Acts 23:3

Then Paul said to him, " God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law? "

1. Paul responds in anger and pain. While the words are strong and harsh, they are truth.

2. We must be reminded that it is not just WHAT we say, but HOW we say it.

3. Our speech must be with grace, seasoned with salt. (Colossians 4:5)

4. TRUTH : While they are are sitting in judgment of his actions as violations of the Law of Moses, they are in rebellion of the very law they are judging him of breaking.

5. Whitewashed wall - This is a proverbial expression meaning - You hypocrite. The implication is that the wall is really dirty but just has a coat of paint on it to make it look new and polished.

6. Jesus talked in Matthew 23:1-39 about tombstones that were whitewashed on the outside and full of dead mens bones. The expression here is similar.

7. Even with that being true - Paul was wrong to speak against the high priest.