1 Corinthians 1:1

This is a fairly familiar beginning to one of Paul’s letters, but what interests me today are the last five words “and from our brother Sosthenes”. We always refer to this letter as coming from Paul, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard reference to the
fact that it also came from Sosthenes. So who was Sosthenes?. He was obviously a very significant person in Paul’s ministry to be mentioned right at the start of this letter. Unfortunately, it is impossible to be sure who he was and not least because Sosthenes, surprisingly, wasn’t an uncommon name. It is tempting to think that he might be the Sosthenes who we meet in Acts 18, who was chief ruler of the synagogue in Corinth, but we cannot be sure. If it was that Sosthenes it would be fascinating to learn how he became a Christian, but we simply don’t know.

However, the presence of this mysterious Sosthenes tells us two really important things. Firstly, Paul believed in working closely with others. There is no question that Paul had a really prominent and important role, but he never worked in isolation. Interestingly, the majority of the letters that we describe as “Paul’s letters” were written with at least one other person and most commonly his young friend, Timothy. I believe it is vital for every Christian to have close friendships with other Christians. We need others with whom we can be totally honest about our joys and struggles. We need people who will be straight with us – people who can tell us when we have slipped up and give us encouragement when we need it. Paul clearly had such people around him, and I have no doubt that his ministry relied on them.

Secondly, I am struck by the hiddenness of Sosthenes. Can I be honest with you? I had never even thought about Sosthenes before today! Here is someone who had a crucial role with one of the most famous Christians who has ever lived, and he is almost completely unknown to us. Isn’t that amazing? Whoever he was, he just got on with what he was doing and was clearly a great blessing to Paul in the process. What you and I do may never gain any wider attention, and that doesn’t matter a jot. What matters is, like Sosthenes, we get on and do what God is calling us to do.

Question
What do you learn from the hiddenness of Sosthenes?

Prayer
Loving God, thank you for calling me to serve you. Fill me with your Spirit today so that I will be the best that I can be for you, whether or not anyone else notices. Amen

Released on 28 Oct 2023