A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
Sedition and contempt breed blindness. The Pharisees begin at once to defend the man they had condemned, not from judgment but from hatred of the Sadducees, so inflamed against their rivals that they cannot see Paul's cause clearly. We must beware the heat of contention, which disturbeth all things.
AI summary
Paul's wisdom here was to divide his judges, setting Pharisees against Sadducees and turning one part to his defense. Lawful arts and honest policy to escape suffering are no dishonor to a man willing to suffer for Christ; he uses every advantage he has, from his Roman citizenship to his standing as a Pharisee, yet counts them all dung compared to knowing Christ.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 23:6-11
The Pharisee scribes rose in their seats and disputed sharply, finding no evil in Paul. They spoke more to defend their own principle of spirits and angels than to befriend him; it served their side against the Sadducees, and that was reason enough.
AI summary