Lesson: Acts 4:34-5:10
Golden Text: “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold” (Acts 4:34).
I. INTRODUCTION. In the early church, none of the Christians felt that what they had was their own, and so they were able to give and share in order to eliminate poverty among them. In this week’s lesson we will see just how the early church believers were willing to share from giving hearts. However, we will also have an example of those who were not sincere in their giving, and how God dealt with them.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON. The church was formed on the Day of Pentecost after the gospel was preached and thousands of souls were saved (see Acts 2:1-4, 22-41). Soon after Pentecost, there were needs in the newly formed church that resulted in a willingness to share physical possessions with one another (see Acts 2:44-45). This situation probably developed because many of the Jewish pilgrims who came to Jerusalem for Pentecost obeyed the gospel (see Acts 2:41) and stayed in Jerusalem for awhile before returning to their native lands (see Acts 2:5, 9-11). The author of the Book of Acts was Luke, who also wrote the gospel that carries his name. He tells us that this spirit of giving among believers resulted from the fact that the Jerusalem church was “of one heart and of one soul” (see Acts 4:32). With the Great Commission now being carried out in Jerusalem (see Acts 1:8) and unity being experienced by the saints of God, we can understand why God’s “great grace was upon them” (see Acts 4:33). Our lesson begins at this point.
III. AN EXAMPLE OF GENEROUS GIVING (Acts 4:34-37)
A. The equitable distribution (Acts 4:34-35).
1. (vs. 34). Our first verse says “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold.” Because God’s grace was upon the believers (see Acts 4:33), Luke tells us that “Neither was there any among them that lacked.” The early church was able to share possessions and property as a result of the unity brought by the Holy Spirit (see Acts 4:32). In order to eliminate poverty among the believers, as soon as a need arose, “as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold.” Many of these believers were poor; others had considerable possessions and wealth. Those who had houses and lands sold them and brought the money to help those in need.
2. (vs. 35). This verse continues to say
“And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made
unto every man according as he had need.” When property
was sold and the money was brought to be distributed, it was brought to the
apostles. Luke wrote that they “laid them down at the
apostles' feet. “ The word “them” refers
to the money received from the property and/or possessions that had been
sold.The distribution of funds to those in need
“was made unto every man according as he had need.”
This probably means that the person in need was examined in some
way to determine what their personal or family needs were.
B. The encourager identified (Acts 4:36-37).
1. (vs. 36). This verse goes on to say “And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus.” At this point, Luke introduces us to a man who was among those giving. This man’s name was “Joses” or Joseph. However, the apostles had given him another name. The word “surnamed” comes from a Greek word that literally means “additionally called.” The new name the apostles gave Joseph was “Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,).” This was quite fitting because “Barnabas” is a combination of the Aramaic word “Bar” which means “son of” and the word for prophecy. It has the idea of the exhortation or encouragement the prophets gave. Therefore, the name is interpreted as “The son of consolation” or “son of encouragement.” The last part of this verse also identifies Barnabas as “a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus.” In other words, he was of the tribe of Levi, and from the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. As a Levite, Barnabas may have travelled to Jerusalem to help the priests in the temple during the Feast of Pentecost.
2.
(vs. 37). Still
referring to Barnabas, this verse goes on to say “Having land, sold it,
and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.”
Barnabas is described as “Having land” which
means that he owned either a farm, country land, or a field. At any rate, Barnabas “sold it (his land),
and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.”
Barnabas showed his spirit of generosity by selling a piece of
land he owned and giving the money for the common good of the church.
He was not obligated to do this (see Acts 5:4). He did it
out of love. By doing this he set an example for us.
Every believer should be willing to give of his or her substance to
Christ’s church. Barnabas also showed humble submission to the
apostles’ leadership in the church by bringing the money to them rather than
using it as he saw fit.
IV. AN
EXAMPLE OF DECEPTIVE GIVING (Acts
5:1-10)
A. The decision of
Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-2).
1. (vs.
1). This verse says
“But a certain man named
Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.”
The word
“But”
introduces a contrast between Barnabas and to other people “a certain
man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife.” Luke
describes “Ananias” as “a certain man named Ananias”
because this was a common name. Luke wanted to
distinguish him from others who had the same name (see Acts 9:10; 23:2).
Perhaps inspired by the generosity of Barnabas and others,
“Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.”
This possession is identified as land in verse 3.
It is sometimes assumed that Ananias and Sapphira sold all they owned,
but that does not seem to be the case, because Luke writes that they sold
“a possession” indicating only some of what they owned.
It’s important to note that apparently, both of these people agreed to
sell the property, and they did it freely without being coerced by the
apostles.2. (vs. 2). Still referring to Ananias and Sapphira, Luke goes on to say in this verse “And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.” Ananias and Sapphira not only agreed to sell the property, they also agreed to keep back “part of the price.” It’s very likely that even before the possession was sold, the two agreed to take only a portion of the money from the sale to the apostles and keep the rest for themselves. They would give the impression that they were sacrificially bringing all of it to Christ. No doubt they wanted to reap the esteem and praise they had seen others receive for giving sacrificially. Therefore, they lied about the selling price. That was their sin. It wouldn’t have been wrong to give only a portion of the money for distribution among the poor, but that would not have brought the praise they wanted. The phrase “his wife also being privy to it” means that his wife knew all about the deception and agreed with it. After deciding to keep some of the money for themselves, they “brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.” The “certain part” was what was left after Ananias and Sapphira kept some back.
B. The duplicity of Ananias and Sapphira (acts 5:3-4).
1. (vs. 3). This verse says “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” After Ananias brought the money to the apostles, we are told that Peter asked, “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” One has to wonder how Peter knew what Ananias and Sapphira had done. Only by special revelation from God could Peter have known about this evil deed. Yes, God had made it known to him. The Holy Spirit of God had manifested Himself in mighty power to the believers on the Day of Pentecost, but now Satan had filled Ananias’ “heart to lie to the Holy Spirit.” All sin begins in the heart (see Mark 7:20-23) and is inspired by the devil. Thinking that he could deceive the Holy Spirit and the apostles, Ananias showed contempt for the Holy Spirit. This was sinful blasphemy indeed!
2. (vs. 4). In this verse Peter continued to say to Ananias “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” Here, Peter asked Ananias three questions. The first two questions he asked were “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?” Peter wanted to make it plain that no one was being forced to give anything. It was all voluntary. The phrase “Whiles it remained” means as long as Ananias had his property it was his own, it belonged to him. The same thing was true after he sold the property. It was in Ananias’ power to do with the money whatever he wanted. It still belonged to him. The problem was deciding to hold back part of the money which led Peter to ask the third question: “why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?” In other words, they had agreed to give whatever the property sold for, but after the sale, which no doubt brought more than Ananias expected, he decided “in thine (his) heart” to hold some of the money back for their own benefit. In addition, it would make him and his wife appear more generous than they really were. If they had told Peter that they had held back part of the money, and explained the reason why, the outcome may have been different. Note: Sin always begins the same way as a simple desire planted in the heart or mind by Satan. This desire then gives birth to a heartfelt willingness to accomplish the sin. Once the desire is established, it produces sin which brings God’s righteous judgment (see James 1:14-15). It was the responsibility of Ananias to resist the devil---to say no to the temptation to lie. Peter didn’t give Ananias any chance to offer an excuse. He proceeded to tell Ananias that “thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” Ananias didn’t lie to Peter, he lied to God. We must all come to grips with the fact that we can’t hide anything from God (see Psalms 139:1-4). Note: Here we have proof that the Holy Spirit is God and therefore a Person. In verse 3, Peter said that Ananias had lied to the Holy Ghost, but in this verse 4, Peter said that he had lied “unto God.” Only a person can be lied to. Lies are not told to powers or influences. The One to whom this lie was told was none other than God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity.
C. The death of Ananias (Acts 5:5-6).
1. (vs. 5). This verse says “And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.” As soon as Ananias heard Peter’s charge against him he “fell down, and gave up the ghost.” In other words he died right on the spot. When Ananias brought his offering, he had no idea that his sin would be found out, but it was (see Genesis 44:16; Numbers 32:23). What happened to Ananias was the result of God’s judgment of him (see Proverbs 19:9). Peter didn’t strike him with a death blow. He died on the spot! This may seem like a very harsh punishment, but it was right because it came from a just God.The last part of this verse says “and great fear came on all them that heard these things.” The news of what happened to Ananias quickly spread causing “great fear” to come over everyone who heard about it. In other words, anyone who heard what happened to Ananias became terrified. No doubt this “great fear” also included a renewed respect and reverence for God (see Acts 19:17). Note: Undoubtedly this was one of the reasons why this sin was judged so severely. It was most important to impress upon the people just how serious sin is. If the Christian community hadn’t realized it before, they now knew that they were part of something real with great significance. God was not playing religious games here! Those outside the Christian community who may have dismissed Christianity as just another new sect, or a passing fad, now realized that something very serious was happening.
2. (vs. 6). In this verse Luke continues to write “And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.” The fact that “the young men arose” seems to indicate that they were usually present and accustomed to doing servile tasks for the apostles and other believers. However, carrying out dead hypocritical church members was probably something they were not expecting to have to do. Referring to Ananias, these young men “wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.” It was customary among the Jews to wrap dead bodies in cloths (see Matthew 27:57-59; John 19:40). The young men followed the custom and quickly buried Ananias. There was no mourning, nor a funeral, and there’s no evidence that his wife was told of her husband’s death. What a way to go!
D. The denial by Sapphira (Acts 5:7-8).
1. (vs. 7). This verse says “And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.” About three hours after her husband had come to the apostles and suddenly died, Sapphira “his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.” She came in to the apostles with the same intention of deceiving them. However, when she came, she was unaware of what had happened to her husband. It’s amazing that the news of Ananias’ death spread throughout Jerusalem without his wife hearing about it. For sure, God was in control.
2. (vs. 8). This verse says “And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.” At this point Peter had to determine if Sapphira would say that the land had been sold for the same price that Ananias said it had. If she did, the apostle would know that she and her husband conspired together to lie to God. So he gave her the chance to come clean and confess. He said to her “Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much?” Again we are not told how much the land was sold for because that wasn’t the important thing. Unfortunately, Sapphira took the low road and lied, answering Peter saying “Yea, for so much.” In other words, she confirmed that they had sold the land for the same amount that her husband said they had.
E. The death of Sapphira (Acts 5:9-10).
1. (vs. 9). This verse says “Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.” After Sapphira confirmed what her husband told the apostles they sold the land for, Peter asked her his final question: “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” The Living Bible translations says:“How could you and your husband even think of doing a thing like this—conspiring together to test the Spirit of God’s ability to know what is going on?” That she and her husband “agreed together” indicates a conspiracy on the part of this couple. They may not have realized that their deceit was an effort “to tempt the Spirit of the Lord.” The word “tempt” here means “to put to the test.” Whether knowingly, or unknowingly Ananias and Sapphira were testing God’s ability to know everything, even those things done in secret. Peter may not have known what was going to happen to Ananias when he lied, but at this point he sure knew what was going to happen to Sapphira. He said to her “behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.” Without being given the opportunity to answer Peter’s question, for the first time Sapphira learns of her husband’s death, and of her own imminent death. In essence Peter said to her: “Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out too.” The phrase “carry thee out” refers to being carried outside the city of Jerusalem where cemeteries were usually located.
2. (vs. 10). Our final verse says “Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.” As soon as Peter announced her judgment, Luke writes “Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost.” There was no need for an executioner because a killing power went along with Peter’s words, as sometimes a healing power did; for the God in whose name he spoke “kills and makes alive” (see Deuteronomy 32:39). It’s interesting that she fell dead at Peter’s feet, the same place where she should have laid the whole price and did not (see Acts 4:37) . Instead, she herself was laid at Peter’s feet, as if to make up what they had held back. The phrase “yielded up the ghost” or “gave up the spirit” is another way of referring to death (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The phrase “the young men came in” indicates that they were not present when Sapphira died. However, when they entered where the apostles were, they “found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.” Thus Sapphira too, experiences divine judgment by immediate death, and the believers again respond with a dishonorable burial like her husband’s. It’s interesting, but Luke does not mention that her body was wrapped as her husband’s was (see Acts 5:6). This may be because of the Jewish custom that women could wrap both men and women, but men could only wrap men.
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