v.1 Initial Defense. The council was gathered, although it seems to be a hasty gathering, because Paul was unaware that the high priest was present. Paul opens his defense before the council by affirming that he has lived before God in a good conscience up to that day. This statement was true, even with respect to his former life in Judaism (Phil. 3:5-6). Yet, it was framed as a personal defense rather than a testimony to Christ. By appealing to conscience, Paul spoke on ground the Jewish leaders could recognize, yet it did not rise to the level of the gospel message. The remark immediately provoked hostility and brought the proceedings into disorder. Man’s conscience must be enlightened by grace.

 

vv.2-5 Interaction with the High Priest. Paul’s statement about a good conscience provoked the high priest Ananias to command that he be struck on the mouth. This Ananias is a different person entirely from “Annas the high priest” in the Gospels (Luke 3:2). Josephus paints a dark picture of his, as a corrupt and oppressive ruler: the complete opposite of the grace and holiness that his office represented. This command was a violation of the Law, which required judgment before punishment (Deut. 13:14-18). Paul sharply replied, calling him a “whited wall” or a hypocrite (Matt. 23:27), was morally true of Ananias’s character, but it was spoken in the heat of righteous indignation rather than in the calm spirit of grace. Upon being told that the man he addressed was the high priest, Paul immediately withdrew his words and acknowledged the authority of Scripture forbidding evil speech against a ruler; “Thou shalt not revile the gods [judges], nor curse the ruler of thy people” (Exodus 22:28). This exchange shows Paul acting below his usual character, speaking from his provoked nature rather than from dependence on Christ. Had he been walking in dependence perhaps he would have known not to speak thus. When we get out of the path of the Lord’s will, we can find ourselves more frequently in situations where the flesh is prone to act. Nevertheless, Paul’s words may have been prophetic. During the Jewish revolt (AD 66), Josephus tells us that Ananias was hunted down, dragged from hiding, and put to death by Jewish rebels.

 

vv.6-9 Paul Divides the Council: Pharisees and Sadducees. Paul’s next move seems to another step of independence and human wisdom. Perceiving that the council was divided between Sadducees and Pharisees, Paul declared himself a Pharisee and placed his case on the ground of “the hope and resurrection of the dead.” This statement was factually true and touched a central truth long held by orthodox Judaism, and was held by the Pharisees. The Sadducees on the other hand denied the resurrection. They believed that God’s government was over a person in their lifetime, but that the soul would perish with death. They held that when the body dies, the soul is annihilated. By appealing to a party distinction, Paul intentionally exposed the doctrinal fracture within the council, resulting in sharp dissension and the Pharisees taking his side against the Sadducees. The tactic succeeded in dividing his accusers, yet it produced confusion rather than a testimony for Christ. Paul was acting with natural wisdom, but not in the full power of his heavenly calling. Read more…

 

v.10 Rescued by the Commander. The dissension within the council became so violent that the Roman commander feared Paul would be torn apart, and he ordered the soldiers to intervene and bring him back into the fortress. This rescue was providential, and not a real moral victory. Paul was preserved by Roman power not by the effect of his testimony on the Jewish council. Yet, the scene shows how God would resort to Gentile authority to protect His servant when the religious authority had totally collapsed.

 

v.11 The Lord’s Personal Encouragement to Paul. Paul must have been at a low point in his path, likely quite discouraged by how things were going. That night the Lord stood by Paul and spoke words of encouragement, assuring him that just as he had testified concerning Him at Jerusalem, so he must also testify at Rome. The Lord offers no rebuke here, only comfort and direction. He very graciously recognizing Paul’s testimony despite its outward failure. The Lord’s appearance was meant to cheer him and confirm that his path now lay beyond Jerusalem. God Himself reaffirmed that the Gentiles, not Jerusalem, was the proper sphere of Paul’s witness.

 

vv.12-15 The Pact Formed. A group of more than forty Jews bound themselves under a curse to kill Paul, vowing neither to eat nor drink until the deed was done. Religious zeal, divorced from grace, quickly descends into deceit and violence. They were following in the path of their predecessors who cried out “Away with him, crucify him”. The chief priests and elders show no protest but lend themselves to the plot. The religious leaders were complicit, agreeing to request Paul’s appearance before the council as a pretext for ambush. Jewish leadership had thoroughly abandoned righteousness. Meanwhile, God quietly prepared to overrule their intentions!

 

vv.16-22 The Conspiracy Exposed. Paul’s sister’s son learned of the plot and reported it, first to Paul and then to the Roman commander. We see in this the providence of God in using ordinary means, even a family connection, to frustrate the designs of Satan. Paul had a role in seeing this information reported. Walking by faith does not mean we do nothing, or take no precautions. Paul did not presume upon the Lord’s promise of preservation, but responsibly acted by informing the authorities. Confidence in God never justifies carelessness, but neither does carefulness justify acting independent of God (Prov. 21:31; 1 Cor. 3:6). The commander received the information seriously and ordered secrecy about it. At this point the plot collapsed. We never read if the forty broke their vow.

 

 

vv.23-30 The Letter to Felix. The Roman commander acted upon the information decisively, arranging a strong military escort to transfer Paul safely to Caesarea by night. God used Gentile authority to protect His servant when Jewish leadership had abandoned justice. It is ironic that a heathen officer upheld law and order more faithfully than the nation entrusted with divine revelation. The letter to Felix presents Paul as innocent of any crime deserving death or bonds. Yet, the commander subtly reshaped events to conceal his own earlier legal fault. This is the way of the world: to present oneself the best light possible, especially to one’s superiors. God had providentially moved Paul out of Jerusalem toward the Gentile world where his ministry properly belonged.