A Good Ruling

Acts 18:12-16 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” 14 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. 15 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.” 16 So he had them ejected from the court.
 
PAUL, Silas and Timothy are still in Corinth in the region of Achaia. Luke’s focus on Paul affirms his standing as one of Jesus’ specially-anointed apostles and early church leaders. His epistles gained greater impact as the early church learned of Paul’s triumph over personal struggles and the Jews’ and Rome’s persecution.
   Paul may have been very surprised when Gallo, the Roman governor, defended him. When the Jews charged that Paul was persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law, they accused Paul of breaking a Roman law. Rome did not permit the teaching and spreading of any new religion. The Jews charged Paul was preaching a new religion.
   But Gallo ruled Paul’s teachings were “about words and names and your own law.” In Gallo’s opinion Paul was teaching about Judaism. Paul, then, was not preaching a new religion. Under Roman law Paul could continue.
   Often in our courts we have judges’ rulings that create a precedent for similar cases in the future. Gallo’s judgment in favor of Paul set a precedent to allow Jesus’ gospel to be openly taught throughout  Achaia.
   Gallo told the Jews they needed to resolve the issues within their own culture. We’ll see this again when Paul stands before Rome’s governors who see no fault in him. How sad to see it is God’s own people who restrict and persecute the Lord’s apostles. How often have misguided leaders of Jesus’ church persecuted Jesus’ true Church?
   Rome’s relationship with Christ and his followers was not a simple acceptance or rejection. Jesus’ ministry included healing Roman Centurions’ servants and relatives. Pilate, too, saw Jesus as the Jews’ problem. If Pilate had possessed moral strength he would not  have condemned Jesus. Acts has reported magistrates sentence Paul, Barnabas and Silas to jail and to be beaten. These same rulers also released the evangelists. Later certain Roman emperors, especially Nero, gravely persecuted Christians because they saw Jesus’ followers as a threat to their authority and supremacy.
   The Christian life mirrors this cycle of acceptance and rejection. We experience people who are interested in and excited to understand more about Jesus. Often we encounter people who don’t care and even reject us outright. All of us live in cultures that both confirm and reject Jesus. Our response is to always remain faithful to the gospel, as Paul, Silas, Timothy and so very many more true evangelists have done for generations.