The context

(1) The Jews who saw Paul in the temple started a riot. (2) Just before he was killed, the commander intervened. (3) Paul, with the commander’s permission, addressed the crowd. (4) When Paul began to speak about his mission to the Gentiles, the crowd became furious. (5) The commander detained Paul and intended to flog him to extract a confession. (6) However, upon learning that Paul was a Roman citizen, the commander changed his plan and summoned the Sanhedrin.

Convening the Sanhedrin

“Now on the next day, wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.” (1) The commander could not understand why Paul was at the center of the trouble. (a) Maintaining order within the temple was his responsibility. (b) Therefore, he convened the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council) in the Antonia Fortress to determine whether Paul had committed any religious offenses. (2) If the Sanhedrin found no issue with Paul, he would be released. If they claimed Paul had committed a political crime, the matter would be referred to the Roman governor for judgment. (3) This was the sixth time the Sanhedrin deliberated on matters related to Christ and His disciples. (a) John 11:47-53: Following the report of Lazarus’s resurrection. (b) Matthew 26:57-68: The trial of Jesus. (c) Acts 4:5-22: The questioning of Peter and John. (d) Acts 5:21-40: The interrogation of the twelve apostles. (e) Acts 6:12-7:60: The trial of Stephen. (f) Acts 23:1-10: The questioning of Paul. (4) Let us take a closer look at High Priest Ananias. (a) He served as High Priest from 47-59 AD, appointed by the Romans. Politically, he held a strongly pro-Roman stance. (b) According to Josephus, Ananias was a despicable character. He misappropriated tithes meant for ordinary priests, offered bribes to Roman officials, and used assassins without hesitation to achieve his goals. (c) In 66 AD (approximately nine years after this trial), Ananias was assassinated by fellow Jews. Among the members of the Sanhedrin, there likely were some of Paul’s former colleagues. Without the grace of the Lord, Paul might have been seated among them. However, now, because of his faith in the Lord Jesus, Paul stood on the side of the interrogated. For Paul, this was a privilege. Let us also remember that we have been granted the same privilege.