Paul Speaks to the Chief Priests - Acts 23

³⁰ The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

Since the commander knows that Paul is a Roman citizen and is being accused by the Jews, he wants to know what crime he has committed and if he will be in trouble for holding a Roman without cause.  I wonder if the Jews knew that Paul was a Roman citizen and would have this influence regarding his treatment.  The commander is forcing an unofficial "trial" to see if there is any validity with regard to Roman law for holding Paul.

23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” ² At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”

Paul again begins by saying “my brothers”.  He has done this before as a point telling them that he is a fellow Jew.  He says that he has in good conscious followed God’s instruction to that very moment.  How many of us can say the same?  Why can't we?  We should endeavor everyday to fulfill our duty to God in all good conscious.  Are you looking for a purpose today?  There it is.  Look no further.

At just Paul saying that the high priest demands he be struck.  This is an appalling rudeness.  Paul's criticism of the high priest is nearly the same as Jesus's criticism in Matthew 23.  Paul rebuts this action as a point of order.  In Roman law, no man could be punished until there had been a judgment.  There had been no judgment.  Paul is catching the high priest at odds with the laws of Rome.

Paul then quotes the law.  The same law that the high priest should have followed and not indicated for Paul to be struck.  This is also an indication for the Romans that these Jews are following their own laws above the Roman law.  This would put the Romans against the words of the Jews.

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” ⁷ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

Paul, who knows all of their theologies, gets them to argue violently among themselves.  This is a genius method that shows they do not know what they are doing to the Romans.  As ordered as the Romans are in their law, this would have looked like wild children to them and this would lead them to a better reverence towards Paul and away from the Sanhedrin.

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

The Jews are so confused that they cannot maintain order and conduct themselves reasonably at this time of supposed unity against Paul and the followers of Jesus.  Again, to the western style of learning of the Romans, this had to look like untrained children, chaos.  The single purpose of discovering what the crime was against Paul has only revealed the incompetent leadership of the chief priests and Sanhedrin.

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

This personal encouragement from the Lord is a good indication that Paul was not outside of God’s will and was indeed following the Spirit.  It must have also been a great assurance to him from God to know that God had a purpose for him where he was, which was a prisoner hated by his own people.