ACTS 5:1-16
PURLOINED & PROUD
The deceit of Ananias & Sapphira: this is one of the most argued over passages in the New Testament, with many scholars refusing to accept its inspiration and authenticity
This is due to the harshness of the judgment of Ananias & Sapphira and Peter’s actions
Remember: Peter had just received forgiveness and grace following his denial of Jesus
You can’t really blame Peter for their death, but it is reminiscent of the spirit of Elijah calling down fire from heaven on the soldiers who were sent to arrest him, or Elisha cursing Gehazi with eternal leprosy, which seems to go contrary to the Spirit of Jesus, Peter’s master
(5:1-2) A man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, also sold some land. 2He kept part of the money for himself. Sapphira knew he had kept it. He brought the rest of it and put it down at the apostles’ feet.
The Bible is full of parallels between the Old and New Testaments: this is one of them
Luke used the generosity of Barnabas as an example of Spirit empowered and directed giving: the similarity to God’s gift of Christ is profound
Then we find the story of Ananias & Sapphira which parallels Achan and Ai in Joshua 7:1-26
The two stand as direct opposites fro dramatic effect in contrasting behavioral attitudes
In both narratives the act of deceit interrupts the victorious progress of the people of God
Luke probably desired to draw attention to the parallel, as the same Greek terminology is used in both passages: “kept back, purloined, put aside for oneself”
The Joshua account is important in correctly interpreting the events, as it was said that the Israelites broke faith with God by retaining for private use that which had been devoted to God
(5:3-4) Then Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your heart? He made you lie to the Holy Spirit. You have kept some of the money you received for the land. 4Didn’t the land belong to you before it was sold? After it was sold, you could have used the money as you wished. What made you think of doing such a thing? You haven’t lied to just anyone. You’ve lied to God.”
So what was their sin? At first it looks like it was a light offering, but Peter clearly elects to point out the other two options they had: “While it remained, was it not yours?” and, “After it was sold, was it not in your own control?”
This tells us that in the early church, giving was voluntary, not compulsory
Nor was the proceed of the sale of the property required to be given in full, that was a voluntary decision
The problem lie in the desire to look different than what reality dictated
They wanted to look like Joseph (Barnabas), appearing to be very generous when they weren’t
Thus Peter tells them they lied to God and not man, making their sin that of deceit, warning against hypocrisy, just like Jesus in His denunciations
(5:5-6) When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. All who heard what had happened were filled with fear. 6Some young men came and wrapped up his body. They carried him out and buried him.
This was an affront to the community, and more importantly, to God
Its power is found in the breach of trust that accompanied the deception
The Qumran community understood the seriousness of deception with its rule that: “If there be found in the community a man who consciously lies in the matter of his wealth, he is to be regarded as outside the state of purity entailed by membership, and he is to be penalized 1/4th of his food ration” (IQS 6:24-25)
Qumran communities penalty wasn’t as sever as in Acts, but neither were the situations identical
Ananias & Sapphira were dealt with severity due to the voluntary nature of their act and because the greater freedom permitted in the church makes the individual believer more responsible to be honest Also, the couples attempt to reach their personal goal of appearance was diametrically opposite of what God was doing in and through the church via the Gospel
Unchallenged, it would have changed the complexion of the church, throwing it off course from its mission
Luke’s mentioning of the young men carries great weight here, as it must have made an indelible impression on the youth of the church that would shape them in their formation as they took Ananias away
(5:7-10) About three hours later, the wife of Ananias came in. She didn’t know what had happened. 8Peter asked her, “Tell me. Is this the price you and Ananias sold the land for?”
“Yes,” she said. “That’s the price.”
9Peter asked her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! You can hear the steps of the men who buried your husband. They are at the door. They will carry you out also.”
10At that very moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in. They saw that Sapphira was dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11The whole church and all who heard about these things were filled with fear.
“About three hours later” the episode repeated itself with equal tragedy: they were united in conspiracy and in judgment
The act of Achan and this one were pivotal in the life and mission of god’s people, as the whole enterprise was threatened at the start: God simply wouldn’t allow it to happen in the formative stages
(5:11) The whole church and all who heard about these things were filled with fear.
The story must have circulated within the church to warn against greed & deceit
Luke takes time to include the good and the bad of the early churches adventures: growth vs. this distressing event
This is typical of Scriptures treatment of the church and people of faith: the view is gracious yet flawed, just like us
We can be grateful that God doesn’t move in such dramatic ways against deceit now
Luke’s statement that “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard these events” may seem redundant, but there is a profound explanation given for how the church was viewed externally
The influx of new believers dried up due to this expression and a new form of identification came to the body of believers, although additions continued to place as former disciples made their way back into the faith
The word “ecclesia (church)” occurs for the first time in the Book of Acts
This word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background
In the Greek use it generally means the citizens of a given city
In the Jewish use it means the religious character of YHWH’s “assembly”
(5:12-16) The apostles did many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. All the believers used to meet together at Solomon’s Porch. 13No outsider dared to join them. But the people thought highly of them. 14More and more men and women believed in the Lord. They joined the other believers. 15So people brought those who were sick into the streets. They placed them on beds and mats. They hoped that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he walked by. 16Crowds even gathered from the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick. They also brought those who were suffering because of evil spirits. All of them were healed.
This is like 2:42-47 & 4:32-35 in its purpose: it is a paragraph that introduces the material that follows as a summary statement
It reaches into the past: Solomon’s Colonnade, and describes the practices of the early believers: where they met, what they did, what were the results
It also sets the stage for the second showdown with the Sanhedrin as it tells of the ongoing success of the Jerusalem mission
At first, the people freaked out and stayed away, then the signs and wonders kicked in and the numbers grew
Then the jealousy of the Sadducees began to grow, as they saw another expression of the same power that Jesus possessed with a similar response by the people
This is very similar to the early days of our Lord’s Galilean ministry (Mark 1:32-34 & Luke 4:40-41)
Peter’s shadow had the same gracious effect as the hem of Jesus garment (Mark 6:56) in releasing healing virtue
