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“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question” (Acts 23:6).
If we go back to the history of the Apostle Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem, we now find him brought before the Jewish council. In human terms, what Paul said in our verse for today would be considered a “master stroke of gamesmanship.” When the council was attacking him, Paul introduced the one subject on which they disagreed with one another—the resurrection of the dead (notice verse 8). This threw the council into confusion and resulted in an uproar. They forgot about accusing Paul and instead fought with each other.
But was this the right thing to do? No, for we never need to resort to human means to achieve something, if we belong to the Lord. Paul admitted this himself, when later he was speaking before the Roman governor Felix in Caesarea (see Acts 24:20-21). Paul walked with the Lord, and quickly realized that the way he had acted before the council was not faith in the Lord. He was willing to admit publicly that what he had said was not right for a Christian. The Lord is over all, and can look after us; we do not need to resort to the world’s means to make things right.
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