ACTS SERIES: BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN – ACTS 23

Acts 23 opens with Paul, a prisoner of Rome, appearing before the Sanhedrin to provide clarification for the Roman chief captain of his offense. First, Paul declared his innocence and righteous lifestyle, which enraged Ananias, the high priest, and he instructed a man to slap Paul’s mouth. Not knowing why this assault occurred, Paul responded, “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?” Then Paul was told his statement was against the high priest, to which he acknowledged it was not right to speak against a high priest.

Paul recognized that there were two different doctrinal groups present, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, so he framed his defense around this information. Declaring alignment with the Pharisees, who believed in the resurrection from the dead, Paul orchestrated a rift between them and the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, angels, or eternal spirits.

When the Pharisees voiced their acceptance of Paul’s beliefs, the dissension between these two factions became so chaotic that the chief captain had Paul forcefully escorted back to the castle. The scripture records that night, the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”

On the following day, a group of forty-plus Jews joined together in an oath, neither to eat nor drink until they murdered Paul. However, learning of the planned ambush, Paul’s nephew came to the castle and informed him of it. Paul had his nephew relay this information to the chief captain, who then, at night, under heavily armed guards had Paul escorted to Felix the Governor in Caesarea. Additionally, he sent a letter sharing the events that led to Paul’s arrest, his continuous intervention in keeping Paul a Roman citizen alive, and his conclusion that this was a religious dispute between the Jews and Paul, which was not worthy of death. After reading the letter and finding out Paul was a citizen of Cilicia, which was under his jurisdiction, Felix agreed to a hearing with Paul and his accusers. And so ends Acts 23, but before I stop, here are the nuggets that I gleaned from this chapter:

Witnessing for Jesus can be life-threatening.

Assaulting someone because of their beliefs can lead to repercussions.

If you are innocent, say so.

It is always right to respect leadership.

When people hate you, they will go to the extremes to end your life.

God will cause the evil plots of men to be revealed.

God sends unexpected help when you need it the most.

God will cause men to protect you in dangerous times and situations.

God will cause those in authority to rescue you as needed.

Despite the danger, God’s will for a man’s life will be fulfilled.

When presenting your defense, you must be strategic and know who is present.

God strategically places people around us to assist us when needed.