Paul before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1-11)

Paul had once been a member of this august body, even casting his vote against Christians. No doubt, he had seen unusual actions during meetings, but very few would have matched what happened to him. After only speaking a sentence, he received a wallop on the face! 

Clearly his words about serving God all his life had caused offence. Ananias the high priest realised what Paul was claiming. The apostle was affirming that he had not abandoned the faith he had been taught as a child; rather he had kept to it, even although it had meant accepting that Jesus was the Messiah.

 

Paul responded to the slap by pronouncing a judgement on the high priest for not following the law. Perhaps, surprisingly, Paul did not know what the high priest looked like, but when he found out, he quickly apologised for his response. It has been suggested that one reason for why Paul did not recognise the high priest was his poor eyesight.

 

One way to defeat opponents is to divide them. Paul realised that his audience were composed of Sadducees and Pharisees. The Sadducees did not accept the existence of a spiritual world or of the possibility of a resurrection. In contrast, the Pharisees accepted both. Paul knew that because he had been a Pharisee in the past. All he had to do was mention truths that the Pharisees believed but which the Sadducees did not, and the outcome would be no verdict. This is what happened.

 

The tribune must have been getting more confused. Was it possible to find out who this man Paul was? The day before the Jews were united in condemning him; now a significant group, the Pharisees, were supporting him. He could see that Paul could be harmed by the Sadducees, so once again he had to rescue the apostle from a mob.

 

In addition to all this, Paul had an amazing experience when the Lord came and stood by him. ‘The Lord’ in verse 11 refers to Jesus. Probably, he appeared in a vision, but nevertheless it was a real visit. We are not told what Jesus looked like, but we are told what he said. Basically, he informed Paul that he would yet testify in Rome, a reminder from Jesus that he is in charge, and a reminder to Paul that he would not be killed in Israel.

 

The visit from Jesus reminds us that Jesus speaks calmly to his people and not like the verbal onslaughts provided by the mob. Moreover, he speaks clearly, so that his words are easy to understand. And he also speaks comfortably, giving assurance that he is in charge of all things, including everything that affects his people.