But when Gallio was proconsul of Acha'ia, the Jews made a united attack upon Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, "This man is persuading men 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, I should have reason to bear with you, O Jews; 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 seizing Sos'thenes, the ruler of the synagogue, they all beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to this.
In a Nutshell
The Jews at the Corinthian synagogue tried to get Paul into trouble, but Gallio decided this was not a matter for his court even though the synagogue ruler was beaten up in his presence.
Questions
Who helped write Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church?
The last line (v.17) is ambiguous. Who is Luke referring to when he writes "they"?
Was it the Jews complaining about the Christian synagogue ruler? I have called him Crispus Sosthenes, assuming these two names belong to the same person. Of course there might have been two synagogue rulers of the Corinthian synagogue who accepted the Gospel. But this synagogue ruler got a belting when Gallio refused to let Paul speak and defend himself. Here again we realise we don't know all the facts but what we do know is distressing. Maybe Gallio's thuggish soldiers also belted Sosthenes. Whatever the exact interpretation, Luke tells us that it was difficult and difficult situations are always hard to interpret. Gallio did not want to issue a judgment. Even though the appellants proceeded to perform a crime in his sight he would not be moved. There would be no judicial investigation. Gallio's answer indicates an early trend in the way Roman courts judged cases in which Christians were involved. When Jewish opponents stirred up strife, Christians came to the notice of the Roman courts. We should not assume that the Christians were always blameless, even if the teachings of the Apostles, Paul and the gospels clearly instruct Jesus' disciples to obey the laws and to love their neighbours.
Remember these Christian Jews believed it would be a grievous neglect if they did not offer the Gospel to their fellow Jews. From the outset the disciples of Jesus, Jews and Gentiles, accepted it as their responsibility to tell Jews the Messiah had come. Christians are still commanded to reach out to their Jewish neighbours, whatever the personal cost may be.
On a previous occasion, Jason had to raise bail on behalf of the believers. Jewish opponents of Paul went to the market place and rented a mob to start a riot. They then attacked Jason's house and then had to front the proconsul with their accusation that Paul was guilty of sedition. Jason's faith on that occasion meant he was out of pocket. This time it was Sosthenes. But it was his black eyes and bruises, not his pocket book, which showed the suffering he had to endure as a result of following Jesus. Not easy. Some in the synagogue would have wondered whether following Jesus was worth the risk. But Jesus had told his disciples that "counting the cost" was a condition of following Him. Discipleship is not cheap.