Acts 23:1-11

(Acts 23:1-11)

And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.  And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.  But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees , and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.  And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees : and the multitude was divided.  For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.  And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

 

Paul stood before the greatest political and religious powers of his time. He is charged with opposing religious power and disturbing the order of the Jews. The main text consists of four paragraphs. First, verses 1-5 are Paul and the high priest Ananias, the second is the resurrection dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees in verses 6-9, the third is the intervention of the commander in verse 10, and the fourth is the vision of the Lord in verse 11. Paul boldly summarized his life at the council.

 

『And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. 』 Paul truly served God. He preached the Gospel and did not expect a price. He became himself an instrument for the Gospel, and the Gospel itself was a reward, praise, and price to Paul. Then the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. The religious leader Ananias tried to overpower Paul at once. Ananias blocked Paul's mouth and tried to deny his life and existence. Ananias was a high priest and supreme religious leader. Paul criticized the high priest, saying it was a whitewashed wall. This caused an argument with the people. Ananias had to strike her own, not her mouth, but her own heart. But he didn't turn back. In the subsequent Jewish rebellion, High Priest Ananias is viciously murdered by angry Jews.

 

Paul met the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were those who lived a life of restraint because of the law. Paul was from the Pharisees. And the Sadducees were a group that included the families of religious leaders at the time and many of those who had political power. They do not believe in the resurrection, the existence of the spirit, and the afterlife, and are only obsessed with temporal faith. They enjoyed all the wealth and power, so there was no reason to pay attention to things like eternal life and judgment. A fight was initiated between the Pharisees and Sadducees by Paul. The reason for the fight was, in summary, the resurrection dispute.『But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.』

 

Paul, a Pharisee, seems to be gaining political support from the Pharisees. Although the Pharisees have faith in the resurrection, it highlights the ironic situation in which they do not believe in Christ, the first fruit of the resurrection. It also shows fierce resistance to the resurrection of the temporal Sadducees.

 

Luke is revealing false faith through the Pharisees and Sadducees. The basis of Paul's faith and life was the cross and resurrection of Christ. When the quarrel between the Sadducees and the Pharisees intensified, and Paul could not guarantee his safety, the commander Cheon intervened immediately to protect Paul. 『And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. Paul, who shook the religious group in Jerusalem, had to go to spread the faith of the resurrection. The destination was Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, the center of the world at that time.

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