When the apostle Paul went to Corinth to preach the gospel, he encountered opposition from the Jews.

However, God let him know that there was a big work to be done there: "The Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them" (Acts 18:9-10).

Some of the Jews believed. Among them was the ruler of the synagogue, Crispus (verse ‌8).

Paul was no longer preaching in the synagogue (see verses 6-7). However, Paul's preaching in Corinth eventually led to conflict with the Jews there. Crispus' replacement as the leader of the synagogue, Sosthenes, apparently used a change in local government as an opportunity to accuse Paul: "And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat" (Acts 18:11-12).

As mentioned last week, Gallio dismissed the Jewish attempt to have Paul punished. It appears that Sosthenes had to pay the price when the Greeks reacted angrily to the failed maneuverings of the Jews: "Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things" (verse 17).

"Paul still remained a good while" (verse 18) and continued his work in Corinth.

What happened to Sosthenes? About 3 years later Paul wrote his two letters to the Corinthians from Ephesus.

Notice how Paul introduces his epistles to the Corinthians: "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth" (1 Corinthians 1:1-2).

The name Sosthenes is mentioned only twice in the entire New Testament. Since Paul mentions him in his greeting the Corinthian church and calls him a brother, he was:

1. well known to the Corinthians
2. a spiritual brother

Is this Sosthenes the same man who was the ruler of the synagogue when the Jews took action against Paul? That appears to be a logical conclusion. If so, he learned an important lesson from his experience: Don’t oppose what God is doing.

And that is the rest of the story.

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!