A Study of Acts: Paul Before the Council
Acts 23:1-11; Matthew 23:27-28 - Is the window of your conscience full of God’s light? In the darkest night, God knows where you are! Be of good cheer!
“Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” But the bystanders said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.
But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.””
Acts 23:1-11 NASB1995
Paul is brought by the Romans to stand before the Sanhedrin. Perhaps now he will have the opportunity to finish his testimony that was interrupted the day before by the raging mob. He addresses the Council as “brethren”, which is probably a problem, as that did not address them properly and puts him as an equal to them. He then says that he has lived his life with a good conscience up to this point. His way of addressing the Council so bluntly, along with this statement, enrages the high priest Ananias, who asks those standing near Paul to strike him in the mouth. I found two commentaries to be useful when looking at this passage, with some hints about this particular Ananias. First, here is what Enduring Word says:
Paul, looking earnestly [intently] at the council: The previous day Paul saw a great opportunity go unfulfilled when the crowd at the temple mount did not allow him to finish his message to them, but started rioting again. Now Paul had another opportunity to win Israel to Jesus, and perhaps a better opportunity. Here he spoke to the council, with the opportunity to preach Jesus to these influential men.
Men and brethren: According to William Barclay, this address meant that Paul was bold in speaking to the council, setting himself on an equal footing with them. The normal style of address was to say, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel.”
I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day: Paul probably thought this was an innocent enough way to begin his preaching. He didn’t mean that he was sinlessly perfect and that his conscience had never told him he was wrong. Rather, he meant that he had responded to conscience when he had done wrong and had set things right.
Nor would Paul ever consider a clear conscience a way to be justified before God. “Paul might well appeal to the testimony of conscience as he stood before the supreme court of Israel; it was on no righteousness of his own, however, that he relied for justification in the heavenly court. The purest conscience was an insecure basis of confidence under the scrutiny of God.” (F.F. Bruce)
Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 4:4 is relevant: For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.
And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth: Paul’s claim of a good conscience offended the high priest. He thought that someone accused of such serious crimes should never claim a clear conscience.
Or, perhaps, he was convicted in his heart by the inherent integrity of Paul’s claim. He was a man with a good conscience, and it was evident in his speech and countenance.
No matter what his motive was, “This order was illegal, for the Jewish law said, ‘He who strikes the cheek of one Israelite, strikes as it were the glory of God,’ and ‘He that strikes a man strikes the Holy One.’” (R. Kent Hughes)
The Ananias who was high priest at this time did no honor to the office. He was well known for his greed; the ancient Jewish historian Josephus tells of how Ananias stole for himself the tithes that belonged to the common priests.
“He did not scruple to use violence and assassination to further his interests” (F.F. Bruce). Later, because of his pro-Roman politics, Ananias was brutally killed by Jewish nationalists.
The use of the word conscience by Paul is explored in this commentary from Warren Wiersbe from Precept Austin:
“Conscience” is one of Paul’s favorite words; he used it twice in Acts (23:1; 24:16) and twenty-one times in his letters. The word means “to know with, to know together.” Conscience is the inner “judge” or “witness” that approves when we do right and disapproves when we do wrong (Rom. 2:15). Conscience does not set the standard; it only applies it. The conscience of a thief would bother him if he told the truth about his fellow crooks just as much as a Christian’s conscience would convict him if he told a lie about his friends. Conscience does not make the standards; it only applies the standards of the person, whether they are good or bad, right or wrong.
Conscience may be compared to a window that lets in the light. God’s Law is the light; and the cleaner the window is, the more the light shines in. As the window gets dirty, the light gets dimmer; and finally the light becomes darkness. A good conscience, or pure conscience (1 Tim. 3:9), is one that lets in God’s light so that we are properly convicted if we do wrong and encouraged if we do right. A defiled conscience (1 Cor. 8:7) is one that has been sinned against so much that it is no longer dependable. If a person continues to sin against his conscience, he may end up with an evil conscience (Heb. 10:22) or a seared conscience (1 Tim. 4:2). Then he would feel convicted if he did what was right rather than what was wrong! Paul had persecuted the church and had even caused innocent people to die, so how could he claim to have a good conscience? He had lived up to the light that he had, and that is all that a good conscience requires. After he became a Christian and the bright light of God’s glory shone into his heart (2 Cor. 4:6), Paul then saw things differently and realized that he was “the chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). (BEC - Acts)
How much light is shining into your window of conscience? Interestingly, when Steve and I were both wandering in the wilderness of secular humanism, there were constant little voices in my head (and Steve affirms this, too) that told me we were wrong. God created our consciences to be magnifying glasses for His precepts. Sure, there are some people who have no conscience and are known as sociopaths, but most people have at least a dark inkling of what is right and wrong. When Paul persecuted the Christians, he was acting in accordance with his conscience at the time that was ferociously protective of God’s law and the OT covenant. His conscience was transformed by his encounter with Jesus and he was able to see fully the “light” (no pun intended).
Paul does not take kindly to the physical attack. He flares up in anger and declares the corruption of Ananias by comparing him to a white-washed tomb, appearing clean on the outside, but full of decay on the inside. He tells Ananias that God will strike him, which is prophetic, as this corrupt and evil leader was assassinated in a few years by his own people. By striking him, they are violating his rights as he has not been charged with anything. This description of the Council leaders as being “white-washed” tombs sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The other usage of this pejorative was by Jesus in Matthew 23, where He spoke of eight woes against the scribes and Pharisees:
““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Matthew 23:27-28 NASB1995
The Council asks Paul if he reviles the High Priest with his words. Paul backpedals a bit and notes that he didn’t realize that Ananias was the High Priest and acknowledges that we should not speak evil of a ruler of the people. He confesses his sin against Ananias and atones immediately. This is probably one of the most challenging things for believers to do in this day and age. Would it really have been Biblically correct to be respectful and not speak against truly evil genocidal totalitarian leaders like Hitler or Stalin? What about those Christian leaders who fought against Hitler that were from the German Confessing Church (men like Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer)? I will refer the reader to this link to Gotquestions.org so you can read their answer about this command in its entirety. Perhaps we all need to think twice about calling the President an “idiot” or declaring that Congress is full of clowns.
I also want to share more from Enduring Word on Paul’s anger and his response to learning that Ananias was the High Priest:
God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! We wish we knew how Paul said these words. It would have helped to hear Paul’s tone of voice; was it an outburst of anger, or was it a calm, collected rebuke with that much more weight to it?
Whatever the tone, the rebuke was entirely accurate and justified. The man who commanded that a defenseless man be punched in the face indeed was a whitewashed wall; a white veneer of purity covering over obvious corruption.
For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law? Paul exposed the hypocrisy of the man who made the command.
The men of the council were supposed to be examples of the Law of Moses. The command to have Paul struck was in fact contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the law. Deuteronomy 25:1-2 says only a man found guilty can be beaten, and Paul had not yet been found guilty of anything.
God will strike you: “Paul’s words, however, were more prophetic than he realized. Ananias’ final days – despite all his scheming and bribes – were lived as a hunted animal and ended at the hands of his own people.” (Richard Longenecker)
Those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” Paul instantly knew that he was wrong in his outburst, no matter how he said it. He agreed that it was wrong to speak evil of the ruler of your people (Exodus 22:28). Yet Paul excused himself, claiming that he did not know that the man who commanded the punch was Ananias, the high priest.
This isn’t unreasonable, since Paul had been away from the council and the high circles of Jewish authority in Jerusalem for more than 20 years. Probably, he simply didn’t recognize the man who gave the command to strike him as the high priest. However, some think he did not know because Paul’s eyesight was bad. This is an inference from Galatians 4:14-15 and 6:11, as well as from early written church traditions.
Others think that Paul was sarcastic, with the idea “I didn’t think that anyone who acted in such a manner could be the high priest.”
I don’t think Paul would be sarcastic in his manner, not this late in his ministry. He is contrite and regrets his outburst. After all of the things he has been through, I’m not surprised that he reacts in anger. I think Paul probably had a temper, which might have been the “thorn in his side”.
Paul decides to try and save the moment, but perhaps also divide the factions of the Sanhedrin. He declares himself to be a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee and he says he is on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees believed there was no resurrection of the dead or spirits or angels, while the Pharisees believed in all of those things. Ananias was a Sadducee and they were the more powerful group in the Sanhedrin, so Paul tried this last-ditch effort to at least reach the Pharisees. The Council was immediately divided and an uproar and arguments filled the room. Interestingly, some of the commentary I read said that this was a good strategy by Paul, because it deflected their attention, but many other commentators believe that he made a mistake and also disobeyed the Lord, who told him many years before to leave Jerusalem and not try to convert the Jews there. Here are two viewpoints that I found on Precept Austin, one from Jack Arnold and the other from Ray Stedman:
Jack Arnold:
Just these few simple words about resurrection triggered a tumultuous argument between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Pharisees would not admit that Paul saw the resurrected Christ but they attributed his experience to a supernatural event in which a spirit or an angel appeared to him. Note again God's providential care for Paul. Just a few words were used by God to cause a fight which in turn divided the Sanhedrin which just a few minutes before was solidly against the Apostle Paul. God just laughs at the plans and purposes of puny men and uses the most simple things to bring about His purposes. “The wicked plots against the righteous, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him; for He sees his day coming” (Psalm 37:12, 13). God uses the smallest, insignificant things to accomplish His purposes. Esther and the Jews were saved in the Book of Esther because the King had insomnia. Because he couldn't sleep, he called for the records and found that nothing had been done for Mordecai. Out of royal insomnia arose the deliverance of the Jewish people. Moses' tears as a baby awakened sympathy in Pharaoh's daughter and the Jewish nation was preserved and led out of the land of Egypt.
Ray Stedman:
I do not think that this attempt to divert the subject was a deliberate trick by the apostle. It was not some cunning stratagem that he employed to get himself off the hook by dividing the assembly. He didn't premeditate it or know what the results would be. He simply realized that he was in deeper than he intended and saw that his cause was lost. So, hoping for some support by the Pharisees, he cried out this way, identifying himself with them. They were the party which represented at least some adherence to the letter and teaching of the Law. The Sadducees were what today we would call modernists, liberals. They denied the supernatural. They refused to recognize the existence of angels or spirits, and certainly not the resurrection from the dead, while the Pharisees were more fundamental in their understanding, recognizing that these things were realities. So they were ready to defend Paul on the ground that, in his conversion, it may have been that a spirit spoke to him, or an angel. They were not ready to acknowledge that it was indeed the Lord Jesus, but they were at least willing to take his part and contend that perhaps something supernatural had occurred. Paul is simply trying his best, using his wits to get out of this circumstance as best he can. But when the flesh is in control, things always work out wrongly. We try to take advantage of the situation as we see it. But we always get deeper and deeper into trouble. Paul succeeds only in polarizing the council so that his hopes for a testimony before the leaders of the nation fly out the window. He finds himself in the midst of another screaming squabble of Jews. They are yelling theological arguments at one another and threatening to tear Paul apart as they literally pull and tug at him like a bone of contention between these two quarreling parties. (Love that Never Let's Go).
Since the Roman guards hustle to get Paul out of the Council chamber before he is physically torn apart by the warring factions, I think Ray Stedman may be closer to the truth of the situation. Paul is one of the most godly men who ever lived, but he was still a flawed man who made mistakes. He was probably very depressed at this lost opportunity and knew that there would never be another chance to convince the Jews of the Sanhedrin of the truth of the Gospel.
That next night, the Lord stood at Paul’s side and told him to take courage in the moment (some translations use the words “be of good cheer”, which I think are much better). The Lord says that Paul has solemnly witnessed to His cause in Jerusalem and will now do the same in Rome. I really like the commentary from Enduring Word; I know the excerpt is a bit long, but this is really good:
But the following night: This must have been a difficult night for Paul. His heart longed for the salvation of his fellow Jews (Romans 9:1-4), and two great opportunities came to nothing. It would be no surprise if Paul blamed himself for the missed opportunity before the Sanhedrin. It could be said that his reaction to the punch commanded by the High Priest spoiled everything.
Perhaps with tears, Paul mourned these lost opportunities for God and how he might have spoiled them. At moments like these, one is often tormented with a deep sense of unworthiness and un-useableness before God. Perhaps this was his end of ministry.
“Bold, courageous, fearless during the day, the night of loneliness finds the strength spent, and the enemy is never slow to take advantage of that fact.” (G. Campbell Morgan)
It was in the darkness of that night when the fears came upon Paul; when his trust in God seemed to falter; when he worried about what God was going to do and if he was going to make it. It was in the darkness of that night that Jesus came to Paul and stood by him.
But… the Lord stood by him: Jesus’ physical presence (as it seems was the case) with Paul was a unique manifestation. But Jesus promised every believer to always be with them (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus knew where Paul was; He had not lost sight of Paul because he was in jail. When John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, was in jail, a man visited him and said, “Friend, the Lord sent me to you, and I have been looking in half the prisons in England for you.” John Bunyan replied, “I don’t think the Lord sent you to me, because if He had, you would have come here first. God knows I have been here for years.” God knows where you are today; even if you are hiding it from everyone else, God knows where you are.
Paul was alone, but he wasn’t alone; if everyone else forsook him, Jesus was enough. Better to be in jail with the Lord than to be in heaven without him.
Paul had been miraculously delivered from jail cells before; but this time, the Lord met him right in the jail cell. We often demand that Jesus deliver us out of our circumstances, when He wants to meet us right in them. We sometimes think we are surrendering to Jesus when we are really only demanding an escape. God wants to meet us in whatever we face at the moment.
Be of good cheer, Paul: Jesus was not only with Paul; He gave him words of comfort. The words be of good cheer tell us that the night brought with it an emotional and perhaps spiritual darkness upon Paul. Jesus was there to cheer His faithful servant after he had spent himself for Jesus’ sake.
Jesus would not have said be of good cheer unless Paul needed to hear those words. Paul knew his situation was bad, but he didn’t know the half of it! The next day, forty Jewish assassins would gather together and vow to go on a hunger strike until they murdered Paul. Paul didn’t know this would happen, but Jesus did. Yet He still could say to Paul, be of good cheer.
You might think that things are bad right now, but you may not even know the half of it. But Jesus knows, and he still says to you, be of good cheer. Why? Not because everything is fine; but because God is still on His throne, and He still holds to His promise that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Anyone can be of good cheer when everything is great; but the Christian can be of good cheer when everything is rotten, knowing that God is mighty and wonderful no matter what the crisis of the moment.
Be of good cheer is only one word in the ancient Greek, and is used five times in the New Testament – each time by Jesus.
Jesus told the bedridden paralytic, Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you(Matthew 9:2).
Jesus told the woman with the 12-year bleeding problem, Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well (Matthew 9:22).
Jesus told His frightened disciples on the Sea of Galilee, Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid (Matthew 14:27).
Jesus told His disciples the night before His crucifixion, In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
And here, in Acts 23:11 – Jesus told Paul, be of good cheer.
For as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome: Jesus remembered what Paul had done in Jerusalem, and told Paul that there remained more work for him to do in Rome.
Paul could have been discouraged about the lack of results from the sermon in Jerusalem. But the results were not his responsibility. His responsibility was to bring the Word of God and to testify of Jesus; the results were God’s responsibility. You have testified for Me in Jerusalem means that Jesus complimented Paul on a job well done.
Yet, though Paul had done a good job, there was more to do. So you must also bear witness at Rome was Paul’s next assignment. The greatest words a faithful child of God can hear are “There is more for you to do.” Those words grieve the lazy servant, but bring joy to a faithful servant.
It can be said to every child of God: There is more for you to do. More people to bring to Christ, more ways for you to glorify Him, more people to pray with, more humble ways to serve His people, more hungry to feed, more naked to clothe, more weary saints for you to encourage.
“A divine decree ordains for you greater and more trying service than as yet you have seen. A future awaits you, and no power on the earth or under the earth can rob you of it; therefore be of good cheer.” (Charles Spurgeon)
So you must also bear witness at Rome: The promise of more work to do was also a promise of continued protection. Paul had to live until he had finished the course God had appointed for him.
Paul really wanted to go on to Rome (Acts 19:21 and Romans 1:9-12). Sometimes we think that just because we want something a lot, it couldn’t be God’s will for us. But God often gives us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).
The timing of this promise was especially precious. It didn’t look like Paul would get out of Jerusalem alive; much less make it to Rome. God not only knows what we need to hear; He knows when we need to hear it.
Paul faced his enemies the next day with a smile, knowing that they were powerless against him, because God had more for him to do!
“This assurance meant much to Paul during the delays and anxieties of the next two years, and goes far to account for the calm and dignified bearing which from now on marks him out as a master of events rather than their victim.” (F.F. Bruce)
This commentary is so good! I pray for all of my readers that the Lord will be there for them in the darkness of uncertainty and sadness in their lives. Paul had to be encouraged by the fact that the Lord has told him that he will continue to live to serve and will go to Rome. God gives us the strength and encouragement in all situations, even when the outcome will not be what we want or expect. This is good for Paul to hear this encouragement from the Lord, as my next devotional examines Acts 23:12-22 - A conspiracy develops to kill Paul.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I learned so much from this passage: First, on having a conscience that is a window to Your precepts; second, on seeing that even a great spiritual leader like Paul stumbles in difficult situations; and, third, knowing that in the darkness times in a believer’s life You stand with them and tell them to be of “good cheer”. Thank you, Lord! Amen!
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Enduring Word commentary by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Precept Austin was accessed on 1/14/2024 to review commentary for Acts 23:1-11.