Acts 22:30-23:4 ³⁰But on the next day, wanting to know the certainty of why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them. ¹And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Men, Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” ²And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. ³Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall, and you sit judging me according to the law, while breaking the law, you order me to be struck?” ⁴Those who stood by said, “Are you insulting God’s high priest?” ⁵And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’” 

The tribune Lysias had reached an impasse with what to do with Paul. He needed to get more information and understand why the mob would react in such a way. His job was to keep the peace in Jerusalem. He could not have a rebellion on his hands. So, he went straight to the top of the Jewish hierarchy and gathered the Sanhedrin together. To gather all the chief priests and elders would have taken some time, but it is highly likely that word had already reached many of them about the incident in the temple. They likely also had received some news about the notorious Jewish heretic known as Saul or Paul. Lysias had to handle the situation carefully so as to balance Paul’s rights as a Roman citizen and the tension in Jerusalem. He likely had a sleepless night.

When Paul was finally put before the Sanhedrin, he appealed to his innocence before God. He had lived his whole life the best he could in all sincerity before God. His conscience was clear, and he felt no guilt. By proclaiming his innocence, he was in essence stating that the Jews were persecuting him for no reason. He put the decision in the hands of the Sanhedrin whether to accept God’s work in his life or find themselves in rebellion against God. The high priest Ananias interpreted Paul’s statement as blasphemy and had Paul struck. The assumption was that Paul was condemning the council for going against God.

In his pride, the high priest would not listen. Rather than Paul being on trial, Paul had put all the Jewish leaders on trial before God. They did not see it that way. The high priest Ananias, the son of Nedebaeus, was appointed high priest by Herod Agrippa II and served from 47-58. Josephus noted how he was cruel, took bribes, and took tithes intended for the common priests (Antiquities 20.205–10, 13). At one point, he was accused of cruelty towards Samaritans, but later pardoned by Emperor Claudius. This depiction matches the description of his actions in Acts. He was later murdered in 66 because of his pro-Roman stance.

Paul responded with what appeared to be anger at the injustice. He was not to blame for his obedience to God, but the Jewish leaders were. His reaction was also prophetic about Ananias’ coming to an untimely and cruel death later. Paul’s statement accused the high priest of illegally striking him. Ananias was only a whitewashed wall of hypocrisy. The high priest was to sit in the seat of righteous judgment (Leviticus 19:15), yet had ordered Paul struck out of anger. The pride and arrogance of the Jews appear in verse 4, with the accusation of those standing by condemning Paul’s response. The whole situation had become highly emotional. Paul seemed to realize his response and defense were going to get nowhere, so he backed off and apologized. Paul did not respect the person of Ananias for his unjust command for Paul to be struck, but he did respect the office of the high priest, as demonstrated by his quotation of Exodus 22:28. Ananias was not faithfully acting in the role as God’s representative even though he held the position of power.