Paul before the Sanhedrin
TRANSLATION
(25) As they were stretching him out to be flogged, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen before he is proven guilty?” (26) When the centurion heard this, he went immediately to the commander and asked, “What are we about to do? This man is a Roman citizen.” (27) The commander came and said to Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he answered, “Yes.” (28) The commander responded, “I bought my citizenship with a large sum of money.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” (29) Then those who were about to scrutinize him immediately withdrew. The commander was also alarmed when he realized that he had bound a Roman citizen in chains.
(30) The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, so, the next day, he released Paul and ordered the chief priests and the Sanhedrin to meet. He brought Paul and had him stand before them. (1) Looking directly at them, Paul declared, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God with a good conscience to this very day.” (2) At this, the high priest, Ananias, ordered those who stood 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, and yet, contrary to the Law, you order me to be struck?” (4) Those who stood by said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!” (5) Paul responded, “I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people.’”
(6) Then, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, Paul said to the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee and descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” (7) When he said this, a dispute arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees that polarized the Sanhedrin. (8) (The Sadducees claim that there is no resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all these things.) (9) There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the Law who were Pharisees stood and argued vehemently, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” (10) The dispute became so heated that the commander, fearing that they might tear Paul to pieces, ordered his soldiers to go, take him from them by force, and bring him back to the barracks.
(11) The following night the Lord stood next to Paul and said, “Take courage! Just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify about me in Rome.”
OBSERVATIONS
The dangers Paul faced in Jerusalem were clearly on display in this segment. Again, the numerous repetitions enhance our understanding of its message. Apart from the constant use of Paul’s name (twelve times in vss. 25, 27, 28, 30, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, & 11), several other designations were repeated: “centurion” (in vss. 25 & 26), “commander” (in vss. 26, 27, & 28), “high priest” (in vss. 2, 4, & 5), “Sadducees” (in vss. 6, 7, & 8), and “Pharisee(s)” (six times in vss. 6, 7, 8, & 9). “Roman citizen” is found four times (in vss. 25, 26, 27, & 29) along with “citizenship” (vs. 28) and “Rome” (vs. 11). Other repeated words include “ordered” (vss. 30 & 2), “brothers” (vss. 1, 5, & 6), “strike/struck” (three times in vss. 2 & 3), “Law” (both in vs. 3), and “resurrection” (vss. 6 & 8).
OUTLINE
I. Paul avoided a flogging when he told the soldiers that he was a Roman citizen. (25-30)
II. Paul was led before the Sanhedrin to determine the reasons for his accusation.(22:31-23:4)
III. When Paul mentioned resurrection, the assembly was thrown into turmoil. (6-10)
IV. In a vision the Lord assured Paul that he would bear witness to him in Rome. (7)
IDEA STATEMENT
When they failed to determine the reasons for the Jews’ animosity toward Paul, the Romans were left with no alternative but to keep Paul in confinement.
APPLICATION
Knowing the precariousness of his situation, Paul boldly took the initiative three times in this segment. First, with the Romans, he spoke up just before being flogged, identifying himself as a Roman citizen who should not be receiving a punishment reserved for aliens and slaves. He was spared when the commander who had overseen his arrest hurried to the scene, ascertained that his claim had merit, and stopped the torture lest he be held responsible for a miscarriage of justice.
The next day when he appeared before the Sanhedrin, Paul again took the initiative by declaring his innocence: “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day” (vs. 1). In response to his “impertinence,” the high priest had him cuffed. A few moments later, Paul took the initiative a third time and cried out, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial” (vs. 6). He knew that any mention of resurrection was likely to throw the assembly into turmoil because the Pharisees and the Sadducees held diametrically opposing views on this controversial subject. So violent was the reaction to his statement that the Romans were forced to remove Paul from the gathering for his own safety. The commander who brought Paul before the Sanhedrin, hoping to get answers for the Jews’ animosity toward Paul, soon realized that any further attempt to get a reasonable explanation from the Jews would be futile.