But
when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.
Acts 23:6-8
Acts 23 [5.] Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’” But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
Acts 23 [7.] When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these. A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”
Acts 23 [10.] When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
Meaning:
Paul had been seized by a mob in the temple at Jerusalem and rescued by Roman soldiers. To find out why the Jews accused him, the Roman commander brought him before the council, the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court. The high priest had already ordered him to be struck on the mouth. In these verses Paul turns the hearing toward the real issue between him and his accusers, and in doing so he gives us a valuable description of the beliefs of the Sadducees.
- “When Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees”
The council included both of the main parties. The Sadducees were the priestly aristocracy, who controlled the temple and accepted only the Law of Moses as binding. The Pharisees, including many scribes, were devoted to the Law and to the traditions of the elders, and they believed in the resurrection. Paul knew both groups well, for he had been trained as a Pharisee.
- “Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
This was not merely a clever tactic. The resurrection was the heart of Paul’s message: God had raised Jesus from the dead. “But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). For Paul, the risen Jesus was the fulfilment of Israel’s hope that “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake” (Daniel 12:2).
By naming this issue, Paul showed the Pharisees that he stood with them on a central belief, and his words divided the assembly. Jesus had told his followers to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16) when brought before councils, and Paul did exactly that.
- “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit”
Luke explains the quarrel for his readers. The Sadducees denied any life after death and any spiritual beings. This helps us understand the Sadducees’ question to Jesus about seven brothers and one wife (Mark 12:18-23). It also explains why Jesus answered them by speaking both of angels, saying the risen “are like angels in heaven” (Mark 12:25), and of the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Mark 12:26-27).
The Significance of Acts 23:6-8
- The resurrection is the dividing line
Then as now, belief in the resurrection of Jesus divides people. It is the foundation of Christian hope.
- Wisdom under pressure
Paul stayed calm and spoke to the real issue. God gives his people wisdom when they are called to give an account of their faith.
Cross-References:
Mark 12:18: "There came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection." The Sadducees question Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:20: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep." The hope Paul proclaimed.
Mark 12:25: "For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." Jesus speaks of resurrection and angels.
Conclusion: Standing before the council, Paul saw that it was made up of Sadducees and Pharisees and declared that he, a Pharisee, was on trial for the hope of the resurrection of the dead. The assembly divided, because the Sadducees denied the resurrection, angels and spirits, while the Pharisees believed in them. The passage shows how central the resurrection was to Paul’s message and explains the beliefs behind the Sadducees’ challenge to Jesus.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible