Acts 23:9-11 ⁹Then great shouting happened, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party, standing up, contended sharply, saying, “We find nothing wrong in this man. And what if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” ¹⁰And when the dissension became severe, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers after going down to take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks. ¹¹And the coming night, the Lord standing by him said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify also in Rome.”

Paul’s strategy worked as the Pharisee part of the assembly rose to his defense. The Pharisees were even open to the possibility that God had spoken to him through a spirit or angel, which, according to Luke in verse 8, would have directly contradicted what the Sadducees believed. Sadly, the Sanhedrin got into a theological debate rather than being open to what Paul had to say about Jesus as the Messiah. Some of them may have been present in the temple when Paul gave his earlier defense, but the topic of Jesus was not even brought up directly when the ruling council met. The Pharisees were open to the possibility that Paul had experienced some special form of revelation or vision, perhaps even seeing the spirit of Jesus. They pronounced Paul’s innocence, which will be repeated in the following stories (23:29; 25:18–20, 25; 26:31, 32).

Paul was caught in between a larger debate between the Sadducees and Pharisees. The relationship between these two groups must have been tenous at best. With a supposed heretic and disrespectful blasphemer standing before them, they had a target for their frustration. They were about to tear Paul into pieces, a figurative way of saying they were going to beat him to death, right there in the assembly. It got so bad that the tribune Lysias had to step in and get Paul out. Obviously, this Greek-speaking, Roman Jew was a big problem, both for the tribune and for the Jewish leaders. Paul had created quite a stir by going to Jerusalem, simply to deliver an offering.

Paul’s troubles had been prophesied, which also meant that God knew and was watching over him. Verse 11 offers further assurance that Paul was not alone. Paul had many visions of the Lord Jesus, often at crucial points (9:4; 16:9; 18:9; 22:17; 27:23–24; 2 Corinthians 12). Luke notes that the Lord stood by Paul, which symbolized

The Lord gave assurance similar to what Joshua received before going into the battles of conquering the Promised Land in Joshua 1:9: be courageous. Do not lose heart or be discouraged. Paul was not alone but would be guided each step of the journey. The events that followed were part of Jesus’ plan for Paul; Paul’s trials and appearances before powerful world leaders were part of his ministry. He would bear witness to Jesus and the message of salvation through him to many more people, even in Rome before the emperor himself. The trials and challenges one might face also provide opportunities to witness to the person, power, and presence of the Lord Jesus.