April 9, 2014: Acts Chapter 5

Thursday, May 8, 2008 - The Book of Acts Chapter 5

General comment; The early community founded in Jerusalem was organized in smaller house groups. This pattern would become the norm among the churches founded by Paul and those outside of Palestine which formed as a result of the Pentecost experience, one of which was in Rome. Luke's description of the Jerusalem community is representative of the early expectations that Jesus would be returning very soon. The assumed and relatively short interval of time until that event created an excitement which manifested itself in the strong fellowship and the sharing that Luke reports. There are scholars who question the validity of this image. Although there is certainly a degree of embellishment of details to be expected over a period of five decades before Luke writes the story, the essential details of a strongly cohesive community life continue to be evident as a model of not only the church's survival against great odds but also its growth. Later evidence seems to bear out Luke's general reliability as a reporter of life among the Jewish Christians of Jerusalem.

As we read the passages in which Peter speaks to the people and the authorities we do notice a minimal emphasis on Jesus' return. This lack probably reflects the waning expectation of that return by the end of the first century. Concerns of the delay were already being voiced in the church in Thessaloniki as early as 45 CE, fifteen years after Jesus' death. We see Luke's limited emphasis in the selections of Peter's addresses to the people on Pentecost (2:14-36), in the Temple precincts (3:11-26) and to the Council (4:8-12). What mention there is of the coming Age is vague with respect to time. It is presented as a "universal restoration." Until then the Messiah must remain in heaven (3:19-21).  We will read again of this concept restoration and transformation in Paul.

Acts Chapter 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira

If there was general and generous sharing of resources in Jerusalem there also was the occasional attempt to rationalize just how and what portion of one's assets one should offer (should we tithe on the gross or the net?). Lest we think this community was a model of Sir Thomas More's island in Utopia, Luke has provided an example of self-interest prevailing over community need. The details are sketchy so we must assume the couple had agreed to sell the land for the benefit of the community and had declared their intent. After receiving the money they had second thoughts and agreed to keep part of the proceeds for their own needs, a reasonable decision we might think. We also must keep in mind the Jewish tradition of Korban (Hebrew for "draw near"). Korban was a sacrificial gift brought to the priests of the Temple and, therefore, dedicated to God. Once dedicated, the item (ornament, animal or money) no longer belonged to the donor. To act otherwise would be an affront to God, a sin.

What follows is a strange succession of events involving two landowners: The honorable example of Barnabas who sells a field and brings all the proceeds to the Apostles is compared to that of Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias brings the money to the Apostles; Peter accuses him of deception, of lying to the Holy Spirit under the influence of Satan; he did not lie to the Apostles when he promised the gift but he lied to God. Ananias dies in terror, is carried out and buried. Ananias' wife Sapphira comes looking for her husband. She, too, is confronted by Peter. She admits to the price they received for the land. When Peter accuses her of complicity in her husband's deception, of putting the "Spirit of the Lord" to the test, she drops dead, is carried out and buried next to Ananias. The result in the community following each death was "great fear."
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In this story we will note there is no offering of the possibility of repentance and restoration to the community such as we my expect in a Christian environment. The point of the story is not forgiveness. It is an example of the human choice between two masters. In this case it is between two kingdoms, Satan's and God's. Ananias chose to act under the indwelling spirit of Satan rather than the Holy Spirit of God. Luke understood this choice as confronting all people. A story is told of Martin Luther in his struggle for righteousness. He writes that he felt like a jackass with both Satan and God competing to ride on him. Not a pretty image but the struggle is well put. We are faced with such choices every day of our lives and if we were not Christians the choices would be so much simpler. We could forget about ethics, moral behavior, language, use of our resources, the good of others and much more. But we are Christians and these are our choices. Luke's persistent drumbeat to the tune of the Holy Spirit is his reminder that we believe in a God who has something to say to the intricacies of our lives and how we live them. And the beat goes on.
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Acts Chapter 5:12-16 The Apostles Heal Many

This passage serves two purposes. The first is to demonstrate how the Apostles have become the effective successors of Jesus as prophetic workers of many "signs and wonders." This is evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as foretold by Joel and promised by Jesus. The result is as expected: many come to believe in Jesus; the sick and possessed are brought to them from within the city and from beyond for healing even by the touch of Peter's shadow; and the people hold the Apostles in high esteem.

The second purpose is as an introduction to the next round of persecution by the Sadducees who, for Luke, are the Apostles' primary antagonists in Jerusalem. The Apostles' deeds, the growing popularity among the people and the exponential increase in believers is now more than annoying.

Acts Chapter 5:17-42 Persecution

"Then the high priest took action" begins the second attempt by the religious authorities, specifically the Sadducees led by the High Priest, to deal with the cause of this rampant enthusiasm among the people. Out of what Luke classifies as an act of jealousy, the Apostles are put in prison (it would be reasonable to conclude that jealousy was an issue in the relationship between Church and Synagogue in Luke's time since the Church had been highly successful in "stealing" away many God fearer Gentiles who were attached to the Synagogues). Prison bars will be no hindrance to the work at hand. The doors are opened by a messenger from God and the Apostles are instructed to go back to the Temple and continue their work. In a scene reminiscent of an episode of the Keystone Kops, the prisoners are sent for but they are not there; the Police Captain fears getting stoned by the people if he goes to the Temple so he reports to the High Priest that they are in the Temple precincts; and the police trot out to re-arrest them, bringing them back to stand before what  has now become the entire membership of the council (Sanhedrin).

The High Priest has two concerns: the Apostles have disobeyed his order to cease their teaching in Jesus' name and they are trying to put the blame for Jesus' death on the Council's head (2:23, 3:15). Peter's response repeats the major points already emphasized. The Apostles' cannot stop teaching for it is by God's command that they teach. What God demands of them cannot be contravened by man. As to their guilt in Jesus' death, Peter refers to these central Gospel themes:

They had killed Jesus by "hanging him on a tree" (Deut. 21:22-23 making him cursed by God)
God raised Jesus up (resurrection)
God exalted Jesus at God's right hand (ascension/exaltation)
God made him leader and savior (author of life)
Jesus gives repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins (sends the Holy Spirit)
The Apostles are witnesses to these things (power of the Spirit)
The Holy Spirit is also a witness which God gives to believers (indwelling of the Spirit)

This is enough to enrage the assembly who are now ready to kill the Apostles. They are interrupted by the wise council of a noted Pharisee Gamaliel the Elder (died ca. 50 CE). He reminds the assembly of two previous religious movements that had failed and whose participants and leaders, who were false prophets/Messiahs, were killed. It is interesting that Luke uses the same term "rose up" for both examples and that both failed, perhaps an unstated conclusion on Gamaliel's part that this Jesus who "rose" up will also fail. His warning to the council is that they should ignore the Apostles. If their movement is of human origin then it will fail. If it is of God then the council will be found to have opposed the will of God and they will never be able to stop it. The advice is taken, the Apostles were flogged, ordered to speak no more (again) in the name of Jesus and released. The Apostles rejoice that they have been found worthy to share in Jesus' suffering and, true to their response to the Council, they continue to "teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah."
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1) The punishment Luke describes (flogging) would have been commonplace among Christians before his time as well as after, mostly at the hands of Roman officials. We know from Roman writers such as Suetonius (Lives of the Caesars 120 CE) and Tacitus (Annals 116 CE) and several of the early Church Fathers that there were more horrific punishments and deaths than anything Luke describes. We have no official numbers, and the extent of suffering is frequently exaggerated, but martyrdom was a reality that loomed large over every Christian of the first three centuries. No amount of suffering was able to stop the forward growth of the faith throughout the Empire and to every province no matter how remote. The witness of one's faith was often written in a life of slavery and in blood, one might wonder why so many would refuse to renounce their allegiance to this Nazorean carpenter. Were they superstitious, simple people? History does not bear out such a conclusion. Paul was an educated Hellenistic Jew, a learned Pharisee and well read in the Greek classics and Philosophies. Through every century since the time of Jesus men and women have laid down their lives on behalf of their faith, refusing on many occasions to simply deny Jesus and live. Thankfully, we do not live in circumstances that demand such a choice between life and death. However, there may be a myriad of lesser faith related events to which we will be called upon to respond. Living the Christian life is not one of living by the rules. It is living above and beyond the rules in response to a calling from beyond conventional thinking. Think about being ready to stand firm for what you believe. How long will you stand?

2) The event attributed to Theudas occurred between 44 to 46 CE, more than a decade after the setting described by Luke. The following is a quote from Josephus regarding Theudas.  "It came to pass, while Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain charlatan, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the Jordan river; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it. Many were deluded by his words. However, Fadus did not permit them to make any advantage of his wild attempt, but sent a troop of horsemen out against them. After falling upon them unexpectedly, they slew many of them, and took many of them alive. They also took Theudas alive, cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem." (Jewish Antiquities 20.97-98)

3) The event attributed to Judas the Galilean occurred in 6 CE, when Jesus was ten years old. Judas was the co-founder of the Jewish revolutionary sect called the Zealots whose banner read "No King but God." In 6 CE, in response to the census taken in Judea  by Quirinius for taxation purposes (see LK 2:1-2) Judas led a revolt against Rome, attacking the Roman garrison in Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee and not far south of Nazareth. Judas' forces were eventually destroyed by the Roman Army.