‘But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being associated with him in it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.' If we find this narrative a little offputting we must first recognise the gros... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?' But what was his surprise when Peter, instead of revealing a face full of admiration and gratitude, looked sternly at him and informed him that what he was doing wa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘While it remained, did it not remain your own? and after it was sold, was it not in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.' Peter made the position quite clear. What he had done had not been necessary. It was not as though the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the life within him: and great fear came on all who heard it.' The recognition that he had been exposed was too much for Ananias. His heart gave way and he breathed his last. He fell down dead before them all. If he had a weak heart the situati... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the young men arose and wrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him.' The young men then came forward, wrapped his body in a shroud, and took it away and buried it. In the hot weather of the Middle East quick burial was advisable, but in Jerusalem, the holy city it was essential... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.' Some time later (‘three hours' could mean anything from a little over an hour upwards for a part of an hour would count as an hour) his wife ‘came in', probably to the porticoes of the Temple, tota... [ Continue Reading ]
And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” ' Peter then asked her as to whether the land had been sold at the price stated. Perhaps he even held out the money that had been handed over to show her. She was to be given the chance to rep... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” ' Then Peter challenged her as to how she and her husband could have thought of testing the Spirit of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And she fell down immediately at his feet, and gave up her breath, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.' Thus Sapphira too fell dead, and the young men came in and took her body and buried her with her husband. They would meet God to... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And great fear came on the whole church, and on all who heard these things.' Meanwhile the news of what had happened spread around, and the whole church were filled with awe and with the recognition that they must not treat God lightly, and many unbelievers heard, and they were made to think agai... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.' The Apostles continued to gather in Solomon's porch to teach, and there they performed many signs and wonders. God was working through them with signs follo... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KINGLY RULE OF GOD IS REVEALED AS PRESENT IN GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS (5:12-16). What followed from Satan's failure to cut at the root of the revival through Ananias and Sapphira, was an expansion of the revival. Satan had been rooted out and the Holy Spirit had full rein. It was a demonstration... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But of the rest no man dared join himself to them: but however that might be the people magnified them.' ‘The rest' probably means those who did not require healing, and were not recognised believers. They were in awe because of what had happened and held back from approaching the Apostles. They d... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, insomuch that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that, as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some one of them.' And the result was that more and mor... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there also came together the multitudes from the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folk, and those who were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed every one.' And people thronged into Jerusalem from cities round about, bringing their sick, and bringing those who were posses... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy, and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public ward.' Once again it was the Sadducees as a party, led by the High Priest, who initiated the action, for much... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SECOND ARREST. THE KINGLY RULE OF GOD IS REVEALED BY THE OPENING OF PRISON DOORS (5:17-24). In view of the fact that the Apostles were openly defying the stricture of the previous council, and were doing so with such obvious success, it could only be riling to the authorities, unless they were... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said, “Go all of you, and take your stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this Life.” ' But that night the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and commanded them... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and were teaching (or ‘began to teach'). But the high priest came, and those who were with him, and called the council together, and the whole board (senate) of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison-house to have them b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned, and told, saying, “The prison-house we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing at the doors, but when we had opened, we found no man inside.” ' For when the officers had arrived at the prison house they had no... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them as to how far this would grow.' The news came through to the captain and the chief priests, who were seemingly not sitting at this point in the tribunal, or at least were sitting ap... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there came one and told them, “Behold, the men whom you put in the prison are in the temple standing and teaching the people.” ' To their chagrin someone arrived hotfoot to report that news had come from the Temple that the prisoners were again free and preaching in the Temple courtyards. The... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then the captain went with the officers, and brought them, but without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.' The Temple captain clearly recognised the ticklish job the arrest party were going to have, and himself went along with the arresting party, for he realised tha... [ Continue Reading ]
THE THIRD ARREST AND SECOND APPEARANCE BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN (5:26-40). Having previously receive their official warning not to preach in the name of Jesus the second appearance before the tribunal was always going to be traumatic. Now the court could sentence them without mercy. We should note here... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name: and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” ' The Apostles having been brought... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.” ' The reply of all the Apostles took up from how Peter and John had finished their defence in the last hearing, where they had pointed out to the court that it was surely their duty to declare the things that they had... [ Continue Reading ]
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew, hanging him on a tree.” He points out that they themselves (the Apostles) had been preaching nothing but the truth. As all knew it was due to the efforts of the Sanhedrin that He had been slain and hung on a tree. Thus the Sanhedrin had disgra... [ Continue Reading ]
“Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.” And God had then exalted Him to His own right hand to be an Archegon (Trek-leader) and Saviour to His people, so as to give them repentance and remission of sins. The ‘exaltati... [ Continue Reading ]
“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to them that obey him.” Then he asserts that the Apostles were witnesses of all this, but that there is an even greater witness, and that is the Holy Spirit Who has come from heaven at Jesus' command, and has been... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and minded to slay them.' The result of Peter's words was anguish and fury. They were ‘cut to the heart', with that strange mixture of guilt and anger that takes hold of men when they are closing their minds to the truth, and are unwilling to... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But there stood up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, held in honour by all the people, and commanded to put the men forth a little while.' So wiser heads prevailed. Gamaliel a leading Pharisee and Doctor of the Law, a man of high reputation commanded that the men... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “You men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these men, what you are about to do.” ' Thus he suggested that a little wisdom was needed here. He was clearly unsure in himself whether these men were of God or not, but appeared possibly to be leaning in their favour. S... [ Continue Reading ]
“For before these days rose up Theudas, giving himself out to be somebody, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves, who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the enrolment, and drew... [ Continue Reading ]
“And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone, for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply you be found even to be fighting against God.” So Gamaliel advised that the men be left alone... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And to him they agreed, and when they had called the apostles to them, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.' His wiser counsels prevailed and the Sanhedrin agreed that that was what they would do. The chief priests were overruled. But in order to ensu... [ Continue Reading ]
THE APOSTLES' RESPONSE (5:41-42). ‘They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the Name.' The Apostles' response was a worthy one. They rejoiced over the fact that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the Name... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And every day, in the temple and at home, they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ (Messiah).' The final consequence was that the message was now proclaimed unhindered. Wherever they went, both publicly in the Temple, and more privately at home, they did not cease teaching that J... [ Continue Reading ]