Beleving in the Resurrection

 Seventh Moday after Pentecost

Lectionary texts:

Thursday:

OT: 2 Samuel 6:6-15

NT: Ephesians 1:11-14

for Friday:

OT: 2 Samuel 6:16-23

NT: Ephesians 1:15-19

Today we return to our Acts Bible Study. Please read Acts 23:6-10. 

In these verses Paul shows himself to be a master of his own legal defense and of Greek rhetoric. The rhetorical skill might be put simply as changing the subject. Paul skillfully pits the part of the Sanhedrin that is Pharisees against the part that is Sadducees. The court would have been majority Sadducees, but there were enough Pharisees to make a difference in a unanimous vote out outcome.

Paul claims, "I am on trial concerning hope of the resurrection of the dead." Of course, Paul is on trial concerning no such thing. Paul is on trial for preaching against the Jewish Law an for bringing a gentile into the Temple (Acts 20:28-29.

The resurrection of the dead is a point of strong disagreement between Sadducees and Pharisees. Sadducees do not believe in any resurrection of the dead. For them, you die and go to Sheol a place of sleep under the earth. You remain in a sleep-like state forever. 

For the Sadducees only the Torah was scripture, The Torah (Genesis--Deuteronomy) contains no reference to the resurrection of the dead. All the OT references to resurrection of the dead are in the prophets and the writings (Joshua--Malachi). Those reference are few (Job 19, Isaiah 26:19, Ezekiel 37, Daniel 12:1-3). The Pharisees believed the prophets and the writings were scripture. Also, there are numerous resurrection references in the pseudepigrapha, which were not scripture for the Pharisees but were widely read.

The concept of the resurrection of the dead is that in the end times all the dead will be raised for God's last judgment. God will send some to heaven and some to hell. Paul took this Jewish concept and simply added Jesus to it. For Paul, Jesus was the "first fruits of the resurrection" (1 Corinthians 15:20-28). The resurrection of Jesus is the prelude to the resurrection of us all. The resurrected Jesus shows us what resurrected life will be like. 

Paul himself was a Pharisee. This additionally gave him credence with the Pharisees in the Jewish court. Luke portrays the Jewish court (Sanhedrin) as being raucous. The Pharisees claim Paul is innocent; the Sadducees, that he is guilty.  As the court appears to be losing control of itself, the Tribune, fearing Paul may be killed in the chaos, terminates the trial and takes Paul into protective custody. Paul will remain in Roman custody for th rest of the book of Acts.

 

An irony in it all is that if the Pharisees and Sadducees had not been taken off-track by Paul's distraction comment, they would have agree to convict him.

 

God of Torah, Prophets, and writings,

We thank you that we have the entire Old Testament as scripture, not just the first five books, as did the Sadducees and also the Samaritans. We thank you for Luke's and Paul's very own words in the New Testament. From these and other writings help us better to understand the truth of the resurrection. In the name of the the resurrected Jesus. Amen.

 

Faithfully,

Christian