Paul’s Testimony Before the Sanhedrin Acts 23:6-11

Posted on by jemack

Paul’s Interrogation by the Civil Ruler

We observed Paul’s Interrogation By The Civil Ruler two weeks ago based on Acts 22:22-29. He wisely used his Roman citizenship to avoid the Roman lash. However, more than that, Paul may have curried favor with the Roman Tribune by not pushing for justice concerning his mistreatment. A Roman citizen possessed certain rights. One was not being punished without a trial.

Paul’s Testimony Before the High Priest

Last week, we saw Paul’s Testimony Before the High Priest based on Acts 22:30-23:5. We moved from the Roman tribune, the Chief of Police, to the High Priest–the Chief of Priests. He is the highest ecclesiastical power in Israel. The tribune recognizes that Paul was arrested for religious reasons. He is not competent to judge whether Paul has done anything wrong. He does not understand the Hebrew language. The tribune brings Paul to the people in the Hebrew world who are, he believes, competent to judge Paul’s innocence or guilt–the High Priest and the Sanhedrin.

Ecclesiastical & Civil Powers

The High Priest is the highest Jewish ecclesiastical power. The Sanhedrin is the highest civil and ecclesiastical court. The ancient world did not have a principle separating Church & State. Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, was a former officer of this court. It was a long time ago. About twenty years have passed. Today, we will call this a Civil body with a civil power–the sword. It has ecclesiastical officers in it; they are the elders of Israel. However, they are meeting to determine whether Paul is innocent or guilty. They could determine to hand him over to the Romans for execution. Paul is on the same road as Jesus, except, as we will see, Rome is where His testimony will end. Not Jerusalem, like our Lord.

Acts 23:6–11

“Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “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.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

Nothing New Under The Sun

Passages like these are so helpful and enlightening. We believe we live in a new age of advanced governance. Nothing could be further from the truth. The old adage about people being “dwarves sitting on the shoulders of giants” goes for both church and state. The U.S. made a few tweaks to a Greco-Roman form of government 250 years ago. Most, if not all, of our system of government stretches back as much as 3000 years–4500 if you combine the Judeo-Christian & Classical world. They are not the mouth breathers; we are.

Ancient Parallels to Modern Government

Here in Acts, we discover that, already in existence in the ancient world, there was a shared power structure like ours. The Romans acted federally, and the Hebrews acted nationally and locally. There are two siloed types of power: ecclesiastical and civil, as well as church and state. There is something akin to the U.S. Bill of Rights for Roman Citizens. They were called the Twelve Tables of Roman Law. There were also local beliefs and traditions, which the Ten Commandments and Hebrew civil laws would be considered at the time. We find what the Preacher says is true. “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).”

We are watching an Apostle take his own advice and “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:5-6).”

Paul’s Strategy for Survival

Discovering a wise course requires asking and answering a primary question. In Acts 23:6-11, the question is, “How do I survive?” The crowd was intent on beating Paul to death in the Temple. “They seized Paul and dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion (Acts 21:30b-31).” At the end of Paul’s speech in Acts 22, the crowd responds, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live (Acts 22:22).”

Last week, as an opener to Paul’s trial, the High Priest ensured everyone knew how he intended to vote. Before Paul can even make his case, the High Priest has him punched in the mouth. “And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth (Acts 23:2). Paul is in peril, great peril. To survive his trial, Paul will need to be very, very wise.

A Divided Court

Paul surveys the room and sees a kangaroo court. Instead of seeking vindication, he decides to file a mistrial. “Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees.” The Sadducees are the affluent East Coast power brokers—high Priests- elite priestly party. The High Priests have come from among them since before the Sanhedrin crucified the Lord Jesus. Caiphas was a part of the Sadducee Party. “But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison (Acts 5:17-18).”

Who Were the Sadducees?

Sadducees don’t believe in any of that spiritual mumbo jumbo. “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, angel, nor spirit (Acts 23:8).” They were the fools that asked Jesus about the woman that married all seven brothers according to the near kinsman law in Matthew 22. Pragmatists who lived in the real world, which is why they traveled with Herodians, supporters of a foreign non-Davidic king over Israel. They were all about power, expediency, and the real world–which was Roman.

Who Were the Pharisees?

The other party, the Pharisees, has more of the heart of the people. They are Jewish populists who love Israel. The Pharisees started as a recovery movement during the Greek Empire’s reign. They believe the Bible is the Word of God. They also believe in the existence of the spiritual world. “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”

Political Divides Then and Now

Ancient Israel had Liberals and conservatives—two major parties—a divided the room. I wonder if they delineated their aisles Left and Right. Sometimes you will hear conservatives called the Right and liberals the Left. That is because during the French Revolution in the Assemblée Nationale Constituante (National Assembly), liberals sat on the Left and conservatives sat on the Right.

Paul surveys the room, knows the parties well, and seizes on their differences. “Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “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.”

Evangelism amid Danger

For the record, I think Paul is also preaching the Gospel to these men. Many Pharisees have already come to faith. Some of them later became leading members of the first heretical church, the Circumcision Party. Later history will call them Judaizers. Their disciples caused the ruckus in Syrian Antioch, leading to the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. They wanted the Gentile converts to become Hebrews and undergo circumcision. “But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses (Acts 15:5).”

Pharisees as Viable Gospel Targets

However, the Pharisees are still very viable Gospel targets. You can see it in the text. Christianity made its mark, and clearly, twenty-five years into the future, it is not going away. The Apostles performed notable miracles. Christian martyrs exhibited inspiring courage under persecution. The Pharisees are the bad guys of the story. They are also Paul’s former party. He knew they had not been dipped in the acid bath of materialism like the Sadducees. They still had the basic capacity to believe. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)”

Strategic Defense

Sadducees believe in nothing, but the Pharisees believe God “exists” and “rewards those that seek Him.” That is what makes Paul’s actions so wise among his enemies. He uses their division to survive and forces the Pharisees to defend the possibility that HE MAY BE RIGHT! “Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him (Acts 23:9)?”

Survival and Mission

Christian wisdom is not about surviving alone. Otherwise, we would be Sadducees, materialists. Christianity orders the message as primary and survival secondary. It figures high when we weigh our actions, but death is not the worst possible outcome for a Christian. Denying the Lord is the worst outcome. Paul wants to survive but not deny.

Roman Protection

Survival is secondary to the mission, and again that is immediately apparent. “And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.” The tribune is charged with protecting the rights of Roman citizens. Paul, a Roman citizen, is in his care. He is not going to make any more legal mistakes with this prisoner. He is not going to be put to death because he let the Hebrews kill Paul. Once again, he enters into a violent mob to save Paul.

Divine Encouragement

That night, Paul, in a state of legal limbo, has a dream corresponding to what was told to him from the beginning. “He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15).” The following night, the Lord stood by him. He said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome (Acts 23:11).” The part about the kings is getting started.

Application

Most of us will never appear before kings and great men. As Paul says in another place, “not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth (Colossians 1:26).” God calls all Christians to live wisely toward non-believers. Again, the Apostle Paul: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time (Colossians 4:5). What is the goal? It is surviving without denying. We are moral beings navigating a morally complex world with sinful actors with mixed motivations for their actions and interactions. Wisdom, which is knowledge, discernment, and prudence rolled into a complete composite, is required to complete the journey well.

Pursuing Wisdom

Peter tells us to “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The Lord gave us Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, written by a Christ-figure or type, King Solomon, who is known for what? Wisdom. Solomon prayed: “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great (2 Chronicles 1:10).”

Final Reflection on Wisdom

How vital is wisdom to God? He made the last great Christ figure, the wisest man ever. Solomon was one of the shadow sons. He was a small fulfillment of 2 Samuel 7, and Jesus was the ultimate. Is wisdom on your radar? Are you pursuing wisdom? What is it? How do you get it?

  • God is the Fountain of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:10)
  • Memorize and Meditate on the Life of Christ, Lives of the Fathers & Prophets, Proverbs
  • Positive Imagination – imagine positive scenarios where you respond biblically. What does humility or grace look like?
  • Negative imagination – imagine negative scenarios where you respond biblically. Probably the more useful.
  • Imagination is necessary for meditation–What are you doing when you meditate? Conjugating verbs? No, you are thinking in concrete ways about the Word of God. How are you going to live it out. Living it out requires context.
  • Speculation is necessary for application–you have to connect dots, stack principles, and prioritize ideas/actions.
  • Collection of Living Counselors you yield your practical will to (Proverbs 11:14).
  • A Collection of Dead Counselors you yield your intellectual will to (Hebrews 11-beyond).

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