O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
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Opening Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, that I can count on your faithfulness; I can trust in your promises today, tomorrow, and for eternity.
Read ACTS 22:30–23:11
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
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.
23 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!”
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.’[a]”
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?” 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.”
Footnotes
- Acts 23:5 Exodus 22:28
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“’I was found by those who did not seek me’ … concerning Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.’”1
What was going through Paul’s mind as he said ‘My brothers’ (23:1)? Paul has been one of them, working with the highest authorities on how to persecute the converts to Jesus. He knows people in this room—perhaps he studied and worked with them. We know that Paul longed for his fellow Jews to understand how blind they were about Jesus,² but he was also aware of Jesus’ warning about how faith in him would turn brother against brother.³ How careful Jesus had been to urge his disciples
to turn the other cheek,⁴ to conquer evil with good,⁵ to answer with gentleness and respect, knowing how heartbreaking it would be for his beloved disciples to face the hostility of brothers.
Because Paul knows his brothers, he knows their disagreements. When it is clear that his first defense is offensive to them, he drops the resurrection bomb into the room. Perhaps he realizes it is the easiest way to show the commander, who has organized this meeting, the contradiction at the heart of the Jewish hostility toward Paul: they claim to be righteous but are they displaying the righteousness of God? I wonder what the commander really thinks of it all. Does he pay any attention to the discussion or just their behavior?
There are bombs we can drop too: in debates about science and faith, sexuality and identity, genetic research, and so on. But how (or even if) we drop the bomb and who is listening are two really important issues to bear in mind.
Apply
How willing are you to speak of Jesus where there is conflict, hostility, or even ridicule?
Closing prayer
Father, help me to display your righteousness in the face of trial, opposition, and hostility. Give me discernment, wisdom, and gentleness to speak the right word at the right time.6
1 Rom 10:20, 21 2 Rom 10 3 Matt 10:21 4 Matt 5:39; Luke 6:29 5 Rom 12:21 6 1 Pet 3:15, 16
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