Luke the beloved physician wrote as Paul defended himself before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, “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. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse nine of the book of Acts Luke shared how, “the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man” where we read:
And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
The verse begins, “And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying,” Luke began with the words, “and there arose a great cry” which means “and there became and appeared a massive and abundant outcry and clamor”: “and the scribes” or “and the men learned in the Mosaic law and in the sacred writings who served as interpreters and teachers” “that were of the Pharisees' part” which means “who belonged to the portion of the Sanhedrin who were Pharisees which were a sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to Old Testament books the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life” “arose and strove” or “began to rise up, stand and contend fiercely”, “saying” which means “uttering, declaring and proclaiming” the following words. Luke shared how a huge outcry saying the following words came from the “scribes” who belonged to the “Pharisees” in the “Sanhedrin”.
The verse goes on to say, “We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.” Luke continued with the words, “we find no evil in this man” which means “we, scribes of the Pharisees, do not discover or notice any bad nature, wrong or wickedness within this male human being”: “but if a spirit” or “however, nevertheless, notwithstanding and moreover whether and in case a spiritual being” “or an angel” which means “or a messenger or envoy from God” “has spoken to him” or “has uttered, declared and made proclamation to Paul”, “let us not fight against God” which means “do not allow or permit us, the Sanhedrin, to strongly resist in opposition to God the Heavenly Father”. Luke shared how the “scribes of the Pharisees” declared if a “spiritual being or angel” spoke to “Paul”, they should not be in opposition to and resisting the Heavenly Father God.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn not only the difference between the “Sadducees and the Pharisees”, but also how the “scribes” or writers within the “Pharisees” began to defend “Paul” and their position concerning “spiritual” revelations. The “Pharisees” believed in “spirits and angels”, but the “Sadducees” did not, therefore, “Paul” could have received a revelation from God. We can imagine the “fight” that ensued. Jesus said, “the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (See John 4:23-24) “Paul” indeed had a revelation from God, and his salvation through Jesus Christ was secured because of it. God is a loving God, and He will forgive the sins of anyone who believes and trusts in His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”. He promises “eternal life” to those who surrender to Jesus, and those who are wise will seek God's revelation of Himself and be saved.
Next time Luke shares how, “the chief captain … commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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