"The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them (Acts 22:10).
The Sanhedrin was the ruling body of the Jews. Surely they would be able to show the commander why Paul was creating a riot among his own people in the city of Jerusalem.
I should probably point out there are some differences between these proceedings and those that took place on the night Jesus was betrayed. For starters, the Roman commander had taken responsibility for Paul and he was not going to let anything happen to him. In contrast, Pilate did everything possible to wash his hands of Jesus and basically tossed Him to the wolves.
There is another interesting contrast between the two situations. In the case of Jesus, no one had to prompt the Sanhedrin to meet. In fact, they assembled in the middle of the night and condemned Jesus, breaking their own protocol for justice in the process. However, in Paul’s case, the Sanhedrin did not seem to be all that proactive. In fact, the commander had to order them to gather for the purpose of establishing why Paul was being attacked by members of the Jewish community. I guess the difference in these two circumstances is that the Sanhedrin felt a need to drive Jesus to the cross, while in Paul’s situation there was a chance he would be killed if they did nothing. And they would have succeeded if the commander had not arrived in time.
This raises an interesting topic in my mind: it is any nobler to sit by while innocent people are hurt than it is to cause the harm ourselves? This is a question of justice that has been tossed around for ages, but one worth revisiting.
My wife had a big heart. She teaches music at an elementary school where many of the children live in poverty. When the children perform they try to coordinate their clothing. It may not seem like a big deal for every child to find a white shirt to wear, but some don’t own one and many don’t have someone to help them remember to bring one the day of the performance. So what does she do? Let them get up in what they have and feel different than the other kids? No way. She gives them my white shirts, and our children’s white shirts and anything else she can find so they look good. She could do nothing and make the children suffer for circumstances over which they have no control. But that’s not her style.
I need that kind of heart. I need the heart of Jesus who didn’t stop to ask what people deserved before He died for them. He could have done nothing, but He knew that would be the same as condemning us…so He poured out His life. Maybe I should remember this the next time I am willing to watch someone suffer and do nothing."
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