Bible Study Lesson for Acts 23:1-11: Paul Before the Sanhedrin

Verses 1-11 describes what happens when Paul speaks before the Sanhedrin
Verses 12-22 describes a plot to kill Paul
Verses 23-35 describes how the Roman commander has Paul transferred to Caesarea to keep him safe

At the end of the previous chapter the Roman commander had called together the high priests and the Sanhedrin and had Paul brought before them to speak. The high priest of this time was Ananias. { Put up symbol of Ananias on flannel board }

Read Acts 23:1. Paul makes it clear that he does not feel he has done anything wrong, and that he stands righteous before God. He called them his "brothers" - that is, fellow Jews. I like the fact that Luke says he "looked straight at the Sanhedrin." There is no cowardice or flinching with Paul.

Read Acts 23:2. The high priest, Ananias, is angered by what he undoubtedly sees as arrogance on Paul's part and has him slapped. My commentary gave me some interesting information about Ananias. He was the high priest from AD 47-59 and was known for his cruelty and violence! I decided to "google" him and see what else I could find. Here's one excerpt:

"History gives an interesting picture of him. He ran into some problems with the Roman government and was sent to Rome for trial before Emperor Claudius. The ancient historian, Josephus, writes that Ananias took for himself the tithes that were supposed to be used by the common priests. His corruption was well- known. A Jewish lampoon written about him at that time has been found by archaeologists. It is a parody of Psalm 24: "The temple courts cry out, 'Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates, and let Ananias, the son of Narbai, enter in and fill his stomach with the divine sacrifices..."

In A.D. 66 when the revolution broke out against Rome, which ended 3 1/2 years later with the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jewish rebels burnt his house. He fled to hide in an aqueduct, was found and was assassinated. So was the violent end to a greedy life. "

This last part about what happens to Ananias is very interesting, as we read about how Paul responds to being slapped. Read Acts 23:3. Paul makes a prophetic statement about how "God will strike you", and indeed, within 10 years, Ananias will be stuck down by his own people. He was hated for not only his greed, but also for being a Roman sympathizer, and an oppressor of his people. The term "whitewashed wall" is very similar to what Jesus called the Pharisees at one point: Matthew 23:27-78. Paul, like Jesus, is calling Ananias a hypocrite; he could also be referring to the practice of building a flimsy wall, and then covering it with whitewash to disguise its defects, as described in Ezekiel. Read Ezekiel 13:10-12. The context here is talking about the false prophets and how they lead people astray, appearing strong and sturdy, but in fact a little water and bad weather and they would fall. Whatever exactly Paul means here, he clearly does not respect Ananias.

Read Acts 23:4-5. Paul is rebuked for insulting the high priest; he acknowledges this is wrong, by quoting from Exodus 22:28. So what is going on here when Paul says "I did not realize that he was the high priest."? My commentary says there are four different trains of thought on this matter: 1. Paul had poor eyesight (suggested by such passages as Gal 4:15; 6:11) and failed to see that the one who presided was the high priest. 2. He failed to discern that the one who presided was the high priest because on some occasions others had sat in his place. 3. He was using pure irony: A true high priest would not give such an order. 4. He refused to acknowledge that Ananias was the high priest under these circumstances.

Paul, as we will see next, is a man of considerable intellect and skill. With a single statement he will divide his accusers by exploiting the differences between the two sects, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Read Acts 23:6. What Paul says is absolutely true - he is a Pharisee and his father was a Pharisee. Let's review what we know about the Sadducees and the Pharisees, and how they differed on key points of belief.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or a personal Messiah, but held that the Messianic age--an ideal time--was then present and must be preserved

--were more worldly and politically minded, and were theologically unorthodox--among other things denying the resurrection, angels and spirits

--represented the wealthy and sophisticated classes. They were located largely in Jerusalem and made the temple and its administration their primary interest. Though they were small in number, in Jesus' time they exerted powerful political and religious influence

The Pharisees, in contrast, were a legalistic and separatistic group who strictly, but often hypocritically, kept the law of Moses and the unwritten "tradition of the elders"

Although some, no doubt, were godly, most of the Pharisees who came into conflict with Jesus were hypocritical, envious, rigid and formalistic. According to Pharisaism, God's grace extended only to those who kept his law

Their name meaning "separated ones," they numbered about 6,000 and were spread over the whole of Palestine. They were teachers in the synagogues, religious examples in the eyes of the people and self-appointed guardians of the law and its proper observance. They considered the interpretations and regulations handed down by tradition to be virtually as authoritative as Scripture

So Paul knows exactly how to get these two groups fighting! All he has to do is mention "resurrection of the dead" to get things rolling. Read Acts 23:7-8.

Read Acts 23:9. I have to wonder here whether these Pharisees really felt any desire to side with Paul, or if he was simply a convenient pawn in their ongoing argument with the Sadducees over key spiritual beliefs: resurrection, spirits, angels, etc. Notice they make no mention of acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah or God, they just say, "well, what if a spirit or angel DID speak to Paul"??? It just sounds like political wrangling to me, not true support of Paul or acceptance of his message. (I have to say, Paul was certainly well versed at creating uproars and riots!!! This is what, the fourth riot he's instigated so far?)

Read Acts 23:10. The discussion becomes so violent that the commander becomes afraid for Paul's life. Remember, Paul's a Roman citizen! The commander is obligated to make sure that he is kept safe. Paul is taken to the barracks (that is, the Fortress of Antonia) - I don't think this necessarily means he is put into prison. He may just have been kept in protective custody; I think that for that time, the barracks, with those hundreds of Roman soldiers, was probably the safest place Paul could have been at that time. I can't help wondering if Paul didn't use that time to share the gospel with the soldiers, even though nothing specific is recorded here. I can't imagine that he didn't take advantage of every opportunity that he had!

Read Acts 23:11. The Lord is so good! He knew Paul needed extra strength during this difficult time. Here he was being rejected by the elders and leaders of his people, the Jewish people which he so loved and wanted to help. The Lord prepares him for what is coming and lets him know that just as he testified in Jerusalem, he would also testify in Rome. We have at least three other examples of how the Lord gave Paul the needed help through visits and visions. Read Acts 18:9-10, 22:17-18, 27:23-24. There were probably others, not recorded in Acts.

We now move into the second section of this chapter which describes yet another plot to kill Paul. You have to feel like there was something supernatural about this intense hatred - it seems incredible that people would want to kill someone else for their beliefs! I think in our "live and let live" society, it is difficult for us to understand such extremes. Today, in America, I think people would have just laughed at Paul or ignored him or pooh-poohed him, not take him so seriously. But not these particular Jews: they absolutely hated him.

To be continued...

Sources
Editors. Compton's Interactive Bible (software)
Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford (notes). The Student Bible. NIV Version