Acts 23:6-10 (NIV)
Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.” When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
The Sanhedrin was divided into two factions. The Pharisees were the more conservative, more religious branch. The accepted the entire Old Testament as authoritative. They also accepted the existence of angels and demons, and the resurrection and afterlife.
The Sadducees, on the other hand, were the more liberal group. Oddly, since they were the faction from which the high priests were chosen, they were also less religious and more politically active of the two sects. They only accepted the Pentateuch, the first five books of our Old Testament, as authoritative. And they did not believe in angels or demons, or in the resurrection of the dead or an afterlife.
Paul sensed that, as a Christian, the entire Sanhedrin was dead set against him. But he also knew that he could divide them with a single statement: that he was on trial because he believed in the resurrection of the dead.
This was not subterfuge, but the actual state of things. Paul preached not only the physical resurrection of Jesus, but the future resurrection of all humanity and a clear belief in an afterlife in one of two ultimate states. This put him squarely at odds with the Sadducees but put him directly in line with the beliefs of the Pharisees.
The effect was instantaneous. The entire Sanhedrin erupted in dispute, with the Pharisees siding with Paul and the Sadducees’ opposition galvanized. Within seconds, the two sides were yelling at each other with ever increasing vehemence. This quickly evolved into physical tussles all throughout the hall. It was absolute chaos!
The commander had never seen anything like this. It seemed to him that wherever Paul went, he instantly caused strife, division, and violence. So, he ordered that Paul be hustled out and taken back to the barracks so that he could decide what to do next.
Father, Jesus once noted that a house divided against itself cannot stand. (Mark 3:25) And that’s what the Sanhedrin was. There was so much strife and division among them, not just difference of opinion, but difference of core worldviews, that they were not able to work together to accomplish anything of lasting value. And any unity that they might have had in some issue, even their opposition to Christianity, could be fractured in a moment by a word. Lord, sometimes I fear that we as Your Church as just as seriously divided today and are thus ineffective at the task of growing Your kingdom that You have given us to do. Unify us, Lord, not in some squishy, nebulous middle ground or compromise position, but around your clear word and Your solid mission. Help us to be one, just as You, the triune Godhead, are one. (John 17:20-23) Amen.
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