Paul Before
The Divided Sanhedrin
– Acts Twenty-Three –
Paul was an honest
man who served "in all good conscience before God." (Acts 23:1) He
did the best he knew how to live right and to be an honor to God. His claim to
a good conscience caused Ananias to tell someone to strike him on the mouth. In
Acts 23:3 Paul told the High Priest, "God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to
judge me after the law, and commandest me to be
smitten contrary to the law?" He did not know that this man was High Priest.
He certainly was not acting like a High Priest should act. Paul would never
have spoken to Ananias as he did if he had known he was High Priest. Paul knew
that the law of God requires respect for authority. (Exodus 22:28, Ecclesiastes
10:20)
The Sanhedrin was
divided. Some members of the court were Sadducees and others were Pharisees.
Paul said that he was being judged "concerning the hope and resurrection
of the dead." The Sadducees had
neither hope nor dread of the future. "For the Sadducees say that there is
no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess
both." (Acts 23:8)
About forty Jews
bound themselves under an oath that they would neither eat
nor drink until they had killed Paul. They would ask the chief priest
and elders to bring him down that they might ambush him and kill him. Paul's
nephew heard of their wicked plot and told Paul. He sent him to tell the
commander about their plan. The commander sent Paul to
Paul's
defense before the Sanhedrin – Acts 23:1-5: Paul appeared before the
Sanhedrin to try to resolve the charge of profaning the
The High Priest
commanded the people to strike Paul in the mouth. They were gathered to learn
the truth, but sadly the High Priest had no interest in truth. Paul called
Ananias a "whitewashed wall." He was beautiful on the outside and
rotten on the inside. He pretended to be religious, but it did not show in his
life. Paul could not tell by his actions that Ananias was High Priest. Paul had
too much respect for God to knowingly speak against His authority!
Paul
was assured that he would go to
This must have been
a discouraging time for Paul. But, "the night following the Lord stood by
him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in
The
Jews conspired to kill Paul – Acts 23:12-24: There was so much hatred
toward Paul that more than forty Jewish men vowed that they would not eat nor
drink until they had killed
him. They even asked the chief priest and other to join them in
their godless plot. They wanted then to request the commander to bring Paul
down that they might kill him from ambush.
Paul's nephew
somehow heard about the plot. He told Paul who then asked an officer to take
him to the commander. He told the commander that some men would ask him to
bring Paul before the Jewish council tomorrow. They would pretend to desire to
question Paul more. However, more than forty men were going to attack Paul.
They had made a vow not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him.
The commander charged the young man not to tell anyone what he had told him. If
they knew that their plot had been made known they might have devised a new
scheme before Paul could be spared.
At about
Claudius
Lysias's letter to Felix -- Acts 23:25-35:
Claudius Lysias wrote a letter in which he sent
greetings to Felix and somewhat explained Paul's situation. He explained how
that Paul was taken by the Jews in the temple, dragged out and beaten by them.
He said he saved Paul's life when he found out he was a Roman. But he did not
know that until he had bound him with two chains, and ordered him to be
examined by scourging. He made it seem that it was his great concern for a
Roman citizen that caused him to take such care.
Claudius Lysias said that he wanted to find out what the Jews had
against Paul. He explained how that he brought him before their council and learned
that the charges concern only religious laws. He said Paul was not guilty of
anything for which he should die or even be put in prison. He explained about
the plot against Paul's life and how that he had quickly sent Paul and his
accusers to Felix's court. Felix promised to hear Paul's case when his accusers
came. Felix desired to hear both sides of the matter before he passed his
judgment, even though the chief captain's letter had said that Paul was
innocent. Paul was kept in Herod’s judgment hall. This provided an open door
for much work in the kingdom.
To become a
Christian you must hear the gospel (Romans