regard to fairness toward the church.
All of this requires that we understand the growing difference between culture and Christianity and the significance of this, that government reflects culture and serves culture, not the church, even when the church is in the right. Likewise, we must understand that government can be recruited and utilized to oppose the cause of Christ and to persecute Christians and the church, even in America, despite our Constitution [which remains one of the chief safeguards of Christian freedom and safety]. After all, who interprets the Constitution and enforces it? So our faithfulness to Christ and service to His kingdom may involve greater personal cost – as we make certain that the differences between Christianity and our culture are clearly understood. We have great comfort in knowing that we are not the first Christians to face this dilemma, and that God will bless us and extend His kingdom regardless of the cost of our discipleship, and that ultimately Christ will return in glory. Then we will finally be home to enjoy our real citizenship, with no more threats from evil and no more injustices to endure.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, we can easily forget our true citizenship and become primarily concerned about the affairs of this world – including the glories of the nation in which we hold earthly citizenship. Remind us that we cannot count on government to make our discipleship easier. Keep us firmly focused on the glories of Your love, the final outcome of our lives and of all human history, that like your people of old we remain faithful to You. With them we pray, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” Amen.