Session 2.11: December 15, 2023
Scripture Reading: Acts 4:32-5:16
32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. 33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. 34 For there was no one needy among them because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales 35 and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need. 36 So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and placed it at the apostles’ feet.
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. 2 He kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of the land? 4 Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God!”
5 When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped all who heard about it. 6 So the young men came, wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the land?” Sapphira said, “Yes, that much.” 9 Peter then told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!” 10 At once she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things.
12 Now many miraculous signs and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high honor. 14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number, crowds of both men and women. 15 Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them. 16 A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. They were all being healed.
Main Themes
The Good
Our reading begins immediately after we are told that all the believers were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:31). There seems to be a pattern that after such outpourings of the Spirit the community experiences power and unity.
One Heart and Mind
We are told first that the community is of “one heart and mind.” This expression is not exclusive to biblical writers. The exact same expression and also close variations of it were used by other writers to express unity, particularly in friendship relationships (although not exclusively). I think that this is an important clue. I have been in several situations where believers wonder what such unity means and how to achieve it. Perhaps the answer is familiar—too familiar—so we rather avoid it. We should be true friends of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Moreover, the expression “one heart and mind,” literally “one heart and soul,” seems to recall the Old Testament. The mention of heart and soul in the same phrase appeared in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). Undoubtedly the reference that would have been in every ancient Jew’s mind would have been the Shema prayer in Deuteronomy 6:5-6. (The Shema prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today.)
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind [literally, heart], your whole being [literally, soul], and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5-6
The Ideal Community
We have already discussed the “ideal community” that was the early church in chapter 2. At the end of chapter 4, we encounter that ideal community again. Everything was held in common. (The imperfect verbs suggest not a sale of all property upon conversion but believers selling their property when needs arose and contributing to a common fund supervised by the apostles.)
Much like the idea of being of “one heart and mind,” the idea of holding everything in common was especially attributed to friends. Biblically speaking, it seems like the fulfillment to Deuteronomy 15:4-5:
However, there should not be any poor among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land that he is giving you as an inheritance, if you carefully obey him by keeping all these commandments that I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 15:4-5
That the goods were deposited at the apostles’ feet means that the apostles were the managers who would supervise distribution among the needy. The location at their feet also indicates submission. The apostles were the leaders of the movement. That the apostles used all the funds for the needy contrasts them with members of the religious elite who exploited others economically. The contrast intensified by the fact that the goods were distributed according to need.
The apostles gave testimony with great power, which probably implies miraculous works and bold speech. We are also told that “grace was on them all.” This phrase is difficult to interpret. Consider when the same words were used to speak about Jesus.
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor [literally, grace] of God was upon him. Luke 2:40, emphasis added
Consider also Paul’s use of the word in Romans and Ephesians:
And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. Romans 12:6
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:7-8
So, grace could mean God’s favor, empowerment, or both.
Barnabas—The Good Example
Maybe Barnabas was singled out because his monetary contribution to the church was the largest. Although some scholars think so, one must wonder whether Luke—who seems critical of the wealthy and concerned for the poor—would have thought that to be reason enough. The more likely explanation is that this reference works as an introduction to Barnabas, who will play a larger role later in the story.
Joseph was an incredibly common name at the time, so giving a “Joseph” a nickname was not unusual. (The same is true of the name Simon.) We could also make a connection with instances in the Old Testament in which a person was renamed—naming a person signified authority over them. So, perhaps this shows Barnabas submission to the apostles. His nickname, however, relates not to submission but to encouragement. Later passages in Acts confirm that the name was well placed.
Barnabas is from Cyprus. Many Jews lived in Cyprus at the time. Perhaps Barnabas’ associations with Cyprus help explain his wealth. Cyprus was a prosperous land both rich in minerals (especially copper but also gems) and agriculture. Presumably, this made the field Barnabas sold quite valuable.
Notice that Barnabas does everything right. That’s the point. He sold a field. He placed the money at the feet of the apostles. He showed generosity, charity, love, unity, and submission to the leadership. I point this out because we are about to read the “bad example.” In my opinion, the chapter division was placed incorrectly. The story of Barnabas is clearly meant to be contrasted with story of Ananias and Sapphira.
The Bad
Ananias—What Did He Do Wrong?
Immediately after the introduction of Barnabas, we read “Now a man named Ananias.” Like I said above, these two stories are clearly meant to be read together and contrasted. Let’s review what Ananias did.
Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. He kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet. Acts 5:1-2
We learn the key detail from the verses that follow: Ananias pretended like the money he placed at the apostles’ feet was all the sale proceeds.
What is so wrong about this? Think about it. After all, the guy donated a bunch of money to the church. Doesn’t the good outweigh the bad (that is, the lie)? Was he required to give the whole amount? Did he keep back too much? Let’s address these questions.
Sanctity, Honor, and Hypocrisy
We could say that the early chapters of Acts describing the “ideal community” emphasize sacrificial giving, and Ananias failed to give sacrificially. However, as we will discuss in a moment, Peter makes clear that Ananias had no obligation to give. Instead, the passage in chapter 5 emphasizes the community’s sanctity.
Ananias and Sapphira wanted to be honored in God’s community. One does need to read much of the Bible, Old or New Testament, to encounter verses about the dangers of seeking honor for oneself.
You are still exalting yourself against my people by not releasing them. Exodus 9:17
How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God? John 5:44
As all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of the experts in the law. They like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ property, and as a show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe punishment.” Luke 20:45-47
Notice that even if sharing was voluntary, the incentive to engage in the practice for selfish reasons is still there. When voluntary practices become a dominant practice of a group, they exert considerable influence on other members to conform to the new standard. Moreover, benefactors in the ancient Mediterranean world expected public honor.
Honoring oneself by pretending to engage in sacrificial behavior is also a blatant example of hypocrisy. If you participated in our study of John, then you know that this was a recurring (perhaps the main) issue that Jesus had with the religious leaders.
He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’” Mark 7:6
“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4
Of course, I cannot mention hypocrisy without quoting the “7 woes.”
“But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” Matthew 23:13-33
Hypocrisy is obviously bad. But is it really that big of a deal? After all, we do not read of Jesus slashing through Pharisees and leaving them for dead. We also do hear of the apostles attempting to violently subjugate anyone, or performing destructive miracles that force the crowds to behave honestly. How is Ananias worse than the experts in the law and the Pharisees such that he should be struck dead on the spot? God judged impostors within the community much more severely than false prophets or leaders outside of it.
The apostle Paul expresses a similar distinction in his first letter to the Corinthians.
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you. 1 Corinthians 9-13
God sacrificed his one and only beloved son to create a path for salvation; He also protected the early church from the sins of hypocrisy and self-aggrandizing which would have prevented the good news from going forth to the world.
Satan Filled His Heart
Ananias’s behavior seeking to deceive the community recalls the betrayal of Judas: both men had Satan in their hearts. Recall Luke’s description of Judas:
The chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find some way to execute Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard how he might betray Jesus, handing him over to them. They were delighted and arranged to give him money. So Judas agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus when no crowd was present. Luke 22:2-6
We learn from Peter’s question that Ananias’ heart was “filled” by Satan.
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of the land? Acts 5:3
There are at least two important observations that should be noted. First, whether our modern sensibilities like it or not, scripture does seem to speak of supernatural evil entities. Satan is at work opposing God. In fact, Peter’s question makes Satan and the Holy Spirit the main players in the conflict, not Ananias and Peter. Paul expresses a similar idea in his letter to the Ephesians.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. Ephesians 6:12
Among the more progressive Christians (not to mention nonbelievers), the idea of personal forces of evil (I mean evil creatures with agency, as opposed to simply the concept of evil) is often denied. To do so, one would have to interpret references to Satan as figures of speech meaning something like, “Why have you chosen evil?” This is both an implausible reading of the text and certainly not what the original writers meant to convey or original audience understood.
The other observation we should make is that Ananias, working for the enemy, commits no small sin. In the story, he is an agent of Satan infiltrating the community of God. He seeks to embed the spirit of Satan with the Spirit of God. God does not allow it. Put another way, whereas some onlookers may have viewed Ananias’ action as at worst merely selfish from a personal perspective, it was in fact Satan’s activity to infiltrate the community with hypocrisy.
Sapphira—A Quick Detour
I want to discuss the rest of Peter’s response to Ananias. Before we do that, let’s briefly discuss Sapphira.
The name “Sapphira,” in its various spellings, means “beautiful” and appears almost exclusively among wealthy Jerusalem families in this century. This lends credibility to Luke’s account.
Given the usual authority structure in ancient households, one should not be surprised that Ananias took the lead. Notice, however, that verse 5:1 attributes the sale of the property to both spouses. Although in the ancient Jewish world land sales would have generally involved exclusively men, we have record of contracts that included women as co-sellers.
Legalities aside, the main point made by God’s punishment of Sapphira is that even if she was of subordinate rank in a patriarchal society, she was not excused in disobeying God. God is the ultimate authority. If Sapphira did not have an opportunity to stop her husband from withholding funds or lying about it, she had an opportunity to be honest. She did not take that opportunity.
Was It Not Yours?
Now, let’s return to Peter’s response. At the risk of being misunderstood, I must admit that the story of Ananias and Sapphira is one of my favorites in the New Testament. No, not because I wish all sinners in the church to be struck dead. (I would surely be dead too.) It is because it conveys a couple of ideas that are central to Christian morality: Christian freedom and sins of conscience.
Listen to Peter’s words once more.
Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? Acts 5:4a
Did Ananias sin because he did not give enough to the church? Did he sin because he kept some money for himself? No! The story of Ananias and Sapphira is not about money. It is not about tithing.
Ananias’ field was his to do as he pleased. He could have kept it. He could have sold it and kept all the money. He could have donated 10% of the proceeds, 20%, 50%, or 100%. Ananias had what we often call the “Christian freedom” to do as he believed was right.
Christian Freedom
One of the “go to” passages for Christian freedom is in Galatians 5. I will read it, although in my opinion, it is not the best passage to explain the concept.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery. Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! 3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace! For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight—the only thing that matters is faith working through love. Galatians 5:1-6
That quotation from Galatians clearly teaches that we are no longer bound by or saved by obeying the law of the Old Testament. The reason I think it is not the best text to explain Christian freedom is because it does not explain the alternative. (This is not a critique of the passage, only of how it is used.) If we don’t have to follow the Old Testament law, then what? What do we follow now?
I would rather explain Christian freedom by focusing on any particular moral issue. Given that we are reading Acts 5, let’s pick the topic of giving to the church. How does the New Testament address this topic? What are the “commands”?
Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. Romans 12:11-13
Contribute to the needs of the saints. Got it. But how much? Practice hospitality. Got it. But when? To whom? Is there something like a safe-harbor rule to know when I have done enough?
Surely when Paul addresses this topic at length in his letter to Timothy he answers all those questions and provides details.
For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either. But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that. Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.
But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession before Pontius Pilate, to obey this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ—whose appearing the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time. He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.
Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:7-19
Wait, I still didn’t catch it. How much—exactly—do I have to give to the church? The uncomfortable answer is: Scripture does not say. Then what is a Christian to do?! Allow me to repeat Peter’s words:
Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? Acts 5:4a
As uncomfortable as this might be, Christians have freedom regarding how they “pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.” This is not say that nothing is truly right or truly wrong, but it does mean that the application of moral principles may be different in different situations, and that people have a range of acceptable decisions from which to choose.
Sins of Conscience
Where was the sin of Ananias? Was it in his actions? He gave a bunch of money to the church. Surely that in itself does not deserve punishment but praise. He did lie. (This is implied in the text, but quite clearly so.) So that must be it. But what if he had lied for a different reason. Imagine Ananias had kept some of the money to help someone who was poor but who was embarrassed to receive help publicly from the church. That lie may or may not be justified, but one would hardly argue that God would have struck Ananias dead for that. So, where is the sin of Ananias? In his heart. Ananias’ great sin is not the “what,” it is the “why” behind his actions.
Why we do something is often more important than what we do. We find this idea discussed at length in chapter 14 of the letter to the Romans. I quote a redacted version below. Keep in mind that the context of this text is a question: Should Christians abstain from eating food sacrificed to pagan Gods? (In ancient markets, much of the meat being sold would have been sacrificed to the gods. So this was a very real, very practical problem for believers to navigate.) Some believers said yes, some said no. Paul wrote:
Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him. Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. . . .
But you who eat vegetables only—why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything—why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean. For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.
So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat. . . . Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves. But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:1-23, emphasis added
Paul’s statements are incredible. Take his statement about unclean foods, for example. On one hand, no food is unclean. (This means that there is no food we cannot eat or that would be sinful to eat.) On the other hand, food is unclean if one believes it to be unclean. Why? Because if one believes God commands not to eat something but he eats it anyways, in his heart he have disobeyed God. That is a great sin.
Does this mean that morality is subjective? Not at all! Love, generosity, and kindness are objectively good. Cruelty, avarice, and covetousness are objectively wrong. What it means is that whether someone is being generous or greedy can generally not be determined without looking at their heart. And we (people) cannot see the heart of man, but God can.
All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates his thoughts. Proverbs 21:2
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds. I examine people’s hearts. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done. Jeremiah 17:10
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. Hebrews 4:12-13
Allow me to conclude by reminding us of the day of judgment. In that day, all will be revealed. This is the fear of some and the hope of others.
Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known. 3 So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops. Luke 12:1-2
[I left out many discussion points regarding some of the text we read today, particularly the section about miracles. If we have time we will discuss those, but the blog seems long enough for one week.]