Acts 23:1-10 – Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing 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, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!” 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!” 5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’” 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.) 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
“Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)” Paul knew that he may at least may get some sympathy from the Pharisees as he was once a highly regarded one (Philippians 3:5). Seeing that the accusers were hardened against him, perhaps he was thinking of Julius Caesar’s “divide and conquer” strategy (Versus the Gauls)? The Pharisees and Sadducees were strongly opposed to each other’s doctrine on the resurrection. Since the Sadducees were dug in and did not believe in resurrection (figuring this life is it, nothing afterward), perhaps they could be talked to on another day. However, the Pharisees did believe in resurrection and so may listen to reasoning about the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrection was constant and charged subject of debate between the two groups and immediately, as Paul likely surmised, the two began arguing over it. Furthermore, as Paul had hoped, there was a glimmer of hope that the Pharisees would stand with him.
“There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”” As Paul had hoped, the Pharisees rallied to his side, at least so far as to say they should hear him out. Perhaps, they said, “a spirit or an angel” had spoken to him? Indeed a spirit, in fact the Supreme Spirit God, had spoken to him. Paul must have been excited at the sliver of opportunity that they may listen to him if he could separate them from the Sadducees? However the divide over Paul’s declaration that Jesus, the resurrected Lord, created not only a divide but a violent furor. Obviously there was pushing, shoving and some punches being thrown between the two groups.
“The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.” Paul was likely being physically and violently pulled by both sides. The Sadducees to pull him among them to kill him and Pharisees to pull a fellow Pharisee back to among the safety of them. Family this was no polite disagreement, it was a violent brawl. The commander became afraid that Paul would be literally torn apart. The commander did not want to have to explain how he let the Jews who he had authority over were allowed to tear apart a Roman citizen, so he sent in the troops to remove Paul from the danger.
Jesus said in John 16:2-4a “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.” The time when the Jews, really the Jewish authorities, would cast Christians from their synagogues had come. The last days were the days since Jesus ascended to the right side of the Father. These authorities claimed that the Christians were blasphemous in their teaching the Jesus was God in the flesh, the very Son of God, who now, after being crucified, was alive and sitting on the right side of God the Father. And, if Jesus was not everything that He had claimed to be, it would have been blasphemous. They taught the common Jews to hate Christians by claiming that they opposed Judaism (though at first, all the Christians were Jews).
However, as we know, Jesus was everything He claimed to be, He is sitting at the right hand of the Father and He was the Son of God. He was God incarnate and He brought God’s love, mercy and grace to all who would come. He came to save man and so that all could physically see the beauty of the love of God and personally witness it as Jesus brought the salvation that only God could bring. Only God is perfect so only He could die for the sins of man. If there was another way for man to be made right with God, then God would have provided that way. But there was no other way so Jesus came to die for us. And it is clear from the Word that even Moses and Elijah were not worthy of being The Savior, Jesus eternally stand while these great heroes of the faith have given way to Him (Matthew 17:1-8). There is no other way to God the Father, there is no other way to Heaven (Acts 4:12). That makes people angry when they hear it. In their delusion, or pride, or both, they want to create their own “way” or to cling to the error that their forefathers clung to. Some want to create their own religion or philosophy and they demand that God will accept them on their own terms and they assert that if He does not, then he and not them are evil. This is great foolishness and unless such people resent, they will never see Heaven but instead will forever dwell in the Lake of Fire with the great deceiver, with the one in whom pride was first found, the devil, and also with all the demons who followed him. For them that refuse Jesus the Lake of Fire is an eternal, no-way-out destination place of suffering beyond what man can currently imagine. But to all who love and serve the Lord, our eternal home is with God Almighty. Forever we shall live in His love, His peace, His joy and His rest. Not idleness, rest in the Spirit. Praise our God who loves us so very deeply and wants all to be saved, and that only through Jesus. Praise our God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”