Unstoppable ChurchSample

Acts 22:30-23:10 NKJV– Paul Stands Before the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem

Trust the Process – God’s Process!

It seems impossible to believe that Paul walked up to the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, the Supreme Court of Judaism, who deliberate over all spiritual and theological matters and ultimate questions of practical application of the Jewish law, and was successful in securing a hearing with the entire Sanhedrin membership for the purpose of sharing his testimony and the Gospel! There would have had to have been an exceptional circumstance for everyone to drop what they were doing to gather together to listen to Paul in this instance. The only way it could happen was if they had a unique motivation to gather and listen to him. Fortunately, God had already providentially orchestrated the process so Paul could receive an opportunity to speak to all of them.

On this day, the Sanhedrin received ample motivation to immediately gather and listen to Paul. Claudius Lysias, the Roman Commander, commanded the Sanhedrin to gather and listen to Paul’s testimony to help Claudius understand what Paul might have done to cause a mob riot in Jerusalem. And even though Rome held no jurisdiction (nor interest) in this Jewish religious body deliberating over their own words and rules, Claudius needed to know what caused all of this commotion. And for political reasons, they jumped at his command (Acts 22:30).

Now, probably all of the Sanhedrin heard about the mob riot, but most of them did not know why it occurred with any specificity, as it had only occurred the day before this gathering (Acts 22:30a). So, God prompted Paul to tell them the reason why all the commotion occurred in two sentences: I am a Jewish man and a former Pharisee who follows Jesus as the Christ in good standing with God (Acts 23:1, 6a), and I believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead and when one dies s/he will be resurrected too (Acts 23:6b)! And just as the mob in the city was set off by one word, “Gentiles,” the Sanhedrin was set off after hearing one word, “resurrection” (Acts 23:6b NKJV). Paul said that the issue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is why people were punishing him.

The Sanhedrin was comprised of Pharisees and Sadducees, and “Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both” (Acts 23:8 NKJV). And that is all it took for Pharisees to hear that someone was being punished for believing “the hope and resurrection of the dead” (Acts 23:6b NKJV). The conversation escalated from being divided (Acts 23:7b), to a loud outcry (Acts 23:9a), to standing and protesting (Acts 23:9b). The result was that the Pharisees believed Paul, or anyone for that matter, should not be punished for holding this view (Acts 23:9c). In fact, some of the academic scribes in the room even suggested that “if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God” (Acts 23:9d NKJV)! It ultimately escalated to “a great dissension” (Acts 23:10a) to the point that “the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks” (Acts 23:10b NKJV).

Now, let’s pause on this story and get into the mind of the Roman Commander, Claudius Lysias. What do you imagine he was thinking after seeing this display of passion and discord? Most likely, Paul addressed the Sanhedrin in Aramaic or Hebrew. So, without any assistance, Claudius yet again would not know what Paul said to anger the Sanhedrin, just as he did not know what Paul said to the Jewish people in the city the day before. He most likely asked someone to interpret for him as he was not about to make the same mistake twice. Claudius needed answers, and he very likely knew what was said. And to his utter shock, he heard that these Jewish people argued about one of their theological topics, and yet again it escalated into a mini-mob riot right inside their Supreme courtroom!

Claudius was certainly not interested in their theological squabbling. He just needed to discern if Paul was a civic disturbance and a problem for Rome. And what Claudius witnessed was that for some reason, Paul pushed the right buttons to cause chaos among the Jewish people. And for whatever reason this chaos had to stop. He was here to keep the peace.

Back to the story. The Sadducees held more positions in the Sanhedrin, in the Temple, and mostly were from the wealthy and elite families in Israel. Even the chief priests were Sadducees. The Pharisees held a minority number of seats, controlled the synagogues, and mostly came from the common families. Sadducees had a warmer but not perfect relationship with Rome, as they welcomed some life-improving aspects that Rome provided its citizens. Pharisees were opposed to anything and everything Rome did and stood for. It was only near the end of Jesus’ ministry that the Sadducees and Pharisees temporarily put aside their differences to figure out a way to rid themselves of Jesus. But one topic that fired them up at all times was the topic of resurrection. And for some of the Sanhedrin to hear that a person who believed in the resurrection was getting punished for it was not acceptable.

But why did Paul bring up the resurrection at all in his speech? Most likely, he sensed he was not going to receive a fair review by the Sanhedrin, so he decided to testify about the most essential tenet of the Christian faith, the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:16-17). And by doing so, he knew this would divide the group in a passionate way and possibly divert attention away from him. And it worked. His last sentence in the room was what he would be known for by these Jewish leaders, and it is what every believer would be known for, if we are sharing the Gospel (and our testimonies) properly, “concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged” (Acts 23:6b NKJV)!

Ponder & Pray Today…

Reflect upon how Paul saw God orchestrate his circumstances to provide him with an opportunity to speak in front of Jewish leaders at the highest level. And think about how he probably would never have gained this opportunity without trusting God’s process. Ponder the trustworthiness of God in the following verse: “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT). Ponder this verse, “God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken or failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through” (Numbers 19:23 NKJV)?

Pray and meditate on these words: “God can be trusted,” “He does not lie,” and “Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” Allow this prayer to be free-flowing. Let it start – and stop – and start again. Maybe start with thanking God that these things are true about Him. Tell Him how much each of these qualities makes you feel. Tell Him why you appreciate each one. Praise Him for being like no other person or being. Then end with thanksgiving and your commitment to trust Him today.