Chapter 5 Acts 5

Ananias and Sapphira (vv. 1-11)
The Apostles Perform Miracles and Wonders (vv. 12-16)
The Apostles Are Persecuted (vv. 17-42)

Ananias and Sapphira (vv. 1-11)

But there was a man named Ananias, a who with his wife Sapphira b sold some property that belonged to them. 2 But with his wife’s agreement he kept c part of the money for himself and turned the rest over to the apostles. 3 Peter said to him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you d and make you lie to the Holy Spirit e by keeping part of the money you received for the property? 4 Before you sold the property, it belonged to you; and after you sold it, the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide to do such a thing? You have not lied to men – you have lied to God!” f 5 As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead;  g and all who heard about it were terrified. 5 The young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him.
         7 About three hours later his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, was this the full amount you and your husband received for your property?”
         “Yes,” she answered, “the full amount.”
         9 So Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband decide to put the Lord’s Spirit to the test? The men who buried your husband are at the door right now, and they will carry you out too!” 10 At once she fell down at his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 The whole church h and all the others who heard of this were terrified.

Interesting Stuff:

a ‘Ananias’ means ‘God is gracious’ in Hebrew.

b ‘Sapphira’ means ‘beautiful’ in Aramiaic.

c Luke’s language here seems to draw a parallel between the sin of Achan (Jos 7), who kept back some of the spoil from Jericho just as the Israelites began their conquest of Canaan, and the sin of Ananias and Sapphira as the church began its mission. Both incidents came under the immediate and drastic judgment of God and taught the people a sobering lesson. This was probably how the early church saw this incident. It served as a warning to them that God cannot be mocked (Gal 6:7), i.e., no one can make a fool of God.

d The Holy Spirit gave Peter the spiritual insight to see into people’s hearts and to recognise what Ananias had done.
He saw that Satan had a part to play as well in Ananias’ action.

e Peter’s words made it clear that Ananias was entirely at liberty to keep or sell his property as he saw fit. That was not sinful. His sin lay in his lie to the Holy Spirit. It was not that he gave only a part of the money but it was his trying to deceive others into think- ing that he was giving all of it. In lying to God’s community, he was essentially lying to God.

f A comparison with v. 4 shows that the Holy Spirit is regarded as God Himself present with His people.

g Like the act of Achan, this act was very critical in the life and mission of God’s people. If no drastic consequences had followed this act of deceit, the results on the early believers would have been serious once the deceit was found out. People would think not only that dishonesty was profitable but that the Spirit of God could be deceived. It was important for God to show clearly from the beginning that He would not tolerate such hypocrisy and deceit.

h This was the first time Luke uses the word ‘church’ to designate the Christian community. The word was used in the OT to refer to an assembly or congregation of God’s people. The Christians took over this word and used it to describe themselves as the people of God or of Christ. Later in the book, this word would be used for both the universal church and local congregations.

Questions:

  1. Describe what happened when Ananias and Sapphira sold their property and brought the money to the apostles (vv. 1-11).

Hover Over for Answer:
Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some property that belonged to them. With his wife’s agreement, he kept part of the money for himself and turned the rest over to the apostles. Peter asked him why he allowed Satan to take control of him and made him lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money. He told Ananias that the money was his even after selling the property. By doing so, he had not lied to men but to God. As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead, and everyone who heard about it was terrified. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him. About three hours later, Sapphira came in not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her whether the money they gave was the full amount from the property they sold. When she replied that it was, Peter asked her why she and her husband had decided to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test. He then said that the men who buried her husband had just come in and they would carry her out as well. At once she fell down at his feet and died. The young men came in and carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. The whole church and others who heard of this were terrified.

How did their action differ from that of Barnabas?

Hover Over for Answer:
Barnabas gave all the money from the property that he had sold to the apostles. Ananias and Sapphira gave only a part but lied to the apostles that what they were giving was the full amount.

2. What warnings does this incident give us?

Hover Over for Answer:
This should warn us that whatever actions we do that are wrong are ultimately against God Himself. People might be deceived by our actions but God sees into our hearts and He knows when we are sinning against Him, and He will judge us for our sins.

Summary of Section:

  1. There was a man named Ananias, who together with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property they had.
  2. They kept back part of the money for themselves and turned over the rest to the apostles, lying that it was the total amount.
  3. Peter asked Ananias why he allowed Satan to take control of him and made him lie to the Holy Spirit. He told Ananias that the money was theirs to decide what to do even after selling the property but in doing what they did, they were lying to God, not to men.
  4. As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead. All who heard about it were terrified.
  5. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried him out and buried him.
  6. Three hours later, Sapphira came in not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her whether the money was the full amount from the sale of their property.
  7. When she replied that it was, Peter asked why she and her husband had decided to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test. He then said that the men who buried her husband had come in and they would carry her out as well.
  8. Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. The young men then carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
  9. The whole church and all others who heard about this were terrified.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. The second example indicates that it was not all good and righteous within the Spirit-filled community. Both Ananias and Sapphira tried to gain credit for a greater personal sacrifice than they had actually made by offer- ing only part of what they had earned from the sale of their property and passing it off as if it were the whole amount.
  2. Peter’s words make it clear that he seemed to have God’s power to see into men’s hearts and recognise that he was being told a lie. He saw behind Ananias’ hypocrisy the subtle activity of Satan who ‘had made him dare’ to lie to the Holy Spirit. His sin was in lying to the Holy Spirit, and not in giving part of his money to the common fund. The money was all his in the first place and there was no need for him to give it away if he did not want it.
  3. Luke intends us to understand that what happened to Ananias and Sapphira was a work of divine judg- ment on the seriousness of their sin. Their lie had been against the Holy Spirit, that is, against God Himself, and God hates lies and hypocrisy. It was also a sin against God’s people. Hypocrisy and falsehood would ruin fellowship. If their lie and hypocrisy were not publicly exposed and punished, it would affect the church as it was just beginning to grow in its community life. The early church had to see the seriousness of sin within its community and the judgment that would follow upon acts of sin.

The Apostles Perform Miracles and Wonders (vv. 12-16)

         12 Many miracles and wonders were being performed among the people by the apostles. i All the believers met together in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Nobody outside the group dared join them,  j even though the people spoke highly of them. 14 But more and more people were added to the group – a crowd of men and women k who believed in the Lord. 15 As a result of what the apostles were doing, sick people were carried out into the streets and placed on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow l might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 And crowds of people came in from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or who had evil spirits in them; and they were all healed.

Interesting Stuff:

i Luke was recounting in this section that the miracles the apostles were doing were repeated so many times in the apostles’ ministry that great crowds came into Jerusalem. It is no wonder that the Sadducees’ jealousy was sparked off again as seen in verse 17.

j Because of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira, no one who was half-hearted would risk being identified with the believers. Luke could not have meant that no one joined the Christian community since v. 14 says that many came to Christ.

k This is the first specific mention of women believing.

l The idea that shadows had magical powers was current in the ancient world. Similar beliefs about Paul’s powers can be seen in Ac 19:12. Peter’s reputation concerning his exceptional healing powers was spreading among the people. Now the apostles’ reputation had spread to outside Jerusalem.

Questions:

  1. Describe what happened as a result of all the miracles and wonders the apostles were doing (vv. 12-16)

Hover Over for Answer:
Because of all the miracles and wonders that were being performed by the apostles, nobody outside their group of believers dared to join them when they gathered in Solomon’s Porch, even though the people spoke highly of them. However, more and more people believed in the Lord, both men and women, and were added to the group. Sick people were carried out into the streets and placed on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds of people came in from towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or demon-possessed and they were all healed.

Summary of Section:

  1. The apostles were performing many miracles and wonders among the people.
  2. All the believers met together in Solomon’s Porch but nobody outside the group dared join them, even though the people spoke highly of them.
  3. But more and more people, both men and women, believed in the Lord and were added to their group.
  4. As a result of what the apostles were doing, sick people were carried out into the streets and placed on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
  5. Crowds of people came from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or demon-possessed, and they were all healed.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. Before recording the second wave of persecution on the church by the Jewish authorities, Luke describes in general terms how the church’s activities were increasing to such an extent that the authorities felt they had to take action.
  2. The apostles, in particular, were exercising such a powerful ministry of performing signs and wonders and healings that it made a deep impres- sion on the people. As a result, news of it spread to outside Jerusalem. The miracles had two interesting and opposite results, in alarming some and appealing to others. Thus some kept away from them while many oth- ers were drawn to faith.
  3. As the movement grew and the reputation of the Christians spread, more and more people sought physical healing from the apostles, and especially from Peter. Although it was possible that the people might have been influenced by superstition that even shadows could heal, it was more likely that the people had been deeply struck by the words and works of Peter, had recognised him as a man of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, and they believed that they could be healed through close proximity to him.
  4. Even those who came from outside Jerusalem, bringing their sick and demon-possessed, saw all these people healed. It was a remarkable demonstration of the power of God to heal and free human beings in the name of Jesus Christ, even as it had been to judge human sin in the case of Ananias and Sapphira.

The Apostles Are Persecuted (vv. 17-42)

          17 Then the High Priest and all his companions, members of the local party of the Sadducees, became extremely jealous of the apostles; so they decided to take action. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But that night an angel m of the Lord opened the prison gates, n led the apostles out, and said to them, 20 “Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new life.” o 21 The apostles obeyed, and at dawn they entered the Temple and started teaching.
          The High Priest and his companions called together all the Jewish elders for a full meeting p of the Council; then they sent orders to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. 22 But when the officials arrived, they did not find the apostles in prison, so they returned to the Council and reported, 23 “When we arrived at the jail, we found it locked up tight and all the guards on watch at the gates; but when we opened the gates, we found no one inside!” 24 When the chief priests and the officer in charge of the Temple guards heard this, they wondered what had happened to the apostles. 25 Then a man came in and said to them, “Listen! The men you put in prison are in the Temple teaching the people!” 26 So the officer went off with his men and brought the apostles back. They did not use force, however, because they were afraid that the people might stone them.
          27 They brought the apostles in, made them stand before the Council, and the High Priest questioned them. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in the name of this man,” he said; “but see what you have done! You have spread your teaching all over Jerusalem, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”
          29 Peter q and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not men. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from death, after you had killed him by nailing him to a cross. 31 God raised him to his right side as Leader r and Saviour, to give the people of Israel the opportunity to repent and have their sins forgiven. 32 We are witnesses to these things – we and the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to those who obey him.”
          33 When the members of the Council heard this, they were so furious that they wanted to have the apostles put to death. 34 But one of them, a Pharisee s named Gamaliel, t who was a teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while, 35 and then he said to the Council, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. 36 You remember that Theudas u appeared some time ago, claiming to be somebody great, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, all his followers were scattered, and his movement died out. 37 After that, Judas v the Galilean appeared during the time of the census; w he drew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 And so in this case, I tell you, do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone! If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear, 39 but if it comes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could find yourselves fighting against God!”
          The Council followed Gamaliel’s advice. 40 They called the apostles in, had them whipped, x and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free. 41 As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus. 42 And every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to teach and preach the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.

Interesting Stuff:

m This phrase ‘an angel of the Lord’ is used four other times in Acts: (i) Stephen speaks about him (7:30-38) (ii) he guides Philip (8:26) (iii) he sets Peter free from prison (12:7-10) (iv) he strikes down Herod (12:23).

n This is one of the three ‘opening of prison doors’ stories in the book of Acts (cf. 12:6-11; 16:26-29).

o Life and salvation are understood as meaning the same thing in NT usage. The angel was thus asking them to proclaim the message of salvation.

p This time the Pharisees were also represented, as seen later by the mention of Gamaliel who spoke out against the decision of the Sanhedrin (vv. 35-39).

q Peter was the spokesman for the group as on the day of Pentecost.

r Some versions have the word ‘Prince’. God has exalted Jesus as both Prince and Saviour. This is the first time the word ‘Saviour’ is used of Jesus outside the Gospels.

s The name ‘Pharisee’ probably came from the Aramaic verb meaning ‘to separate’. Thus they were ‘the separated ones’, the ones dedicated entirely to God. The Pharisees were a religious group, not a political party like the Sadducees who were dedicated to preserving the purity of the Oral Traditions and the Law (refer to ‘The Pharisees’, p. xxx).

t Gamaliel was one of the greatest Jewish teachers of his day. He was also one of the most highly esteemed of the Pharisees. Paul was one of his students (22:3).

u Not much is known of Theudas. There were numerous uprisings when Herod the Great died. And it was thought that Theudas was probably one of the rebel leaders who arose at the time of Herod the Great’s death around 4 B.C.

v Judas was a rebel leader who opposed the new taxation that the Romans imposed on the Jewish people when they took over direct rule of Judea in A.D. 6.

w This is not the first census ordered by Quirinius, Governor of Syria, as noted by Luke in his Gospel (2:2) but the second one in A.D. 6.

x This refers to the Jewish punishment of ‘forty lashes minus one’ (see 2 Co 11:24).

Questions:

  1. Why were the High Priest and the Sadducees jealous of the apostles (vv. 12-16; 17)?
Hover Over for Answer:
They were jealous because the apostles were performing many miracles and wonders. As a result, many people became believers and many came from towns outside Jerusalem bringing their sick and demon-possessed and they were all healed.

2. What action did they take (v. 18)?

Hover Over for Answer:
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

3. What happened after that (vv. 19-20)?

Hover Over for Answer:
That night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison gates, led the apostles out and told them to go and stand in the Temple and tell the people all about this new life. The apostles obeyed and at dawn, they entered the Temple and started teaching.

4. Describe what happened the following day when the officials were sent to fetch the apostles (vv. 21-26).

Hover Over for Answer:
The High Priest and his companions called together all the Jewish elders for a full meeting of the Council. They sent orders to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. But when the officials arrived at the prison, they found it locked up tight with all the guards on watch at the gates. But when they opened the gates, they could not find the apostles and so they returned and made their report. The chief priests and the officer in charge of the Temple guards were wondering what had happened to the apostles when someone came in and told them that the apostles were in the Temple teaching the people. So the officer went with his men and brought the apostles back to stand before the Council. They did not use force because they were afraid the people might stone them.

5. What did the High Priest say to the apostles (vv. 27-28)?

Hover Over for Answer:
The High Priest told them that they had given them strict orders not to teach in the name of Jesus but that they had disobeyed. He accused the apostles of spreading their teaching all over Jerusalem and trying to make them responsible for Jesus’ death.

6. What was their reply (vv. 29-32)?

Hover Over for Answer:
The apostles replied that they must obey God and not men. They said that the God of their ancestors raised Jesus from death after the Jewish authorities had killed him by nailing him to a cross. Jesus had been raised by God to His right side as Leader and Saviour to give the people of Israel the opportunity to repent and have their sins forgiven. The apostles said that they and the Holy Spirit who is God’s gift to those who obey Him, were witnesses to these things.

7. How did the members of the Council react to Peter’s answer (v. 33)?

Hover Over for Answer:
They were so furious that they wanted to have the apostles put to death.

8. Who influenced them to change their decision (vv. 34, 40)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He was a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law and highly respected by all the people.

Summarise breifly what he said (vv. 36-39)

Hover Over for Answer:
He advised them to be careful about what they do to these men. He quoted two men, Theudas and Judas the Galilean, whose move- ments died out some time after their deaths because it was of human origin. He said that if what the apostles had planned and done was of human origin, it would similarly disappear. However, if it was from God, then they could not defeat them because they would be fighting against God. So he warned the Council to leave the apostles alone.

9. What judgment was passed on the apostles after this (v. 40)?

Hover Over for Answer:
The Council had the apostles whipped and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they set them free.

10. How did the apostles react to this judgment (vv. 41-42)?

Hover Over for Answer:
The apostles were happy because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus. Daily in the Temple and in people’s homes, they continued to teach and preach the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.

Summary of Section:

  1. The High Priest and his companions who were Sadducees became extremely jealous of the apostles. So they arrested them and put them in public jail.
  2. But that night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison gates, led the apostles out and told them to go and stand in the Temple and tell the people about this new life.
  3. They obeyed the angel and at dawn, they entered the Temple and started teaching.
  4. The High Priest and the Sadducees called together the Jewish elders for a full meeting of the Council. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought to them.
  5. When the officials arrived at the prison, they did not find the apostles and returned to report to the Council.
  6. They said that when they arrived at the jail, they found it locked tight and all the guards on watch at the gates. However, when they opened the gates, no one was inside.
  7. Then someone came in and told the Council that the men they were looking for were in the Temple teaching the people.
  8. The officer in charge of the Temple guards went off with his men to bring back the apostles. They did not use force because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
  9. The High Priest questioned them and told them that they had given them strict orders not to teach in the name of Jesus. But the apostles had dis- obeyed and had spread their teaching all over Jerusalem, wanting to make them responsible for Jesus’ death.
  10. Peter and the other apostles told them that they must obey God, not men. The God of their ancestors raised Jesus from death after the Jewish authorities had killed him on the cross. He had raised Jesus to His right side as Leader and Saviour, to give the Israelites the opportunity to repent and have their sins forgiven.
  11. The apostles said that they and the Holy Spirit were witnesses to these things.
  12. When the Council members heard all this, they were so furious that they wanted to put them to death.
  13. But one of them, Gamaliel, a Pharisee and teacher of the Law, who was highly respected by all the people, stood up and asked the apostles to be taken out for a while.
  14. He then advised the Council to be careful over what they do to these men. He quoted two revolutionaries, Theudas and Judas the Galilean, whose movements died out soon after their deaths. He told the Council to leave the apostles alone because if what they were doing was of human origin, it would disappear. But if it were from God, they could not defeat them and they would only find themselves fighting against God.
  15. The Council followed Gamaliel’s advice. They had the apostles whipped and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they set them free.
  16. As the apostles left, they were happy because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus.
  17. Every day, in the Temple and people’s homes they continued to teach and preach the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. Here the apostolic healing ministry provoked the second attack by the authorities, much as the healing of the cripple had provoked the first. Probably angered by the failure of their first trial and the apostles’ defiance of their threats and ban against speaking about Jesus, and now filled with jealousy over their power and popularity, they took action against them. This time, how- ever, they arrested most, if not all, of the apostles.
  2. They were released by an angel of the Lord who acted as God’s spokesman in commanding them to go and speak in the Temple. This was not only because most people go there but also because it was the place where God had chosen to make Himself known to His people. This ‘new life’ or ‘all the words of this Life’ as written in other translations, refers to the message of salvation which had been given to them to proclaim by Jesus.
  3. The High Priest opened the trial by reminding the apostles of the ban on their preaching which they had defied and had filled Jerusalem with their teaching. Worse still, the apostles were determined to lay the guilt for the death of Jesus on them. Peter’s answer was more direct than what he said at the first trial (4:19). He said that a command of God takes priority over a command of man, and they must be prepared to obey God rather than man and bear the cost of it.
  4. Then Peter went on to affirm that God, who is the God of their ances- tors, raised Jesus from the dead, and exalted him as Prince and Saviour. They and the Holy Spirit were the witnesses of all that God had done, and they were to obey Him. This roused the Council to even greater heights of anger that they wanted to kill them, although they had no legal grounds to do so.
  5. Gamaliel, who had a reputation for scholarship, wisdom and moderation, and was held with great respect by everyone, proceeded to restrain their anger and to counsel caution. Basing his argument on two historical exam- ples of failed revolts, he warned the Council that in the long run, what is from God would triumph and what is merely from human origins would not.
  6. The apostles left with cut and bleed- ing backs, yet rejoicing in being counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the sake of Jesus. They were, in fact, doing what Jesus had told them in the Sermon on the Mount to do, i.e., to rejoice in persecution. And again they boldly defied the court’s prohibition and continued to teach and proclaim the Good News about Jesus.
  7. Luke has now concluded his account of the two waves of persecution which broke over the early church. In the first, the Council issued a ban and a warning, which led the apostles to pray to the Sovereign Lord for boldness to go on preaching. In the second, they received a prohibition and a beating, which led them to praise God for the honour of suffering for Christ and they went on preaching.

 

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