It never ceases to amaze me how resilient the plants are when it snows.
Here you can see the Mugo Pine in the front flower bed. When we first got it, it was just a tiny little thing. Now, and after several years, it is growing into a beautiful bush.
However … squashed underneath the snow you wouldn’t even know it was there at all.
It sure doesn’t look like much does it?
This right here is what life feels like sometimes. Sometimes life is so heavy and weighty we feel just like the Mugo Pine … all bent low and buried beneath the weight.
In the last blog post I shared about the passage in Acts 18:9-16, where God appeared to the Apostle Paul in a vision and told him: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” – Acts 18:9-10
Immediately following this encouraging word from God is an account where the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court.
“While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. ‘This man,’ they charged, ‘is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.’
“Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law – settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.’ So he had them ejected from the court.” – Acts 18:12-16
These events happened right here at the Bema Seat / Judgment Seat of Corinth, in the Roman Forum.
Every time I have read this account I’ve thought: “Oh good! God protected Paul just like he promised. Yay for Paul.”
The very next verse states: “Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.” – Acts 18:17
I’ve thought: “Don’t know who Sosthenes is, poor dude. Bad day for him. But thankfully God protected Paul like he promised. Yay for Paul.”
Then I’ve moved on in my Bible reading, not thinking twice about Sosthenes. The very next verse tells us that Paul left Corinth and traveled across the Aegean Sea to do ministry in Ephesus. And so, likewise, I’ve left all thoughts of Sosthenes behind and moved on to what happened next in Paul’s journeys.
However … when I turned over to 1 Corinthians and read the very first verse: “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes.” – 1 Corinthians 1:1
What!?!
No way!
Sosthenes co-authored the book of 1 Corinthians!? I had no idea!
To be honest, I’ve never really paid much attention to the co-authors mentioned in the opening verses of each of Paul’s letters. I’ve only ever viewed the letters as being written by Paul.
It wasn’t until I started writing these blog posts about Corinth that I realized the books of 1 & 2 Thessalonians were co-authored (along with Paul) by Silas and Timothy! The same Silas who was beaten along with Paul and sang songs along with Paul in the Philippian jail at midnight, when God sent the earthquake to shake the prison and release their chains. This very same Silas wrote part of the Bible! I never realized this!
So also … the very same Sosthenes who was beaten in front of the Bema Seat / Judgment Seat in Corinth likewise wrote part of our Bible! This blew my mind!
Sosthenes, as a follower of Jesus Christ, was resilient. Sosthenes took a beating for following Jesus Christ. Sosthenes was like the Mugo Pine … weighed down with suffering! But Sosthenes didn’t give up. Sosthenes was resilient!
Here you can see the Mugo Pine in my front flower bed two days after the snow The snow is beginning to melt. The weight is lessening. The branches of the Mugo Pine are beginning to appear once again. This is what resilience looks like!
In the same way, Sosthenes didn’t let the weight of the suffering totally crush his devotion to Jesus Christ. Sosthenes didn’t give up. Sosthenes came out from under the weight (it probably took some time) and “reached tall” once again. So much so that he co-authored part of our Bible!
Likewise, Silas was resilient! Silas took a beating for following Jesus Christ. Silas was weighed down with suffering! But he didn’t give up. He was resilient and kept right on going! So much so that he authored part of our Bible!
Here you can see the Mugo Pine three days after the snow. There is still some weight from a bit of snow remaining … but overall, the Mugo Pine is “standing tall” once again.
This right here is what resilience looks like!
To be a follower of Jesus Christ requires resilience!
So … now that we know Sosthenes co-authored part of our Bible, who exactly was Sosthenes?
From Acts 18:17 we learn that Sosthenes was the synagogue ruler. This tells us that Sosthenes was Jewish. Sosthenes was well-educated in the law. Sosthenes knew the Torah very well! Sosthenes was devout.
From Acts 18:8 we learn that shortly after Paul arrived in Corinth, “Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord.”
So evidently it would seem that Sosthenes must have been the synagogue ruler after Crispus.
If Sosthenes was the synagogue ruler, then the beating he received was at the hands of his own congregation which he had been leading and “shepherding” for the past year or so. His own parishioners beat him. This would be like the members of a church turning on their pastor and publicly beating him out of utter hate and vengeance!
Wow! This is intense!
I can’t help but think that Sosthenes accompanied Paul’s ministry team as they all left Corinth and sailed across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19). In Acts 18:5 we see that Silas and Timothy had been doing ministry in Corinth alongside Paul; and Acts 18:18 mentions Priscilla and Aquila accompanying Paul to Ephesus. It likewise seems probable that Sosthenes might have accompanied them as well, since the letter of 1 Corinthians was written from Ephesus … and Sosthenes was the co-author of the letter.
When it comes to co-authoring with someone else, it seems like that would be really difficult. I can’t imagine co-authoring a blog post with someone else.
But I can totally imagine co-authoring a letter to my kids … if the co-author was hubby. Both hubby and I know our kids very personally. We both love our kids very much. So, if hubby and I were to sit down together and write a letter to our kids, it would be very natural to co-author a letter together.
I think this is how the letter of 1 Corinthians was written. Both Paul and Sosthenes knew the Christians at Corinth very personally. The church at Corinth was a mixed conglomeration of both devout Jews (who were very knowledgeable in the Torah and the Law), as well as Greeks who had been saved out of paganism and idol worship. This was a very diverse group of people!
Writing to them was probably a lot like hubby and me writing a letter to our kids.
Hubby and I know our kids’ weaknesses. Hubby might think of one thing to address … and as he is writing the letter I might say, “Don’t word it that way … it might sound better if it’s worded this way.” And hubby would say, “You’re right. Good point.”
Then I might think of something else we need to tell them that hubby hadn’t thought of.
I think this might have been how the writing of 1 Corinthians took place.
Just like hubby and I both love our kids very much and a letter we might write to them would be to help them … so that they would be stronger in life … so also, in the same way both Paul and Sosthenes cared very deeply about the Christians in the church at Corinth. Paul and Sosthenes loved these people with a “parental” type of love. And the letter they wrote to them was to help them … so that they would be stronger.
Sosthenes was resilient!
Paul was resilient!
This doesn’t mean it was easy.
Not at all.
It was hard. Life was very hard.
The Christians in the church at Corinth were likewise resilient!
The correction they received from Paul and Sosthenes was “heavy.” The Christians of Corinth were “weighed down” with conviction. It is hard to receive a word of correction from someone who loves us and wants to help us. It is “weighty” to be told of our weaknesses and how we need to change.
But the correction was written out of love. And the Christians of Corinth received it with the love from which it was written. They repented. They changed their behavior. And as they repented, the “weight” was lifted.
Being resilient doesn’t mean it’s easy.
But Jesus Christ will help us! The power of the Holy Spirit (living within us) will help us.
To be a follower of Jesus Christ requires resilience!
Resilience like the Mugo Pine … which was weighed down … but endured, to stand tall and beautiful once again.
