Context of Paul to Sanhedrin
Paul had finished his third missionary journey and was in Jerusalem and explaining to the Jerusalem leaders all that had happened through the Lord to the gentiles. Paul was led to Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit, but Paul was also anticipating troubles in Jerusalem because the Holy Spirit had warned him, he would be arrested and face hardships in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem church leaders told Paul that thousands of Jews had come to faith in Christ in Jerusalem and that they weren’t understanding Paul’s ministry to gentiles. So, Paul began a purification ceremony that ended up with him making an offering at the temple. When he was at the temple the Jews began to rise up against him and we’re about to kill him because they were claiming he brought gentiles into the temple which was a false claim.
The soldiers had to carry him into the barracks to keep him from being killed. Paul addressed the soldiers in Greek and told them he was a Roman citizen. This got their attention and while he had their attention, he requested to address the crowd.
Paul addressed the crowd in Aramaic, and this calmed them down when he began to speak in Aramaic. Then the last words he said to the crowd was that he was called to preach the gospel to the gentiles. Again, the crowd became angry and they were ready to kill him. The soldiers got Paul back in the barracks and now the commanders want to know exactly why Paul’s being accused by the Jews. So, the next day they released Paul in order that the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin could assemble, and Paul would stand before them.
Paul addressing the Sanhedrin.
Paul began addressing the Sanhedrin by saying he has fulfilled his duty to God. We’re not sure exactly what happened next. We are not told if it was a right cross, a left jab or an uppercut. All we know is the high priest ordered that Paul be punched in the face. We also don’t know who hit Paul. It may have been a temple guard that was part of the Sanhedrin security team.
After being punched in the face Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. Paul knew quite a bit about whitewashed walls because twenty years earlier Paul (then known as Saul) he himself was the whitewashed wall who agreed to have Stephen Martyred and dragging the Jerusalem Christians to prison. The day before Paul had mentioned he was doing these things before he met Christ on the Damascus Road.
Paul even accused him of wrongly judging him and violating the law to have him struck. Paul must have directed his insult to the high priest because he was immediately scolded for insulting the High Priest.
Paul said that he did not realize this was the High Priest. He should know who the High Priest was. Paul was so versed in the ways of the Jews. He was a Jew of Jews. Paul quoted the verse that would command him not to insult the High Priest (Exodus 22:28). Probably Paul was implying that now there was now no High Priest but Jesus Christ.
The next phrase in Paul’s address to the Sanhedrin was meant to tear them apart. “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” Some of them were Sadducees who did not believer in a resurrection or angels and the Pharisees do believe these.
Paul made four statements in addressing the Sanhedrin.
I fulfilled my duty to God.
You are a whitewashed wall.
I did not realize you were the High Priest.
I am on trial for believing in the resurrection.
These are just four short statements, but they had tremendous impact. When Paul got the violent reaction from saying he fulfilled his duty to God it could be not only what Paul said but the way he said it. He was looking the Priests directly eye to eye. There was no remorse communicated by Paul for his ministry.
The results of Paul addressing the Sanhedrin
The first obvious result of Paul addressing the Sanhedrin is that he got hit in the face. There was a lot of pent-up resentment toward Paul if this one statement produced that violent response. We can also see that Paul was not going to shy away from conflict with the religious leaders in Jerusalem calling the High Priest a whitewashed wall. His apology appears to be a vailed knock on the authority of the High Priest.
Paul is not passively cowering to the angry mobs or the religious leaders. He outwits them by claiming that as a Pharisee himself, he is on trial for the resurrection. This splits the council, causes an uproar and turns them on each other. But the result for Paul is that the soldiers must take him to the barracks for the third time in two days to keep him from being killed.
The most important result of Paul’s preaching is the Lord stood near him and spoke to him the following night. The Lord told Paul to take courage. Paul had already shown great courage and looked death in the face multiple times the last two days. Maybe Paul was asking himself how long he could continue like this. The Lord told him he would testify in Rome also.
Conclusion
Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem marked a new term of his work. He completed his third Journey and now his next Journey from Jerusalem to Rome would be in chains. He would address the most powerful leaders in the world during this journey, the High Priest, Felix, Festus, King Agrippa and on to appeal to Caesar.
The next few years under arrest Paul would be greatly used of the Lord. He will be in chains much of the next three years but, “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! (Acts 28:31).
Paul told the Sanhedrin that he was on trial for the resurrection. It was more than his strategy for dividing the council. It was words of truth. As Saul he persecuted the church because they held to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This resurrection is also our hope. We who proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ must prepare for persecution also.
Because the Lord is with Paul even being held in prison, even being bound by chains cannot hinder his work. It is a call for boldness for all of us. The message of Paul before the Sanhedrin is our motivation to total obedience. It is a message to us, trust the Lord in whatever situation we find ourselves.
Be bold! Have Courage! Trust the Lord!
