5:1ffIn Acts 5:1-8:3 we see both internal and external problems facing the early church. Inside, the church had dishonesty (5:1- 11), greed (5:3), and administrative headaches (6:1-7). Outside, the church was being pressured by persecution. While church leaders were careful and sensitive in dealing with the internal problems, they could not do much to prevent the external pressures. Through it all, the leaders kept their focus on what was most important—spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Life Application Study BibleActsChapter 5
Acts 5
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1824, 1825, 1826
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5Acts 5
1property. 2He brought part of the money to th? apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. 3Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fin) your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 47 he property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money wasi also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to Giga" 5As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the {f1oor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6Then some young men got up, Wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ®Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” 9And Peter said, “How could the two of you even thilyk of conspiring to test the Spirit of the LORD like this? The young men who buried your hulspand are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” 10Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the yCoung men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside hes husband. 11Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had h&appened.
The Apostles Heal Many
12'2The apostles were performing many miraculous sig%s and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Terfyple in the area known as Solomon's Colonnade. ‘But no one else dared to join them, even t!,ough all the people had high regard for them. 14Yet more and more people believed and welgre brought to the LORD—crowds of both men and women. ‘As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow mgight fall across some of them as he went by. 15Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil* spirits, and they were all healed.
in ing effectively. All lying is bad, but when we lie to try to deceive41 God and his people about our relationship with him, we destroy4 our testimony for Christ.33.5:41 Some read the account of Ananias and Sapphira being‘8 struck down and accuse God of being harsh. “I thought God4 was supposed to be loving and forgiving. I thought all that wratht stuff was for Old Testament times.” With an emphasis on gracein and mercy, it’s easy to overlook the equally important truth of“4 God’s holiness. We must remember that God has not changedN (Malachi 3:6). He still hates sin as much as he ever did. God’s!; judgment of Ananias and Sapphira produced shock and fearim among the believers, making them realize how seriously God® regards sin in the church.ft 5:14 What makes Christianity attractive? It is easy to be drawn®* to churches because of programs, good speakers, size, beautifulfacilities, or fellowship. People were attracted to the early church,© however, by expressions of God's power at work; the generosity,ak sincerity, honesty, and unity of the members; and the character"” of the leaders. Have our standards slipped? God wants to add® believers to his church, not just newer and better programs or3” larger and fancier facilities.5:15,
16People who passed within Peter’s shadow were healed,not by Peter's shadow, but by God’s power working through Peter.Mt What did these miraculous healings do for the early church?ir (1) They attracted new believers; (2) they confirmed the truth ofthe apostles’ teaching; and (3) they demonstrated that the power"of the Messiah, who had been crucified and risen, was now with© his followers.
The Apostles Meet Opposition
1717The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 9But an angel of the LORD came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20“Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” 21So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council*—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. 22But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, 23“The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!” 24When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. 25Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!” 26The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them. 2? Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. 28“Didn’t we tell you never again to teach in this man’s name?” he demanded. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!” 29But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.* 3Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.” 33When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them. 4But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while. 35Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men! 36Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing. 37After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered.. 38’So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” 40The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered ther never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. 41The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.* 42And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”
Textual footnotes
- 5:16 Greek unclean.
- 5:21 Greek Sanhedrin; also in 5:27, 41.
- 5:41 Greek for the name.
Life Application Notes 11 notes
5:3Even after the Holy Spirit had come, the believers were not immune to Satan’s temptations. Although Satan was defeated by Christ at the cross, he was still actively trying to make the believers stumble—as he does today (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s overthrow is inevitable, but it will not occur until the last days, when Christ returns to judge the worid (Revelation 20:10).
5:3ffThe sin Ananias and Sapphira committed was not stinginess or holding back part of the money—it was their choice whether or not to sell the land and how much to give. Their sin was lying to God and God’s people, saying they gave the whole amount but holding back some for themselves and trying to make themselves appear more generous than they really were. This act was judged harshly because dishonesty, greed, and covetousness are destructive in a church, preventing the Holy Spirit from work-
5:17,18The apostles experienced power to do miracles, great boldness in preaching, and God’s presence in their lives; yet they were not free from hatred and persecution. They were arrested, put in jail, beaten, and standered by community leaders. Faith in God does not make troubles disappear; it makes troubles appear fess frightening because it puts them in the right perspective. Don't expect everyone to react favorably when you share something as dynamic as your faith in Christ. Some will be jealous, afraid, or threatened. Expect some negative reactions, and remember that you must be more concerned about serving God than about the reactions of people (see 5:29).
5:19The angel of the LORD gave the apostles a command that, when followed, would lead to a brutal flogging (5:40). If that strikes you as odd, it is probably because of the prevailing idea among many believers that obedience inevitably leads to blessing (defined as “a problem-free, blissful existence”). Serious students of the Bible know, however, that obeying God often results in pain and suffering. They also recognize that being persecuted for Christ is a deeper kind of blessing. What biblical commands, if obeyed, might result in discomfort for you today? Will you commit to live them out anyway?
5:21Suppose someone threatened to kill you if you didn't stop talking about God. You might be tempted to keep quiet. But after being threatened by powerful leaders, arrested, jailed, and miraculously released, the apostles went back to preaching. This was nothing less than God’s power working through them (4:13)! When we are convinced of the truth of Christ's resurrection and have experienced the presence and power of his Holy Spirit, we will also have the confidence to speak out for Christ.
5:21The Temple at daybreak was a busy place. Many people stopped at the Temple to pray and worship at sunrise. The apostles were already there, ready to tell them the Good News of new life in
5:39Gamaliel presented some sound advice about reacting to religious movements. Unless adherents in these groups endorse obviously dangerous doctrines or practices, it is often wiser to be tolerant rather than repressive. Sometimes only time.will tell if they are presenting merely human ideas or if God is trying to say something through them. The next time a group promotes differing religious ideas, consider Gamaliel's advice, just in case you “find yourselves fighting against God.”
5:40-42Peter and John had been warned repeatedly not to preach, but they continued in spite of the threats. We, too, should live as Christ has asked us to, sharing our faith no matter what the cost. We may not be beaten or thrown in jail, but we may be ridiculed, ostracized, or slandered. To what extent are you willing to suffer for the sake of sharing the Good News with others?
5:41Have you ever thought of persecution as a blessing, as something worth rejoicing about? This beating suffered by Peter and John was the first time any of the apostles had been physically abused for their faith. These men knew how Jesus had suffered, and they praised God that he had allowed them to be persecuted like their LORD. if you are mocked or persecuted for your faith, it isn’t because you’re doing something wrong but because God has counted you “worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.”
5:42Home Bible studies are not new. As the believers needed to grow in their new faith, home Bible studies met their needs, as well as serving as a means to introduce new people to the Christian faith. During later times of persecution, meeting in homes became the primary method of passing on Bible knowledge. Christians throughout the world still use this approach when under persecution and as a way to build up believers.
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Study feature · page 1825
5:30 Greek on a tree.
Jesus Christ. Also at daybreak, the 70 men of the high council (also called the Sanhedrin) were gathering, preparing to question the apostles. This was going to be no small trial. The religious leaders would do anything to stop these apostles from challenging their authority, threatening their secure position, and exposing their hypocritical motives to the people. 5:29 The apostles knew their priorities. While we should try to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18), conflict with the world and its authorities is sometimes inevitable for a Christian (John 15:18). There wilt be situations where you cannot obey both God and people. Then you must obey God and trust his Word. Let Jesus’ words in Luke 6:22 encourage you: “What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.” 5:34 The Pharisees were the other major party in the Jewish high council with the Sadducees (5:17). The Pharisees were the strict keepers of the law—not only God’s law but hundreds of other rules they had added to God’s law. They were careful about outward purity, but many had hearts full of impure motives. Jesus confronted the Pharisees often during his ministry on earth. Oddly enough, a Pharisee named Gamaliel became an unexpected ally for the apostles, although he probably did not support their teachings. He was a distinguished member of the high council and a teacher. While Gamaliel may have saved the apostles’ lives, his real intentions probably were to prevent a division in the council and to avoid arousing the Romans. The apostles were popular among the people, and killing them might start a riot. Gamaliel’s advice to the council gave the apostles some breathing room to continue their work. The council decided to wait, hoping that this would all fade away harmlessly. They couldn't have been more wrong. Ironically, Paul, later one of the greatest apostles, had been one of Gamaliel’s students (22:3).
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