ADULT STS LESSON 219 PAUL’S TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN
MEMORY VERSE: “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11).
TEXT: ACTS 23:1-35
Paul the apostle continued the defence of his ministry, this time, before the Sanhedrin. Recall that the Jews caused an uproar in the temple on the supposition that he had brought in Trophimus, a Gentile, into the inner courts of the temple (Acts 21:27-29) and arrested him. With respect and politeness, Paul made his defence by testifying of his conversion and commission from Christ to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Rejecting his explanation and testimony of conversion, the crowd rose against him and demanded that he be put to death. But the Roman commander, not acceding to jungle justice based on religious sentiments, took him from the mob and attempted to extract confessions from him by flogging. He, however, could not do it when Paul asserted his Roman citizenship. Rather, he summoned the Sanhedrin to meet and determine Paul’s case.
The Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish tribunal during the Greek and Roman periods. It consisted of about seventy members made up of the high priest, chief priests and elders drawn from the two major religious sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The council was the final court of appeal on all issues connected with the Mosaic Law and the Jewish religion. The body also carried out some administrative and legal functions with permission from the Roman governor who ruled Judea.
As we discover how God intervened to thwart the conspiracy of the enemy and deliver His faithful servant, our faith will definitely be strengthened, not only to abide in Christ, but also to preach His saving gospel.
- PAUL’S DEFENCE AND THE LORD’S ASSURANCE (Acts 23:1-11; 24:6; 4:2; 13:23,24; 1 Timothy 1:15,19; 2 Timothy 1:3; Acts 27:22,23; Luke 21:12-15)
Paul began his defence by observing the normal Jewish courtesy saying, “Men and brethren”. Then, looking steadfastly at the council, he said, “…I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” (Acts 23:1). Here, we see the necessity of a pure conscience before God and man. The conscience is the inner faculty that approves of a person’s actions. But the conscience can only function effectively when it has adequate knowledge and right standards. For instance, if it is uninformed or ignorant of the truth, it may excuse wrong actions as though they were right. Besides, the conscience can be hardened, seared or stifled through repeated wrongdoing, indoctrination, misinformation, rationalisation and corporate approval of questionable deeds. Thus, as Christ predicted, there are people who could kill believers and still think they are rendering service to God (John 16:2). So then, the conscience can only be a safe guide when it is properly fed with the truth of God’s word.
The Bible reveals that there is good conscience (1 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:5,6,19; Hebrews 13:18); conscience void of offence (Acts 24:16); evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22); and weak conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7,12). To have a good conscience, a person must get saved by repenting of sin and believing in Christ. Besides, the mind must be saturated with the word of God so that it can properly discern between what is right and wrong (Hebrews 5:13,14). Irrespective of age and level of experience with God, a believer who seeks to maintain a pure conscience must always live a righteous life and continually make restitutions whenever necessary.
Paul’s claim that he had always maintained a good conscience before God made Ananias, the high priest, instruct those standing by to smite him on the mouth. He felt no mortal could honestly claim to have a pure conscience before God. Paul’s confession of a pure conscience was an indictment on Ananias who was reputed for great acts of wickedness and greed. History has it that he collected tithes from the Jews by force, right on their threshing floors and embezzled same, thereby depriving other priests of their share.
Like Ananias, many people think it is impossible to maintain a good conscience or live a holy life. They feel that widespread corruption and the presence of sin in their own lives are sufficient explanation for a lame generalisation that everyone is a victim of sin. But Christ’s answer to such people is always the same: “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The truth is, “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11,12). The grace of God enables an erstwhile sinner to live a consistent godly life. The saving and sanctifying grace of God enables believers to live above sin. The experiences of salvation and sanctification can lift a person to a new realm where the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes him or her free from the dominion of sin and death. In order to receive the experience whereby one is totally made free from the inbred sin, there must be initial salvation experience and a strong thirst to have the fullness of God’s holiness. Also, the believer must consecrate and claim God’s promises of sanctification for those who are genuinely saved (Ezekiel 36:25-27,37).
When the high priest commanded Paul to be smitten, the latter retorted: “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?” (Acts 23:3). By this statement, Paul called the high priest a hypocrite or a white-washed wall. But the people who stood by reproved him for speaking roughly to the high priest. His response to this rebuke, even though it came from his persecutors, is very instructive for believers. The apostle realised that he had done wrong; he therefore, apologised immediately. Although the high priest was wrong in commanding Paul to be smitten, he did not use that as an excuse to justify his own mistake. Regardless of the personality who occupies an office, we should accord such the respect because of his or her office.
Paul’s defence before the Sanhedrin began on a wrong footing because of his outburst at the high priest, and the hope of a fair hearing hanged in the balance. He, however, wisely capitalised on the longstanding controversy between the Pharisees and Sadducees to divide the council. He claimed to be a Pharisee and that it was because of his faith in the resurrection and coming judgment that he was being persecuted (Acts 23:6; 26:5; Philippians 3:5).
After Paul’s rescue from the Sanhedrin, Christ had to encourage him as he continued to suffer for the sake of the gospel. “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11). Our God is the ever-present Help in time of trouble. He will always stand by His servants everywhere and at all times. This should embolden those on the firing line of the gospel to keep working, knowing that the Lord will never leave nor forsake them (Hebrews 13:5).
- PLOT AGAINST PAUL FAILS (Acts 23:12-22; Psalm 37:12,13; Proverbs 10:31; Isaiah 8:10; Micah 2:1)
After Paul was taken from the council, the Jews realised they had missed an opportunity to kill him. Therefore, more than forty of them swore to an oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. They hatched a plan to lay ambush while the chief priests and elders asked the chief captain to re-arraign Paul before the council the next day. Then the men in ambush would kill him before getting to the council. However, his nephew heard the plot and went into the barracks to tell him who, in turn, sent the young man to inform the chief captain. Then, the chief captain arranged and sent Paul, under tight security to Caesarea, which was the provincial headquarters of the Roman colony in Judea.
The plot against Paul shows Satan is unrelenting in his attacks against the servants of God. If one attempt fails, he quickly devices another and his agents will go to any length to execute it. Second, God works for His people. He positioned Paul’s nephew to hear of the plot and revealed it, and caused the centurion to be willing to obey Paul’s instruction without asking for details. He also made the chief captain to act immediately. Third, sometimes God allows us to know the plans of the enemy, not to frighten us but that we may take steps to frustrate those plans. At other times, He may not even reveal to us what the enemy is planning but in His wisdom overrule it.
Fourth, the importance of prompt and wise use of intelligence report needs to be emphasised. Paul acted quickly on the report and was saved from untimely death. Fifth, God’s promise of preservation and the revelation of His good plan for a believer do not preclude the threat of the enemy. The conspiracy to kill Paul took place the night after his own vision of God’s promised presence and protection. Sixth, divine sovereignty works most effectively when complemented with human responsibility. As believers, we must complement God’s sovereignty in our lives with our own human responsibility by doing what is humanly possible for our safety while trusting God for whatever is beyond our power. As we trust Him and act upon His promises, we can be rest assured that no plan of the enemy will prosper against us.
- PAUL DETAINED BY FELIX AT CAESAREA (Acts 23:23-35; 24:3; 26:25; 21:33; 22:30)
God used the Roman army to deliver Paul from the Jews and send him to Caesarea. “And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night” (Acts 23:23). In sending Paul to Caesarea, Lysias, captain of the Roman army in Jerusalem wrote a referral to Felix, governor of the province of Judea. The letter stated a brief summary of facts, his perception of Paul’s innocence and his submission of the matter for superior adjudication. Although a secular subordinate, Lysias’ actions provide a blueprint for those who work with church authority to render concise and accurate report of important facts to ensure objective determination of issues referred to higher authorities. However, Lysias’ correspondence covered up the fact that he had bound Paul and almost got him whipped. He gave the impression that he realised Paul’s Roman citizenship and acted in his favour. No doubt, he wanted to impress the governor and present himself as a dutiful officer. Believers should avoid hypocrisy and praise of men in the house of God.
Nonetheless, the promptness with which the chief captain acted in sending Paul to Caesarea is worthy of note. As believers, we must do whatever assignment God commits into our hands with a sense of urgency. The chief captain realised that the life of a Roman citizen was very precious and he had a responsibility to protect it; so he took legal, rigorous steps to ensure Paul was taken to safety. In a similar vein, sinners out there are in serious danger and soul-winners must take urgent steps to rescue them before the devil, the enemy of their souls, destroys them.
In all, we understand that God always allows situations to work for the good of His children. In each of the cases concerning Paul, He was always on hand to support, protect or vindicate him. Everything worked to fulfil the divine plan for his life. From events before and after his imprisonment by Felix until he finally got to Rome, the Lord was in absolute control. As children of God and ministers of the gospel, no power on earth, underneath the earth or in heaven can destroy us until we have fulfilled the divine purpose for our lives. Ours is to remain faithful to our calling and God will fulfil His own part.
Questions for review:
- How can a person have a good conscience before God?
- State the steps to receiving the sanctification experience.
- Point out some lessons from Paul’s response to those who corrected him for reviling the high priest.
- What can believers learn from the way God encouraged Paul?
- Explain the lessons from the plot against Paul and how God delivered him.
- What should be our attitude when men raise false accusations against us?
- Why should Christians and ministers of the gospel remain faithful and committed to fulfilling their ministry?
