Acts 23:6-10

Paul did not lie.  Nobody had accused Paul of breaking the law by believing in the resurrection of the dead.  Technically, he may not have been on trial because of his belief in resurrection, but literally, if he did not believe in resurrection there would have been no need to try him.  If Paul did not believe in the possibility of resurrection, it would have been impossible for him to believe in Jesus.  In Corinthians 15:3 Paul wrote, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.”

By pointing out that his belief in resurrection was central to the reason he was on trial, Paul divided the Sanhedrin between the Sadducees and the Pharisees.  The Sadducees were not going to believe Paul no matter what he said, because they did not believe in the possibility of resurrection.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, were a religious sect that wanted very much to be right with God.  They believed in the resurrection of the dead, so they were open to the possibility that God had resurrected Jesus.  They also believed in spirits and in angels, therefore they believed it was possible that a spirit or angel had spoken to Paul.

The divide between the two parties of the Sanhedrin was so great that a dispute broke out, and the uproar became violent.  Once again, the commander had to order his troops to rescue Paul.  He was still unable to discern why the Sadducees were so intent on Paul’s destruction.  From the commander’s point of view, Paul appearing before the Sanhedrin had accomplished nothing.

God knew better. The trial had accomplished something very important; it clarified the essential question for the Pharisees, “Did God resurrect Christ?”  If God resurrected Christ, then He was the messiah, and He was the first of many whom God would resurrect. All who believed would have eternal life.  The Pharisees were seeking righteousness by keeping the law.  Faith in Christ offered them righteousness that they could never earn.