Today’s passage: Acts 22:22-23:11
Helpful thoughts:
- After all that Paul had said about Jesus, appearances, visions and everything else that might have caused this crowd pause…the word that sets them off is “Gentiles.”
- Paul was deemed not worthy to live for taking God to the Gentiles without requiring them to first become Jewish proselytes.
- Paul was tied up and stretched out to be scourged in order to aid interrogation. This scourging would have included whips with metal tips. Many died during this process.
- It was in this position that Paul informed the men he was also a Roman.
- Even though Paul was right about the injustice of being struck during the hearing before the Sanhedrin, he was still willing to confess his own fault.
- Paul realized his hearing would be unjust. Therefore, he started this discussion on the resurrection.
- The Sanhedrin’s argument about Paul had little to nothing to do with Paul and everything to do with preserving their own reputation.
Questions to consider:
- What appears to be the most important thing to everyone but Paul in this passage? What offends them? What causes them to fear? What gives them reason to argue? Who are they fighting for?
- When Israel loved the culture they believed God gave them more than the God who called them His own, what happened? What happens when we love our lives more that the Giver of life? What will we start fighting to defend? How will we miss what’s most important?
- What had the Sanhedrin become for these Jewish men? What purpose did it truly serve? Who did they desire for it to benefit? What is the purpose of the church?