Dr. Pothana's Teaching

1. Detailed Study on The Book Of Acts
COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies
Hyderabad

2. Chapter 23

4. Paul Before the Sanhedrin
Acts 23:1-35

5. Introduction
• Paul is kept in the barracks for his own protection.
• When Paul’s sister’s son learns of a plot of some of
the Jews to call him before the Sanhedrin again in
order to ambush and kill him, he tells Paul.
• Paul sends the young man to tell the centurion and
Paul is moved at night from Jerusalem down to
Caesarea and kept under guard in Herod’s palace
where he will be safer.

6. • Acts 23:1-3
• 23:1 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!"

7. The conscience
1) Part of our inner being. It either accuses us of doing
wrong, or excuses what we have done as acceptable.
(cf. Rom. 2:15).
2) But, Paul had Christians killed and imprisoned
(cf. 22:4).
3) That tells us that the conscience is not an error-free
guide to make decisions by.
4) In addition the conscience can be REJECTED or
SEARED WITH A HOT IRON if we choose to
(cf. 1Tim. 1:19; 4:2).
5) Thus the conscience is a wonderful gift from God.
However, it must be EDUCATED by the word of God in
order for it to be effective as God intended it.

8. • Acts 23:4-5
• 4 Those who were standing near Paul said,
"You dare to 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.'"
• The Jewish priests, all descendants of Aaron,
changed positions each year (John 11:49-51;
18:13). It is logical to assume that Paul is telling the
truth. He didn’t know who was the high priest that
year.

9. • The Sanhedrin came into being in the desert to
assist Moses and the tribal leaders make policy
decisions and adjudicate the more difficult
questions of law and justice (Numbers 11:16 & 17).
• It was the only body that theoretically had the
power to discipline kings and rulers of the nation.
• Under the Romans it was limited in its power and
restricted to making judgments concerning matters
related to the religion and culture of the Jewish
nation.
Sanhedrin’s Tombs – near Jerusalem

10. • The Sanhedrin was the senate of the Jews. It was
based on the council of seventy appointed by Moses
in the Desert (Numbers 11:16-18).
• It was composed of the high priest, the other senior
priests and the leading scribes and rabbis. It also
included many of the rich and powerful men among
the Jews of the time. Many positions in the
Sanhedrin were hereditary.
• It could exact the death penalty on Jewish
lawbreakers but it could not crucify.

11. • Ananias did not want to hear that Paul could
replace Moses with Christ in good conscience.
• He ordered Paul to be stuck on the mouth for
saying such a thing.
• Paul responded by pronouncing a curse in the
name of God. But he added a name, calling
Ananias a “whitewashed wall.”
• If Ananias had been an inferior member of the
court, the curse and insulting name would not have
broken the law. But when Paul learned that he, as
high priest that year, was a ruler of the people, he
apologized.
Whitewash over adobe

12. • The Jewish law forbade speaking evil of a ruler of
the people (Exodus 22:28). Name calling and
insults to a ruler of the people were serious
offenses for which the offender could be beaten
with forty lashes.
• If God told the people not to speak evil of their
rulers, would it not be a good thing if our citizens
showed more respect for our elected leaders?
Assuming they earn our respect!
• Our laws are soft on those who malign public
figures, whereas libel and slander of private
individuals can bring a heavy financial penalty in a
court of law.

13. • But the Jewish law also said that a man should not
be struck or beaten unless he is found guilty of a
crime in a court of law ((Deuteronomy 25:2).
• Ananias was a whitewashed wall, in other words, a
hypocrite, because he pretended to be following the
law in his judgment of Paul but he broke it when he
had Paul, an innocent man, struck.
• Paul knew and predicted that he would get his just
desserts.

14. Matt 23:27-28
• "Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like
whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful
on the outside but on the inside are full of
dead men's bones and everything
unclean. 28. . . on the outside you appear
to people as righteous but on the inside
you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

15. • Paul’s prediction that God would smite
Ananias came true. According to
Josephus, the Jewish historian, who was
a witness of these things,
• “Ananias was slain, with Hezekiah his
brother, during the agitation that occurred
in Jerusalem when the robbers, or Sicarii,
under their leader, Manahem, had taken
possession of the city. . .
The picture is an artist’s representation
of the Jewish historian Josephus.

16. • He attempted to conceal himself in an
aqueduct, but was drawn forth and killed.”
See Josephus, Jewish Wars, book 2, chapter
17, section 8. (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic
Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
• Thus, Paul's prediction was fulfilled.

17. 2Cor 12:7+
• “To keep me from becoming
conceited because of these
surpassingly great revelations,
there was given me a thorn in
my flesh . . .” (NIV)

18. Gal 4:12-15; “. . .Even though my illness was a trial
to you, you did not treat me with contempt or
scorn . . . if you could have done so, you would
have torn out your eyes and given them to me. “
(NIV)
Gal 6:11“See what large letters I use as I write to you
with my own hand!” (NIV)

19. • Acts 23:6-8
• 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, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial
because of my hope in 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
acknowledge them all.)

20. • I think Paul saw that the inquisition was going
unfavorably for him. So he injected the
controversial “bone of contention” of the
resurrection to divide the Sanhedrin and bring
them to an indecisive standstill. This effectively
forced an end to the deliberations.
• Paul later admitted that he had used this
disingenuous trick to short-circuit the
investigation and get out of a dangerous
situation.
• Well, it worked beautifully.

21. • Acts 23:9-10
• 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.

22. Acts 22:6+
What were the Pharisees likely referring to
when they talked about Paul seeing a spirit
or an angel (23:9)?
“About noon as I came near Damascus,
suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed
around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard
a voice say to me, `Saul! Saul! Why do you
persecute me?'“ (NIV)

23. • Paul is again rescued from the murderous
intentions of the Jews.
• He will be kept in the barracks until the commander
can find a resolution to the case.
• But there is a well-planned plot afoot against Paul’s
life. His enemies plan to call him before the
council once more, but then to ambush and kill him
as he is on his way there.
• Paul’s nephew gets wind of the plot and comes to
the barracks to warn him.
Model of Antonia Fortress that contained the
Barracks

24. • Acts 23:11
• 11 The following night the Lord stood near
Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have
testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must
also testify in Rome."
• This tells us that God through His foreknowledge
knows that what is happening is setting things up
for Paul to be carried safely to Rome.
• Paul will be protected by the resources of the
greatest empire on earth.

25. • Acts 23:12-15
• 12 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy
and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or
drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty
men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the
chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a
solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed
Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition
the commander to bring him before you on the
pretext of wanting more accurate information about
his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets
here."
Paul feels safe in the Roman army barracks,
unaware of the Jews’ conspiracy to lure him
out to assassinate him.

26. • Acts 23:16-18
• 16 But when the son of Paul's sister heard of
this plot, he went into the barracks and told
Paul.
• 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and
said, "Take this young man to the commander;
he has something to tell him." 18 So he took
him to the commander.

27. • Acts 23:18-19
• The centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for
me and asked me to bring this young man to you
because he has something to tell you."
• 19 The commander took the young man by the
hand, drew him aside and asked, "What is it you
want to tell me?"

28. • Acts 23:20-21
• 20 He said: "The Jews have agreed to ask you to
bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on
the pretext of wanting more accurate
information about him. 21 Don't give in to them,
because more than forty of them are waiting in
ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to
eat or drink until they have killed him. They are
ready now, waiting for your consent to their
request."

29. • Paul’s sister’s son is usually pictured as a small boy.
But judging from the language he uses as he
explains the plot and gives his advice to the
commander, it is obvious he is probably an older
teen or young adult. He is called a young man in the
story.
• Though born in Tarsus in Cilicia, Paul was raised
and educated in Jerusalem. He might have had
other relatives there besides his sister and her
family.

30. • Acts 23:22-24
• 22 The commander dismissed the young man
and cautioned him, "Don't tell anyone that you
have reported this to me."
• 23 Then he called two of his centurions and
ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two
hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two
hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine
tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he
may be taken safely to Governor Felix."

31. • The detachment sent with Paul to escort him to
Caesarea was a formidable force of 470 men. This
commander was taking no chances.
• There were probably many Jews who would help
the forty who had bound themselves with the oath
not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. The
clandestine mission undertaken in the dead of night
thwarted the plot.
• Several horses were taken for Paul so he could
change mounts when the one he was riding got
tired.

32. • Acts 23:25-28
• 25 He wrote a letter as follows:
• 26 Claudius Lysias,
• To His Excellency, Governor Felix:
• Greetings.
• 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they
were about to kill him, but I came with my
troops and rescued him, for I had learned that
he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why
they were accusing him, so I brought him to
their Sanhedrin.

33. • I get the impression that Luke saw and copied this
letter.
• The commander Claudius Lysias spun his account
to put his actions in the best light.
• The story about how and when he learned that
Paul was a Roman citizen was a slight
manipulation of the truth, to put it charitably.
• He probably had not yet ordered Paul’s accusers
to present their case before the governor yet. But
he planned to do that as soon as Paul was safely
at Caesarea.

34. • Acts 23:29-30
• 29 I found that the accusation had
to do with questions about their
law, but there was no charge
against him that deserved death or
imprisonment. 30 When I was
informed of a plot to be carried out
against the man, I sent him to you
at once. I also ordered his accusers
to present to you their case against
him.

35. • Acts 23:31-34
• 31 So the soldiers, carrying out their
orders, took Paul with them during the
night and brought him as far as
Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the
cavalry go on with him, while they
returned to the barracks. 33 When the
cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they
delivered the letter to the governor and
handed Paul over to him.

36. Jerusalem
Caesarea
Sea of Galilee
Dead Sea
Jordan
River
Antipatris
Paul’s
Journey
to
Caesarea
Acts 23:1-35
• Why send the
cavalry on and the
other soldiers back
(23:32)?

37. • The infantry went with the cavalry as far as
Antipatris. They stopped there until morning,
probably sleeping a few hours.
• This was about half of the 70 miles to Caesarea.
• The next morning the infantry returned to
Jerusalem leaving the cavalry to take Paul the rest
of the way to Caesarea.
• By the end of the second day I think Paul was
safely settled in Herod’s palace.
• Herod had many palaces. This one was in the
Roman capital of Palestine.
Pieces of Herod’s palace
dug up at Caesarea

38. • Acts 23:34-35
• 34 The governor read the letter and asked
what province he was from. Learning that
he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear
your case when your accusers get here."
Then he ordered that Paul be kept under
guard in Herod's palace.

39. Conclusion
• Do you think Paul will be safe in Herod’s
palace?
• The rich and powerful Jews in Jerusalem have a
lot of influence with the Roman rulers.
Remember what Pilate did when they demanded
that Jesus be crucified.
• But can Paul demand a particular right he has
as a Roman citizen that will ensure his
protection and a trip to Rome?
Remains of an ancient building in Caesarea

40. God did not promise
Sunshine without rain,
Skies forever blue,
Pleasure without pain.

41. But He has promised
Strength for every day,
Light for the darkness
To show you the way.

42. When the lightnings flash
And the thunders roll,
He’ll send the rainbow,
And peace for your soul.

43. He will go with you
And not leave your side.
If you will trust Him
And in Him abide.