INTRODUCTION

We come now to the famous story of Ananias and Sapphira, the moral of which is sometimes thought to be “what happens to chintzy tithers.” But actually, that is not it at all. Many more layers are involved. It is also worth noting that we come across three men named Ananias in the book of Acts. We have this man in our text (Acts 5:1), we have the man who was used to bring Saul of Tarsus into the covenant (Acts 9:10), and the high priest who was so hostile to Paul (Acts 23:2; 24:1). In a figure, we have Achan, we have Joshua, and we have the king of Jericho.  

 

THE TEXT

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 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. 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? 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 . . . (Acts 5:1–16). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

So we come to the well-known story of Ananias and Sapphira (v. 1). He and his wife sold a possession, held back part of the price, and brought the rest to set at the apostles’ feet (v. 2). Peter asked why Satan had moved him to lie to the Holy Spirit about the sale (v. 3). Wasn’t the land theirs? Wasn’t the sale price theirs? Why did he do this? He lied to God, not man (v. 4). At these words, Ananias toppled over dead, and great fear descended on everyone who heard about it (v. 5). The young men carried him off (v. 6). Three hours later, Sapphira came in, not knowing anything about what had happened (v. 7). Peter asked her about the sale price (v. 8), and she confirmed the amount. Peter asked how it came about that they agreed together to tempt the Spirit (v. 9). He said the feet of the men who buried your husband are here for you now (v. 9). She fell down dead, and the same thing happened (v. 10). Fear descended on the church, and on everyone who heard about it (v. 11). The apostles were performing mighty signs, and they were all meeting with one accord in Solomon’s Portico (v. 12). They were feared, but respected (v. 13). Multitudes joined them, men and women both (v. 14). Things got to the point where the shadow of Peter passing by was powerful to heal (v. 15). A multitude of sick people from surrounding towns came to Jerusalem, along with those with demons, and all of them were healed (v. 16).         

THE FONT OF SIN

Peter asks about the origin of this sin in various ways. He first asks how it is that Satan “filled your heart” to do this (v. 2). But in the next verse, he attributes it to Ananias himself (v. 3). Why have you conceived this thing? And then in verse 9, talking with Sapphira, he says “ye have agreed together.” It is apparent that Satan’s working does not displace our own complicity in sin. Such things are not billiard balls.

ALL THINGS IN COMMON

Peter is very plain that the possession was theirs, and theirs to keep. There was no obligation to sell. This was not communism—there was nothing coercive about it. And once they sold and the money was in their hand, it was theirs to keep. The donations from the believers were not being strong-armed from them.

The fact that Jerusalem was doomed was unique, as was the fact that there were so many from out of town. But the spirit of koinonia-unity that these believers enjoyed was not a one-off thing. We see it elsewhere in the New Testament.

“For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack” (2 Cor. 8:12–15). 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD

It is important to note how the lie was directed. It was not a lie told to men (v. 4). Peter says plainly the that lie was told to the Holy Spirit (v. 3), and then in the next verse he says that the lie was told directly to God (v. 4). Hang on to this because it will help to clarify everything in a moment. But we should note in passing that to lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God. 

GREAT FEAR

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not a lack of generosity, but rather the lie. But more than this, it was the high-handedness and impudence of the lie. It was the context of the lie, and God’s response to their sin simply added a number of layers to that context. Great fear was already the context: “And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles” (Acts 2:43). 

Great fear came to everyone who heard about this (v. 5). Great fear came on the whole church (v. 11), and to everyone else who heard. The fear was so great that no one dared to join them (v. 13) . . . but then it says a bunch of people were joining them anyhow (v. 14)—multitudes, men and women both.

Now think about Achan back at the fall of Jericho. They had marched around the city repeatedly, then seven times in one day, and then they blew the trumpets, and the city walls collapsed. For a man to think that this was the moment for pilfering is a stupefying testament to the blinding power of sin. What do we have there? A doomed city. By furtively hiding a piece of the doomed city, they turned it into spoil. They attached themselves to the land that was devoted to destruction, and so they were the first inhabitants of Jerusalem to fall. The others were selling and letting go, and these two were “kind of” letting go . . . but reluctantly, the way Lot’s wife died looking back at her favorite shopping malls. Talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, who did Jesus say that Sapphira should have remembered? Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32). The lie revealed that they were trying to preserve a bit of the old world, doomed to destruction, carrying it around with them in their pocket.

But it cannot be. You cannot have the new world and the old world both. It must go one way or the other.    

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Introduction

 The God of all creation is, of necessity, the God of all history. It is not possible to separate the two, and any attempts to separate the two will only land us in chaos and confusion. God is God, and that is the end of it. This is how the early Christians thought and prayed, and this is something that we must learn from them.

 

The Text

“And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done . . .” (Acts 4:23–37).

 

Summary of the Text

So after they were threatened this way, Peter and John were released. They went back to their own people and reported everything (v. 23). When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voice to God (probably singing together) and glorified Him as the Creator of all (v. 24). The Creator is the one who spoke through David, saying “why did the heathen rage? the peoples imagine vanity? the kings resist? the rulers conspire?” (vv. 25-26; Ps. 2:1-2). How was that prophecy fulfilled? Against the anointed Lord Jesus, Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel had all conspired to do exactly what God had foreordained for them to do (vv. 27-28). And so, Lord, look at their threats and give your servants two things—boldness to preach, and power to heal in the name of Jesus (vv. 29-30). After they had prayed, the place was shaken, they were all filled with the Spirit, and they declared the Word with boldness (v. 31). The multitude of believers were of one heart and soul, and were not possessive; they held everything in common (v. 32). The apostles testified to the resurrection with great power, and great grace fell upon all of them (v. 33). No one lacked anything because those who had homes and lands sold them, and brought the money in (v. 34), and laid the money at the apostles’ feet so that distribution could be made to the needy (v 35). And Barnabas, who was well-named as a son of encouragement, a Levite from Cyprus, sold his land and brought the money in (v. 37).

Liquidating Assets in a Doomed City

Remember that the Spirit had been poured out when the population of Jerusalem was swollen with pilgrims due to the festival of Pentecost. No doubt many stayed over longer than they had budgeted for. Remember also that the gift of tongues was a harbinger of doom for the city, according to Isaiah, and that Jesus had predicted the destruction of the city. He had also predicted His own resurrection, and then He did it, which validated Him as the prophet Moses had predicted. He was the prophet that you must either believe or die.

We see here that the believers began selling both lands and houses (vv. 34-35), which was the obvious thing to do in the circumstances. This gave them the ability to establish a gigantic deacons’ fund, that would take care of everybody. This was mentioned earlier as well (Acts 2:44). We are introduced to Barnabas as someone who did this (vv. 36-37). As the story of Ananias and Sapphira in the next chapter revolves around this, we will discuss it more there.

Integrated Faith

The Jesus who predicted He would rise from the dead is the same Jesus who predicted that Jerusalem would be leveled. It is the same Jesus

The God who created the heavens and earth, and all in between is the God who inspired David to foretell the fact that the ruling elites would conspire against the Messiah. It is the same God.

We must repent of thinking in bits and pieces.

How They Got to the Conclusion

Any Christian who believes in creatio ex nihilo is a Calvinist in principle. And any Christian who does not believe in creation from nothing is . . . not really a Christian. Notice the reasoning of these early Christians: God created everything > God inspired David to predict what would happen > that is in fact what happened > which means that the enemies of God did exactly what He had foreordained to happen. The reality of creation is one of the premises.

The world is one screwed-up place, and who put it here? The Calvinist says He put it here this way on purpose. The Arminian says He put it here knowing what would happen if He did, which means that it was on purpose also, but with this last part whispered. The open theist says that He put it here knowing what might happen if He did so reckless, and so He closed His eyes with a gambler’s hope, and rolled the dice anyhow.

The Plainest of Statements

This point is made earlier in Acts as well. Jesus “being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). Notice two elements—determinate purpose of God, first, and wicked hands of men second. There is no contradiction. God foreordains evil actions without being Himself evil, and without turning us into puppets without moral agency.

And here it is stated again, plainly, and with no varnish. Who crucified Jesus? Did Herod sin? Yes (Luke 23:11). Did Pilate sin? Yes (John 19:11). Did the Gentiles sin? Yes (Luke 23:34). Did the Jews sin? Yes (Matt. 27:25). Not mentioned here, but did Judas sin? Yes (John 17:12). And did God foreordain absolutely every last detail of this murder that laid the foundation for your salvation and mine? Amen—“Whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done” (v. 28).

The short form is that if God does not know how to wield sin and evil to His own good and holy purposes, then it follows that God does not know how to save the likes of us.

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INTRODUCTION

The foundation of the Christian church was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and because His execution had been perpetrated by the authorities, this meant that Christianity was established in defiance of the established authorities. And once the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Lord’s disciples, this also meant that the Body of Christ took shape under exactly the same conditions.

 

THE TEXT

“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand . . .” (Acts 4:1–22).

 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Peter was preaching, but apparently other apostles were there speaking as well (v. 1). As they were doing so, the Temple authorities arrived (v. 1). They were greatly displeased over the fact that the Christians were teaching the people, and over the fact that they were proclaiming the resurrection through Jesus (v. 2). They arrested them (Peter and John), and put them in custody because it was evening by this point (v. 3). Remember that the whole thing had started in the afternoon. In the meantime, the number of men who were believers was now around 5,000, meaning that the number of Christians has approximately tripled since Pentecost (v 4). The next morning the Temple elites assembled, meaning the rulers, elders, scribes, and the extended family of the high priest (vv. 5-6). Peter and John were set down in the middle of them and asked by what power or name this miracle had been done (v. 7). Peter was filled with the Spirit and addressed the rulers and elders, saying that if they were asking about the healing of this crippled man, the miracle had been done by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, and whom God had resurrected (vv. 8-10). Notice the charge of murder again.

Peter then changes the subject from the crippled man to Jesus. The stone that was rejected by the builders—meaning the men Peter was speaking to—has been made the cornerstone, in fulfillment of Psalm 118:22 (v. 11). Salvation is to be found nowhere else, meaning there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved (v. 12). The elites could see that Peter and John were unpolished and uneducated, marking that they had been companions of Jesus (v. 13), and they marveled. The crippled man had been clinging to them the day before, and had also made a point of coming the next day to their trial. He was right there, and so the rulers could say nothing (v. 14). So they put Peter and John out of the room (v. 15), and conferred among themselves. They couldn’t deny the miracle, although the implication is that they would if they could (v. 16). The best plan they could come up with was to command Peter and John to shut up, which is what they then did (vv. 17-18). Peter and John replied that they did not accept these conditions, and invited their rulers to judge whether or not they should obey them, or obey God (vv. 19-20). At this the leaders blustered, but they really couldn’t do anything because everybody was glorifying God over the healing (v. 21). The healed man was over forty, and presumably had been begging at the Temple for a very long time (v. 22).

 

IF SOMEONE SHOULD COME BACK FROM THE DEAD

In vv. 5-6, we see that this corrupt operation was overseen by a very powerful crime family. Annas was the patriarch, and Caiaphas was his son-in-law, the one who had presided over the trial of Jesus. The Lord had been brought before Annas first (John 18), and then sent on to Caiaphas. It is worth noting that as part of this family Caiaphas had five brothers, who interestingly figure into this.

Right after the raising of Lazarus in John 11, the rulers convened a council in order to figure out what they should do with Jesus (John 11:47), and Caiaphas was there (John 11:49). Remember that Jesus had once told a parable about one Lazarus, the only parable that had a proper name in it (Luke 16:19ff). The antagonist in that parable is a rich man, one clothed in purple and fine linen—clothing that befits a high priest (Ex. 28:5). Moreover, this rich man down in Hades, when he is denied water, asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house, because he had five brothers. Abraham says that they all had Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. The rich man says “no, but that they would repent if someone were to rise from the dead.” And Abraham replies that if they wouldn’t respond to the Scriptures, then they wouldn’t be persuaded if someone rose from the dead either. All of this was pointed and prophetic. Jesus raised a man named Lazarus from the dead, and they responded by wanting to kill the miracle worker (John 11:51), not to mention killing the miracle (John 12:9-11). Kill Jesus and kill Lazarus. And then Jesus rose from the dead, and that wasn’t good enough for them either.

 

THE REJECTED STONE

Not only did Scripture prophesy that Jesus would be the cornerstone, but also that He would be the cornerstone that the official builders rejected. That was an essential part of the story of our salvation. That verse (Psalm 118:22) is quoted in the New Testament is quoted five times (Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7). It is a very big deal. This brings us back to Peter’s charge—whom you crucified.

 

NO OTHER NAME

A German historian named Ethelbert Stauffer recorded the fact that in the days of the Roman Empire, salvation was to be understood as the prerogative of Caesar. “Salvation is to be found in none other save Augustus, and there is no other name given to men in which they can be saved.” And this puts Peter’s proclamation in a bold new light. Not only did his message collide with the local rulers there in Judea, but Peter was also throwing down a challenge to the entire Roman world. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” We may also take it as something of a thesis statement for the entire book of Acts. Take for example the anecdote from Acts 9:33-35, where Peter heals a man with palsy—a man named Aeneas. That would be (for us) as though Peter had healed a man named George Washington.

It is not possible to preach the kingdom of God without preaching the name of His anointed Prince, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the fundamental Christian confession, which is that Jesus is Lord. It follows that Caesar never is, however much he wants it.

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