Paul’s Witness before the Great Sanhedrin
22:30 to 23:11
57 AD
Paul’s Witness before the Great Sanhedrin DIG: Why would the high priest react so violently to Paul’s statement? Why and how does Paul show his respect and zeal for the Torah? Why does Paul change the focus of attention from whether he has kept the Torah to his hope of the resurrection? What effect does the split have on Paul’s case? The last time we heard God speak to Paul was in 18:9-10, after he had experienced a series of setbacks. How would the Lord’s message here in verse 11 help Paul again? How might this help Paul remember what the Lord said about him to Ananias in 9:15-16?
REFLECT: When facing death, what duty do you want to say you have fulfilled before God? How can you pursue that course this week? How has the Lord encouraged you during hard times? What might be your “Rome” – the next crucial step in your spiritual journey? Why do you think so?
A tragic theme running through the thrilling story of the growing Church in Acts is the sad reality of Jewish opposition. Along with the apostolic preaching of the cross, Luke details the rising tide of Jewish antagonism. Having rejected and executed the long-awaited and hoped-for Messiah, led by the Great Sanhedrin (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin), Isra’el subsequently rejected those who preached the message of forgiveness and salvation in His name.
The opposition began when the Messianic Community began on the day of Shavu’ot, after the emissaries were immersed by the Ruach ha-Kodesh and miraculously spoke in other languages. Some in the crowd mocked and ridiculed them, scornfully deriding them as if they were drunk (2:13).
That relatively mild opposition stiffened after Peter’s sermon following the healing of the lame man (3:12-26). The Jewish authorities were indignant because Peter and John were teaching the people and announcing in Yeshua the resurrection of the dead. Determined to put an end to this dangerous teaching, they grabbed them and put them in jail (4:2-3). The next day, the Sanhedrin ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Yeshua (4:18). But refusing to be intimidated, Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (4:19-20).
The next outbreak of persecution involved Stephen. That fearless and powerful defender of the faith crushed his Jewish opponents in a debate (6:9-10), so frustrating them that the Sanhedrin had to arrange for false witnesses to lie about him (6:11). He, too, was brought before the Sanhedrin (6:12-15), where he gave a classic speech defending both himself and the gospel (7:1-50). He closed that message with a stinging indictment of the Jewish leaders for their hardened hearts and their rejection of the truth (7:51-53). Furious, they drove him out of the City and stoned him to death (7:54-60).
The murder of Stephen was the catalyst for the first widespread persecution of the Messianic Community, which was directed primarily against Stephen’s Hellenistic brothers and sisters in the faith (8:1). That persecution, lead by the zealous Pharisee Sha’ul of Tarsus (8:3), scattered them and spread the gospel even further (8:4).
Further persecution, this time directed at the apostles, came from Herod Agrippa I. Seeking to please the Jewish authorities, he executed James and arrested Peter (12:1-3). Peter was miraculously released from prison (12:7-11), but was forced into seclusion (12:17).
After Paul’s encounter with the glorified Messiah on the Damascus road, he became the leading evangelist for the Way. Ironically, Paul, once the chief persecutor of the faithful in Messiah, then became the most persecuted himself. Jewish opposition first arose against him in Damascus shortly after his conversion (9:23). He met further opposition from unbelieving Jews throughout his missionary journeys. On the island of Cyprus, he confronted a Jewish false prophet (13:6-8). The unbelieving Jews at Pisidian Antioch, filled with jealousy, opposed Paul’s teaching (13:45). At Iconium (14:2), Lystra (14:19), Thessalonica (17:5ff), Berea (17:13), Corinth (18:6, 12-13), Ephesus (19:9), Corinth again as he began his trip to Jerusalem (20:3), and after his arrival in Jerusalem (21:27ff), Paul faced the continual hostility of his countrymen.
As Chapter 23 opens, Paul once again faces Jewish opposition. He had just been attacked on the Temple grounds by a Jewish mob and savagely beaten (see Co – Paul’s Arrest in Jerusalem). Only the intervention of Roman soldiers saved his life. Claudius Lysias, the commander of the Roman forces in Jerusalem, tried unsuccessfully to find out what he had done. So, he allowed Paul to address the angry crowd from the steps of Fort Antonia. But Paul’s mention of his commission to the Gentiles (22:21) caused the riot to break out once again. Lysias then decided to use the brutal Roman interrogation method of scourging with the flagellum to extract a confession out of him. However, the discovery that Paul was a Roman citizen halted that as well, since it was illegal to submit a Roman citizen to such torture. By now, thoroughly frustrated and confused about how to proceed, Lysias decided to take Paul to the Great Sanhedrin, which functioned as the Jewish Supreme Court.539
Paul’s appearance before the Great Sanhedrin marks the fifth (and last) time the Jewish Supreme Court was called upon to evaluate the claims of Yeshua Messiah. The first time was when Jesus Himself stood before the Jewish leaders (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lj – Jesus Before the Sanhedrin in the Upper Story of Caiaphas’ House); the second involved Peter and John (see Ar – Peter and John Stand before the Sanhedrin); the third followed the arrest of all the apostles (see Au – The Apostles are Persecuted); and fourth was the trial of Stephen (see Aw – Stephen’s Testimony to the Sanhedrin). Five times the peerless communicators of the gospel had proclaimed the truth to the Sanhedrin, and five times the Jewish leadership had rejected it. Not only did they condemn themselves (John 3:18), but their rejection lead the nation into rejecting Him also.
Therefore, just as the Jewish leadership once led the nation into rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, they must one day lead the nation to accepting Jesus as the Messiah (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). During the last three days of the Great Tribulation, as the armies of the antichrist circle in for the final destruction of Isra’el, the Jewish leadership will lead a national revival (see the commentary on Isaiah Ki – Isra’el’s National Confession of Sin), and all Isar’el will be saved (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). That, however, will be in the far eschatological future.
The commander: Therefore, on the next day, still desiring to know exactly why Paul had been accused of by the Judeans, the commander released him and ordered the ruling kohanim and all the Sanhedrin to meet together. This implies that during the rest of the day, Paul was entirely free of Roman custody. And the commander brought Paul in himself to the Royal Stoa and set him before them (22:30).
Technically, this was not a trial, nor was it a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin. There were no formal charges brought against Paul, nor did any witnesses testify against him. But it felt like a trial to Paul. The Commander was merely gathering evidence to see if there was a case for a trial. Lysias did not need to be physically present and would not be permitted to attend the confrontation between Paul and elders anyway. So, Luke implies that at least, he remained in the vicinity.
The proceedings open with a statement by Paul, although one might have expected in the first place an opportunity for the Jews to state their case in this scene. This is due to abbreviation by Luke. The reader already knows what the charges are. Luke, therefore, concentrates on Paul.540
The confrontation: Paul, looked intently at the Sanhedrin (23:1a) and probably recognized many familiar faces in the room, since he may well have once been a member himself (26:10). In any case, he understood his audience. Those accused were given the opportunity to speak on their own behalf and speaking in Hebrew, he started his defense with the word: brothers. These people were still Sha’ul’s brothers. His addressing them in this was showed that this was not a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin, for it would not have been appropriate when addressing the Jewish Supreme Court; rather, it was appropriate for old friends. After all, this gathering was summoned by the Roman commander (22:30).541 Paul continued, “I have lived my life with a clear conscience for God up to this day” (23:1b).
The conflict: But the kohen gadol Ananias (not to be confused with Annas in 4:6) ordered those servants standing by him to strike him on the mouth (23:2). Ananias had been appointed in 47 AD and was dismissed by Rome in 58 AD. The Romans had suspected him of being responsible for riots in Judea in 52 AD, but he was cleared of the charge. Luke may have wanted to remind us of how Yeshua was treated at His trial (John 18:22ff). The most likely explanation for the action of Ananias is that he understood Paul’s words as a claim that, though now a believer in Yeshua, he was still a good Jew, having served Ha’Shem with a clear conscience all his life (or since his conversion), up to this day. To Ananias, it seemed to be the height of arrogance, even blasphemy.542
Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you on the mouth, you whitewashed tomb (see Matthew 23:27)! The metaphor derives from the practice of painting tombs with ashes in order to warn people of possible defilement which they conceal. Basically Paul called him a hypocrite. It was an offense to smite or curse any Jew – although such punishment was permissible in defense of God’s honor. In other words, as a punishment for transgressing the commandments of YHVH (Sanhedrin 85a). Paul merely made a statement of his clear conscience – not even claiming to have lived a blameless life, if the distinction be pushed – and in return received a slap in the face. This could not be justified either from the TaNaKh or the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law). Do you sit judging me according to the Torah, and yet in violation of the Torah you order me to be struck?” Those standing nearby said, “Do you insult God’s cohen gadol” (23:3-4)? For it has been written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people’ (23:5).” Luke quotes the TaNaKh almost always in a form either corresponding to the LXX or close to it, and not according to the Hebrew Masoretic Text. Here Exodus 22:27 is quoted close but not exactly corresponding to the LXX.543
Having accused Ananias of hypocritical behavior, Paul went one step further, and said: I didn’t know, brothers, that he is the cohen gadol. This remark dripped with sarcasm. He knew perfectly well who Ananias was. It was as if he was saying, “I didn’t know a man such as you could possibly be the high priest!” Despite the fact that contempt of the court was punishable by flogging, Paul was not given any penalty for his remark, which speaks volumes.544
The conquest: But recognizing that he wasn’t going to get a fair trial, as the actions of the cohen gadol clearly showed, and one group was Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am (present tense) a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees! Though a Messianic Jew for more than twenty years, Sha’ul still considered himself a Pharisee. Still holding the floor, Paul stated what he saw as the real reason the Jews wanted to kill him, saying: I am on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead” (23:6)! This is often seen as a cleaver ruse on Paul’s part to divert attention from himself. But the resurrection really struck at the heart of the matter, and was the hidden motive behind their hatred. The Pharisees believed in the concept of the resurrection of the dead, while the Sadducees did not (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ja – Whose Wife Will She Be at the Resurrection?).
A resurrection of the dead constituted a major part of the Pharisees hope in ADONAI’s final deliverance of His people. Thus, they were theologically “ripe” for the gospel that the hoped-for Messiah had risen from the dead. Paul, a Pharisee himself, had come to realize this. Other Pharisees, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lx – The Burial of Jesus in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea) had believed (15:5). In short, for Luke and Paul, the natural fulfillment of the Pharisaic hope was in the resurrection of Christ. It was therefore not accident, and certainly no ruse, that Paul made his appeal to the Pharisees in the Great Sanhedrin.545
When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees, who only accepted the five books of Moses, say there is no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all. Then there was a great uproar, but it soon became clear that the Pharisees were Paul’s defenders. Some of the Torah scholars of the Pharisees’ party stood up and protested sharply, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man! What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him” (23:7-9), possibly defending Paul’s Damascus road experience.
As a big dispute was developing, the Roman commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them and he was responsible for his safety. So he ordered the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and to bring him into headquarters of Fort Antonia (23:10). Significantly, Lysias did not intervene directly in the legal proceedings, nor did he take action against the Sanhedrin itself. He merely removed Paul from possible danger. The violence of the last two days, and especially the enmity of the Jews, must have made him wonder anxiously about the future. There seemed little prospect of his leaving Yerushalayim alive, let alone of his traveling on to Rome.
The consolation: The Lord had certainly preparing Paul well for the events that had just transpired in Jerusalem (20:23, 21:10ff). Still, they had been particularly trying – the mob in the Temple Compound, the arrest, the attempted scourging, and the violence of the Sanhedrin. To what was it all leading? God’s words assured him that there was a divine purpose in all that had happened to him. So on the following night the Lord stood beside Paul (see Bf – Peter’s Vision: A closer look at visions or dreams), and said: Don’t worry! For just as you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome (23:11)! This is the last of four times that Paul saw the Lord in a vision (9:5; 18:9-10; 22:17-21, and here). Paul had already expressed his own desire to visit Rome (19:21). Now he received ADONAI’s endorsement. The key word is, of course, testify. All of Paul’s troubles the past two days had derived from his testifying to Christ before the Jews. Now his trip to Rome and all the legal hassle in between would also be a testimony. With this verse, the final blueprint for Acts is mapped out.
You might think that things are bad for you right now, but you may not even know the half of it! But Jesus knows. Before the cross, Messiah said: In this world you will have trouble. Despite the chaos of living in a hostile world, we may enjoy tranquility. Yet this too is conditional. We must choose it. The life of a believer in Christ is not the proverbial rose garden, except, perhaps, for the thorns. Nonetheless, Yeshua encourages us when He says: But take heart! We can choose shalom when we choose to believe that He has overcome the world (John 16:31-33). Therefore, He continues to say to you today: Don’t worry! Why? Not because everything is fine; but because God is still on His throne. His promise still holds true: All things work together for good for those who love God, and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Grow in me the patience, Lord, to live by these words: Commit your way to ADONAI. Trust in Him and He will do it. He will bring out your indication as light, and your cause will shine as noonday. Be still before ADONAI and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret over one prospering in his way, over one carrying out wicked schemes. Put away and turn from wrath. Do not fret – it only leads to doing evil. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for ADONAI – they will inherit the Land (Psalm 37:5-9). I know this in my mind. Lord, help me live it in my heart and life.546
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