But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 Then a great clamour arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (ESV)

Time and again, in these later chapters of ‘Acts’, there are echoes of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life in Jerusalem. Don’t you hear such an echo in 23:2? We know from history books that Ananias, who was high priest from 47-58 A.D. was a corrupt and evil man. He was indeed a ”white-washed tomb” filled with ”dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). However he appeared to others, he was a hypocrite. To strike a man being questioned was against the rules of the Sanhedrin. It was highly illegal to punish a man who had not yet been determined guilty. It does seem, though, that Paul, who always strove to have a clear conscience, did not realise that it was the high priest who had given the order to strike him.

I have heard it said that this is how you can tell the difference between a Pharisee and a Sadducee: the Pharisees did believe in the supernatural (including the resurrection), but the sadducees didn’t – ‘and that’s why they were ‘sad, you see’! Reading this passage, I thought it displayed Paul’s ingenuity. He was smart, canny, and maybe not a little mischievous. To my mind, this scene is quite funny, all-be-it in a sad sort of way. Knowing the deep divisions which existed between these two main parties, he effectively played the one off against the other, although he nearly got torn apart in the melee. But some of the Pharisees sided with Paul, leading to a stalemate in the Sanhedrin. It meant they couldn’t come to any clear decision about Paul. (By the way, the Sadducees, in addition to being anti-supernaturalists, always tried to keep the peace with the Romans. They didn’t want any disturbance that would result in them losing their positions of authority and influence. They were heavily inclined to protect ‘their turf’).

How wonderful that Paul should have been given the special visitation described in verse 11. Although Paul would remain a prisoner in Israel for the next two years, he could live at peace, knowing that he would get to Rome. N.B. ”the facts about me”. Luke, the historian was interested in investigating and communicating ”facts” (see Luke 1:1-4; also 2 Peter 1:14-18). Jesus, being the great fact of history, impinges on every other knowable fact. We look at them all in and through Him…

”…in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col.2:3