Acts 23:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.”

NIV: Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, 'My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.'

NASB: Now looking intently at the Council, Paul said, 'Brothers, I have lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.'

CSB: Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day."

NLT: Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: 'Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!'

KJV: And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

NKJV: Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”

To Paul, truth is always more important than politics. He is standing in front of the Sanhedrin—the Jewish council that regulates and enforces the Jewish religion. He's there because the tribune, a Roman army officer, wants to know why a mob attacked him in the temple (Acts 21:27–31). Paul isn't concerned about the tribune. He's much more interested in the fact that, perhaps for the first time since before he was saved, he can make his case before the ruling council of his people.

The last recorded time Paul met with members of the Sanhedrin was when he received permission to track down Jewish Christians outside Judea and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial (Acts 9:1–2). These were once his people and so he calls them "brothers." He is a Pharisee, trained by the famous rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). It has been a while, but they know him.

That is, they used to know him. During that trip to arrest Jesus-followers, Paul met Jesus and dedicated his life to Him (Acts 9:1–19). Paul loves Jews and wants all Jews to accept Jesus as their Messiah (Romans 9:1–5). That's why whenever he enters a new city he goes to the synagogue first (Acts 9:20; 13:14 14:1; 17:1, 10; 18:4; 19:8). He will not waste this opportunity to speak to the Jewish leaders and, if possible, bring them to Christ.

First, he wants to affirm his integrity. Though he's been accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple and is in Roman custody (Acts 21:27–36), that doesn't mean he's broken the Jewish law. He will affirm his blamelessness both to Governors Felix (Acts 24:16) and Festus (Acts 25:8). He has already told the Corinthians, "For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Corinthians 4:4).

That's not how the Sanhedrin sees things. The last time they saw Paul, he was zealously fighting the upstart sect that threatened the purity of their religion. Now, he's a major evangelist of that sect. They're offended that he claims to have a good conscience before God.

Paul's words end the meeting before it begins. The high priest has him struck. In response, Paul accidentally insults the high priest and then gets sarcastic with him. Realizing they're not going to listen to him and that he needs to get the attention off himself, Paul sets the Pharisees and Sadducees against each other (Acts 23:9).

The tribune takes him back to the barracks, no better informed than when they came (Acts 23:10).

Acts 23:1–11 records a Roman military tribune's last effort to uncover why a mob attacked Paul. The crowd dragged him out of the temple and beat him mercilessly (Acts 21:27–33). The tribune asks the Sanhedrin for help, but there are too many divisions. The Sanhedrin can't abide Christians. Paul can't fathom their rejection of Jesus. The Sadducees and Pharisees quickly fall into an old fight about the resurrection of the dead. The tribune takes Paul back to the barracks where, that night, Jesus tells Paul he's on his way to Rome.

Acts 23 continues the tribune's attempt to discover why a mob of Jews suddenly turned violent and attacked Paul (Acts 21:27–33). He takes Paul to the Sanhedrin to see if they understand what his crime is. Paul barely begins his story when he is slapped for impudence. He disrespects the high priest and starts a fight between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The next day, a group of forty Jews invite the Sanhedrin to help them murder Paul. Paul's nephew reports the plot to the tribune who gives up and sends Paul to the governor. The governor awaits Paul's accusers for trial.

Jews from near Ephesus accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the temple and incited a crowd to attack him. The tribune saved Paul but couldn't uncover the reason for the violence; most of the mob didn't know, and Paul was a Roman citizen, so the tribune couldn't beat the truth out of him (Acts 21—22). When the Sanhedrin would rather murder Paul than talk to him, the tribune sends Paul to the governor. The governor holds Paul without charges for so long he invokes his right to a trial before Caesar. The governor agrees, and Paul finally gets to Rome (Acts 24—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.