Did Sanhedrin members have to be married and have children?
Yes. According to the Jewish Old Testament economy, a man could not be a member of the Sanhedrin unless he was married and had children. The stated reason was experiential: one cannot judge family relationships without having personally experienced being a husband and father.
Les maintains that the ruling body was the Sanhedrin, and he argues that the man was married. He explains that if the Jewish Old Testament economy is understood correctly, no one could be a member of the Sanhedrin unless married and had children. The purpose was practical: how could a man judge in areas of family relationships if he had never had that experience? Les says this is nothing new, then brings the same premise into I Timothy chapter 3, where Paul carries it right on into the leadership of the Church. The same logic applies: church leaders must lead intelligently and from experience, having known the responsibility of being a husband and father. This also connects to the question of where church government or organization gets its reasons.