Acts 22:22-23:11 Paul the Roman Citizen and Before the Sanhedrin

I think today’s reading is a lesson in how to NOT make friends and influence people. Paul gets the crowd riled up by saying that Jesus sent him to the Gentiles. Paul’s arrest is probably as much for his own protection as for him committing a crime.

Ever the attorney, he finds a reason to not be flogged. This a very lawyer-like thing to do; ask a question that you know the answer to, but that makes others stop and think. As Paul knew it would, his Roman citizenship prevents him from being flogged. Notice how he pulled the citizen card when he was about to be flogged, not when he was first arrested.

The commander is scared because he put a Roman citizen in chains, but he is also curious about Paul. What is all the fuss about? Why do his own people want him dead? The only way to get answers to these questions is to put him in front of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders made up of Pharisees and Sadduccees.

Again, Paul doesn’t make any friends by calling the high priest a “whitewashed wall” and telling him that he is violating the law. When the people near Paul ask him who he thinks he is to accuse the high priest, Paul claims he didn’t realize he was the high priest.

Then Paul starts a riot, a violent riot! He states he is on trial because he is a Pharisee and believes in the resurrection. Again, Paul knew what he was doing; another lawyer moves to divert the argument away from himself. The riot becomes so violent that the commander fears Paul will be torn into pieces by the Sanhedrin. The commander orders his troops to go into the fray and pull Paul out of there and returned to the barracks. While there, Paul is visited by Jesus telling him to take courage, he will testify about Jesus in Rome.

First, a few fun facts...There are four possible explanations for Paul not realizing it was the high priest that ordered he be struck: 1) Paul had poor eyesight (see Galatians 4:15, 6:11), 2) Paul failed to discern that the one who presided was the high priest because on some occasions others had sat in his place; 3) He was using pure irony: A true high priest would never give such an order; 4) Paul refused to acknowledge that Ananias was the high priest under these circumstances. One of the main differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees was that the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, angels or spirits. The Pharisees believed in all three.

I wonder if Paul was just trusting his training as a Pharisee, the legalistic party, when he spoke to the crowd, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin to save himself. Or did he design his statements to lead to the final outcome, going to Rome? I tend to think he used his training to head for Rome. He hadn’t completed his mission yet; there was still much for him to do in the name of Jesus.

This leads me to wonder what is my mission. Am I fulfilling my purpose right now, where I am? What do I still need to do in the name of Jesus? Will I recognize the next move that I am to make? Will I make that move, even if it means that I will upset others? I pray that I will have the courage. What is your mission?