So this chapter begins with Paul’s appearance before the Jewish council. These are the Pharisees and Sadducees that are the religious leaders. You can see the stage is setting for a bit of a verbal joust, and it’s like Paul knows them better than they know themselves. Paul tells them that he lives with a clear conscience before God, and they take this to be blasphemous. Paul attacks first and calls them hypocrites for slapping him. Unfortunately he snapped at the high priest. Just a question that comes to mind for me… Why would Paul have not known that this was the high priest of the time? Would he not have been dressed in ceremonial garb? Not sure what to think there. He backs down though.
Paul was a Pharisee, and he knows what a Pharisee believes. He also knows where a Sadducee disagrees… and he uses this to his advantage. Rather than trying him, they get into an argument over whether there is resurrection of the dead (where Paul’s hope as a Christian lies). I can almost see the smirk on his face as they get distracted, but then things turn violent and soldiers have to step in and remove Paul.
This really gets the council angry and they set aside 40 men that are not going to eat or drink until Paul has been killed… But there is a spy (Paul’s nephew), and he goes and tells the Roman Commander about the plot. Immediately he acts and sneaks Paul out a different way and this time Paul goes to the Governor’s palace. SO there are some guys that are all hungry, and Paul gets a chance to maybe spread the faith to the Governor.
It just goes to show how it may get intense in the life of a Christian, but no one will die until it is God’s time for them to die AND God moves people to the places where he wants them to go…
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