The Sanhedrin
Acts of the the Apostles • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Don’t you love politics? Everybody is so calm and loving. Our politicians bring unity. It’s been a little while since I started a sermon with a joke, so wanted to today.
Pretty much everybody hates politics. We get tired of it. I have times when I get a little too obsessed and then times when I am barely paying attention because I need a break from it all.
But this is the truth. Someone has to lead. Whether it’s global politics or church politics, someone needs to be that person. And if you’ve ever been in any sort of leadership position, you know that you will always have someone upset with you over something said, done, or perceived.
We have been looking through the book of Acts. And the last several weeks have been reading about Paul and his missionary journeys. And consistently we see him interacting with the political and religious leaders, Jews, Greeks, and Romans. All of these leaders are responsible for their own people, as well as their own traditions. All of these cultures grappling with this message that Paul is spreading, the message of Jesus as the messiah. The good news of God’s grace and the testimony that Jesus was crucified on a cross and rose again. We have Paul, a Roman citizen as well a jew. Not only that, but a pharisee.
Paul has been misunderstood, mistreated, and imprisoned. And now he finds himself in Jerusalem. We looked last week at Acts 22. In that chapter, Paul is seized by other jews while he is in the temple. There was such an uproar that a roman commander tooks some officers and soldiers and went and arrested Paul. Ironically rescuing him from being beaten to death. Paul, before they take him away, speaks to the crowd and tells them his testimony. When he says God has sent him to the gentiles, they lose it and want to kill him.
Which brings us to our passage today. Acts 23.
30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
Let’s shift focus away from Paul for a moment and look at the Sanhedrin for a little bit better understanding of this body of people.
The Sanhedrin
71 Members (70 plus high priest)
Priests (Mostly Sadducee)
Scribes (Scholars, Mostly Pharisees)
Elders (Lay or tribal heads)
It was typically 70 members plus the high priest, although not always 70. This stems from the traidtion of 70 people to assist Moses in Numbers 11:16-17
16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.
The priests were mostly made up of the Sadducee, while the pharisees were more the scholars. And then we have different leaders that aren’t necessarily in either of those categories.
The Sadducee were strict adherents to the Torah and rejected oral traditions and beliefs (like resurrection) that weren’t explicitly found there. They also were less spiritual, as far as their belief in the resurrection of the dead, and of angels and spirits. They were typically more the elite or aristocracy, cozying up more to Rome. In fact, the High Priest at the time of Paul was someone that was appointed by Rome. They worked very closely with Roman authorities to maintain temple control and social order.
The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, angels and spiritual beings, and were a little more popular among the common people. I heard one guy describe the Pharisees as the “Make Israel Great Again” group.
These two groups clashed. Often. Just like us today. Two groups of people with a lot of influence.
The Sadducee eventually faded after the destruction of the temple. As priestly aristocrats that were tied to temple worship and Roman cooperation, their power vanished without it.
The Pharisees still exist in a sense, although they have evolved. Their focus on Torah study, oral law, and synagogue life laid the groundwork for rabbinic Judaism that exists today, though the sect essentially ceased after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
So it is these two groups, mostly, that make up the Sanhedrin. This body of leaders, of politicians in a sense. Some corrupt. Some sincere. Trying to lead during Roman occupation. I say all this to try to paint them as human. Not simply a villain in a story, but real people navigating real life.
So Paul is standing before the Sanhedrin.
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!”
He has not had a fair trial. He is defending himself. The Law commands a fair trial. It protects the accused. This high priest, Ananias, is known to have been a harsh man. The roman historian Josephus describes this priest as being greedy and violent. And this criticism of being a whitewashed wall is the same sort of thing Jesus said to the leaders. Referring to tombs that had washed walls on the outside but death and decay on the inside.
4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you 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.’”
In Exodus 22, it’s said “do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.”
So I spent quite a bit of time on this passage. Because I’m not sure if Paul here is being sincere or sarcastic. Looking at the different translations, as well as the original words that were used, and different commentaries, shows it really could go either way. Just like today, they didn’t have a sarcasm font when writing things down. Given the way Paul speaks in other places, his letters, and what he does next in this situation, I lean toward sarcastic.
Paul would most likely know this High Priest Ananias. He is in this situation though he has broken no law. This is how I imagine him saying it.
(Sarcastic) “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.’”
Even bringing scripture into it. He knows their games, and he is over their nonsense. He has no respect for Ananias.
But Paul knows exactly what to do in this situation.
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, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of 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 believe all these things.)
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?”
I sometimes watch videos of English or Canadian Parliament standing up and arguing. That’s how I picture this. Everybody yelling over everybody else. Paul knew exactly what to say. But he was telling the truth. It all came down to the resurrection of the dead. And it was some of the other pharisees that stood up for him. You’ll remember that throughout acts there were quite a few pharisees that came to follow Jesus.
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.
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.”
The Sanhedrin has been dealing with this group of Jesus disciples for years at this point. They had hoped that by executing Jesus it would have been the end of it. Again, these are real people, each with a story of how they ended up in their positions. Some sincere. Some corrupt from the beginning. But now let’s close by looking at this next verse.
12 The next morning some 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 the 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’s nephew catches wind of the plot and warns Paul and then the commander. Because Paul is a Roman Citizen, the commander send Paul along with several hundred soldiers to Governer Felix in Caesarea.
The chief priests and elders were going to go along with this plot to kill Paul. No trial. Just...get rid of him. They were willing to ignore the law to get what they wanted. To maintain control.
We see in this passage the same thing we see today. People with great political power. Some genuine, many corrupt. People taking sides.
So what does Paul do in the midst of all of it. A singular focus. The gospel of Jesus. The truth of His resurrection. He knows his rights, yes. But nothing gets him off track.
So many in the church want to point at others and say “you’re acting like a pharisee.” We forget about the Sadducees. Right there we’ve got our conservatives and our liberals. And guess what. They both worked together to kill Jesus. And remember, Paul was a pharisee. But then something happened. He had a life changing encounter with Jesus.
Paul writes in Galatians 3:28
28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
He is what unites us. His words. His actions. Which means that if you are a disciple of Jesus, that takes priority over party, over country.
Your politics are likely getting in the way of your relationship with Jesus and your unity with other believers. The same problem with the members of the Sanhedrin, willing to compromise as long as your own people come out on top. Willing to resort to viciousness.
Voting is important. Debate is important. Politics are necessary. But how can we follow the example of Paul? A laser focus on the resurrection of Jesus, of forgiveness of sins, of the grace of God. Of sanctification.
It can be difficult. And it’s a process. Throughout the New Testament the authors are intentional to point out where the religious leaders keep missing the point. It’s a warning for us all.
We are called to be held accountable as well as hold other believers accountable. And yet we also need to be filled with a heart of love and compassion. That is where we must be filled and guided by the Holy Spirit. We all fall so easily, left right or center, into becoming a Pharisee or Sadducee. Or even something worse.
So the question we need to ask is “Is Jesus at the center of my heart, soul and mind.” All of what He said and taught and did. All of what was spoken through the people He chose to carry His message. Not what I want Him to have said. Not a simplified cherry-picked version. But all of it.
