Acts 5:1-42

Good News for Everyone

Acts

Marion Adams

Chapter 5

Ananias and Sapphira, 5:1-11

v1 But there was a man whose name was Ananias. He and his wife, Sapphira, sold a building and some land. The building and land had belonged to them. v2 Ananias kept some of the money for himself. His wife knew everything that he had done. He gave to the *apostles the money that remained.

v3 Then Peter said to him, ‘Ananias, you should not have let *Satan control you. He has forced you to lie to the *Holy Spirit. You have kept some of the money that you received for this land! v4 Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And, after you sold it, the money belonged to you. You should not have decided to do this thing. You have not lied to people. You have lied to God!’ v5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down. He died. Everyone who heard about this was very afraid. v6 The young men came in and they wrapped up his body. They carried him out and they buried him.

Verses 1-5 The story about Ananias and Sapphira is strange. It is not easy for us to understand what happened. But it is a very important story. Luke might have decided not to write it. Later, people might have decided not to keep it in the Bible. But what is in the Bible is always the truth. *Christians are not perfect! Some Christians can do very bad things. Even in the first *church, there were *Christians who were not honest.

Like Barnabas, Ananias and Sapphira sold their land for money. But Barnabas had given all the money to the *apostles. Ananias brought only some of the money to them. But that was not the problem. As Peter said, the money belonged to Ananias and Sapphira. The *Greek word for ‘kept’ here can also mean ‘stole’. Perhaps, before they sold the land, they had agreed to give all the money.

But they had also lied. They did not give all the money to help the poor people. Instead, they wanted to seem generous. Nobody forced them to sell their land. It belonged to them. They did not need to lie. But Ananias had let *Satan tell him what to do. He had promised to give all the money to God. Because he did not do this, he had lied to the *Holy Spirit. The *Holy Spirit is God. So, he had lied to God.

Ananias knew that he had done a very wicked thing. Sometimes, people just pretend to be good. They do this so that they look important. God hates this. Jesus talked about this many times. (For example, look at Luke 6:42; Luke 12:1; Luke 12:56; Luke 13:15.) When Ananias died, everyone was afraid. They buried him immediately.

v7 About three hours later, his wife came in. She did not know what had happened. v8 Peter asked her, ‘Tell me. Was that all the money that you and Ananias received for the land?’

‘Yes’, she said, ‘that was all the money.’

v9 Peter said to her, ‘You both should not have decided to tempt the *Lord’s *Spirit. Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out also.’

v10 Immediately, she fell down at his feet and she died. The young men came in. They saw that she was dead. So, they carried her out and they buried her next to her husband. v11 Everyone in the *church was very afraid. And all who heard about this were very afraid.

Verses 7-11 Peter gave to Sapphira a chance to tell the truth. He asked her how much money she and Ananias had received for the land. But she lied. Ananias had lied. In this way, they had tried to ‘tempt’ the *Lord’s *Spirit. We are not sure what Peter meant by this. Perhaps they were ‘tempting’ God not to punish them for their lies. Like Ananias, Sapphira fell down and she died. Again, everyone was very afraid.

Some students think that Peter was too unkind. They think that Jesus would not have spoken to Ananias and Sapphira like this. The *church had only just started. In verse 11, Luke uses the *Greek word for ‘*church’ (ekklesia). This is the first time that he uses it in Acts. *Christians needed to trust each other. If they did not do this, maybe the *church could not continue. *Satan was trying to destroy the *church. Already, the *believers had enemies who were attacking them from outside the *church. But now, *Satan was working by means of their own members.

God hates lies. He wants his *church to be pure (with nothing bad in it). Peter knew this. The *church was in danger if *believers were not honest. He gave to both Ananias and Sapphira a chance to *repent. But they did not *repent. So, by his words, Peter showed that this was a very serious thing. He showed it to everyone. It is very important to be honest always.

The *apostles cure many people, 5:12-16

v12 The *apostles did many *miracles among the people. They did many wonderful things among the people. All the *believers met together in Solomon’s *Porch. v13 Nobody outside the group dared to join their group. But people said good things about them. v14 More and more people believed in the *Lord. Lots of men and women joined the group of *believers. v15 People carried those who were ill into the streets. This was because of what the *apostles were doing. They put the ill people on beds and mats. So, when Peter came by, even his shadow might come onto some ill people. v16 A large crowd also gathered from the towns near *Jerusalem. They brought people who were ill. And they brought people who had evil *spirits in them. All those people became well.

Verses 12-14 The *believers were meeting in the place where the *Sanhedrin had arrested Peter. The *apostles’ message was more than just words. It included actions too. *Miracles were happening.

People did two different things because of these *miracles. Some people did not want to mix with the *believers. They kept away from the *believers. Those people were afraid. Perhaps they had also heard what had happened to Ananias and Sapphira. But those people respected the *believers. However, many other people joined the *church.

It is often like that today. Some people do not want to go to *church. They do not want to mix with *Christians. But they are not the *church’s enemies. Sometimes, they are afraid. They do not want their lives to change. Perhaps they do not realise that their lives could be so much better! Other people are bolder. They are not afraid to give their lives to the *Lord. When they have done this, they have his joy. And they are quiet inside themselves. Then they see the wonderful things that he can do.

Verse 15 In his *Gospel, Luke told how a sick woman touched Jesus’ clothes. Immediately, she got well. Jesus said that her *faith had cured her (Luke 8:48). The *apostles were continuing Jesus’ work. People believed that God would cure them, even by means of Peter’s shadow. Like the sick woman, they had *faith in Jesus’ power.

Verse 16 People from outside *Jerusalem heard about the *miracles. They brought people who needed help. Some people were ill. Other people had evil *spirits in them. They all became well. God showed his power to cure people’s bodies and minds. He also showed his power to free them from evil *spirits. Whatever is wrong with us, God can make us well.

The *apostles in prison again, 5:17-21a

v17 Then the *high priest became angry. And all those men who were with him (the local group of *Sadducees) became angry. The *high priest and the *Sadducees were very jealous. v18 They arrested the *apostles and they put them in the public prison. v19 But that night, an *angel of the *Lord opened the prison doors. The *angel led the *apostles out. He said to them, v20 ‘Go. Stand in the *Temple and tell the people everything about this new life!’

v21a When the *apostles heard this, they went into the *Temple. They went there at dawn and they began to teach the people.

Verses 17-18 The *high priest and the *Sadducees were angry for several reasons. They had told the *apostles not to speak in Jesus’ name any more. But the *apostles had not obeyed them. The *Sadducees did not like the *apostles’ message about Jesus’ *resurrection. Also, they were jealous because the people liked the *apostles. Large crowds came to see the *apostles. So, this time, the *Sadducees arrested all the *apostles. They did not arrest only Peter and John.

Verses 19-21a But God helped the *apostles to escape. He sent an *angel to open the prison doors. The *Greek word for ‘*angel’ (aggelos) means someone who brings a message. This *angel told them to go back to the *Temple. They had to *preach there again. The *apostles obeyed immediately. They were very brave. They knew that this was a dangerous thing to do. It was dangerous because the *Sadducees would probably put them into prison again. But they knew that they must obey God.

‘This new life’ (verse 20) means the new life that only Jesus can give to us. We can have this new life if we believe in him.

*Jewish leaders search for the *apostles, 5:21b-26

v21b The *high priest and those who were with him came. They called together the *Sanhedrin. And they called together all the *Jewish leaders, too. Then they sent officers to the prison to fetch the *apostles. v22 But when the officers arrived, they did not find the *apostles in the prison. They returned and they reported this. v23 ‘When we arrived at the prison, there were strong locks on the doors. And the guards were standing by the doors. But when we opened them, we found nobody inside!’ v24 The captain of the guards that guarded the *Temple did not understand. He did not understand what had happened. Neither did the chief priests understand. They thought about what might happen next.

v25 Then a man arrived. He said, ‘Look! The men that you put into prison are standing in the *Temple. And they are teaching the people.’

v26 So, the officer went with his men and they fetched the *apostles. The officer and his men did not use force. They were afraid that the people might try to kill the officer and his men with stones. That is why they did not use force.

Verses 21b-24 Everyone expected that the *apostles would be in the prison. The doors were not open. The guards had not seen anyone go. The *apostles’ escape was a surprise. The men in the *Sanhedrin were worried. And they did not understand how the *apostles could have escaped.

Verses 25-26 The *apostles were not hiding. They were in the *Temple again! They were teaching the people. So, the officer and his men arrested them again. But the officer and his men were afraid of the crowd. They did not want to make the people angry. So, they were polite to the *apostles and they did not hurt them. They did not use that method to make them come.

The *apostles answer the *high priest, 5:27-32

v27 So, they brought the *apostles in. And they made them stand in front of the *Sanhedrin. The *high priest asked them questions.

v28 ‘We gave you a definite order. We said that you must not teach in this man’s name’, he said. ‘But look what you have done! You have filled *Jerusalem with what you are teaching. You want to blame us for this man’s death!’

v29 Peter and the *apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than people. v30 It was our fathers’ God who raised Jesus from death. After you had killed Jesus on a wooden *cross, our fathers’ God raised him.

v31 God has put this man (Jesus) up in a high position. He has put Jesus at his right side, so that Jesus is Ruler and *Saviour. So, the people in *Israel had the chance to *repent. God could forgive them, if they let him do it. v32 We are witnesses that these things are true. The *Holy Spirit is a witness, too. God gives the *Holy Spirit to those who obey him.’

Verses 27-28 The men in the *Sanhedrin did not want people to hear about Jesus. The *apostles were spreading the good news. The *Sanhedrin could not stop them. However, the *Sanhedrin did not want the *Romans to know that. The *Romans let the *Sanhedrin rule over their own people (the *Jews). But the *Romans might not allow this to continue because the *Sanhedrin could not control the people. The *Sanhedrin could not stop the good news about Jesus’ *resurrection. All the people in *Jerusalem knew about it.

The *high priest said ‘in this man’s name’. Because he did not want to say the name ‘Jesus’, he called him ‘this man’. Perhaps he knew that the *Sanhedrin really caused Jesus’ death. Perhaps he felt guilty. Some people today do not like to say the name ‘Jesus’. But *Christians should be happy to say it. And they should be proud to say it. It is the most beautiful name.

Verse 29 Peter spoke for the whole group. They were only doing what God had told them. Sometimes, when we obey God, people do not like it. We must not worry about this. We must always obey God.

Verses 30-32 Again, Peter repeated the message that the *apostles were *preaching. It had 5 parts.

1. God had sent Jesus. God was ‘our fathers’ God’. ‘Our fathers’ were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They had started the nation called *Israel.

2. The *Jewish leaders had killed Jesus, the person whom God had sent.

3. God had put Jesus up in a high position, so that Jesus was now sitting at God’s right side. Jesus was now Ruler and *Saviour.

4. Now, people would have to *repent. If they did that, God would forgive them. That was because of what Jesus had done.

5. The *apostles knew that this message was true. They had to tell it to everyone. People would have to believe the message and they would have to *repent. Then they would receive the *Holy Spirit.

Gamaliel’s advice, 5:33-39

v33 When the men in the *Sanhedrin heard this, they were very angry. They wanted to kill the *apostles. v34 But Gamaliel stood up. He was a member in the *Sanhedrin and he was a *Pharisee. He was a teacher who taught the *Jewish *Law. The people respected him very much. He ordered people to take the *apostles outside. v35 Then he said this to the *Sanhedrin: ‘Men in *Israel, be careful about what you do to these men. v36 You remember Theudas. Some time ago, he pretended to be someone important. About 400 men joined his group. But people killed him and all his men went away to different places. v37 After that, Judas from *Galilee came. This was at the time when people made the *census. He persuaded a crowd to join his group. But people killed him, too. And all his men went away to different places.

v38 So, now, I tell you this. Do not do anything to these men. Let them go free. If their plans and actions come from human ideas, it will all disappear. v39 But if it comes from God, it will not disappear. You might realise that you are fighting against God.’

Verse 33 The *Sadducees were very angry. They thought that they knew everything about the *Jewish religion. But Peter said that they had made a bad mistake. They had not recognised the *Messiah. And there was something worse than that. They had killed him. Now they wanted to kill the *apostles. But there were also some *Pharisees in the *Sanhedrin. *Pharisees were experts who knew the *Jewish *Law well. The people respected the *Pharisees more than they respected the *Sadducees. So, the *Sadducees had to listen to the *Pharisees. Then the men in the whole *Sanhedrin could decide what to do.

Verses 34-39 Gamaliel was a very important *Pharisee and he was a famous teacher. He taught Paul (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel was a sensible man and he was a clever man. The *apostles went outside. So, then Gamaliel could talk to the *Sanhedrin in private.

Gamaliel talked about two examples to explain his opinion. He talked about two men. These men said that they were important leaders. One man lived ‘at the time when people made the *census’. The *census was a list that contained all the people’s names. The *Romans made it. Then they could force the people to pay tax to the government. The people hated this. Many men led the *Jews in order to fight against the *Romans. Theudas and ‘Judas from *Galilee’ were *Jews like that. But both Theudas and Judas were dead. Nobody remained in their groups. The same thing would happen to the *apostles if their message was not from God. But if it was from God, the men in the *Sanhedrin could not stop them. If the *Sanhedrin did try to stop the *apostles, its members would be fighting against God!

The *Pharisees believed that God controlled everything. But they also believed that people had a choice. People could choose what they did.

The *apostles suffer for Jesus’ name, 5:40-42

v40 Gamaliel persuaded the other men in the *Sanhedrin that he was right. They brought the *apostles in. They ordered people to whip the *apostles. Then they told the *apostles not to speak in Jesus’ name again. Then they let the *apostles go.

v41 The *apostles went away from the *Sanhedrin. They were happy. God had chosen them to suffer shame because of Jesus’ name. v42 Every day, they continued to teach. They taught in the *Temple and they taught in people’s homes. They *preached the good news that Jesus is the *Messiah.

Verses 40-41 The *Sadducees agreed with Gamaliel. They let the *apostles go. But first, they punished the *apostles. As their punishment, someone probably hit the *apostles 39 times with a whip. (Look at Deuteronomy 25:3.) Afterwards, they were not sad and afraid. They were happy! Their bodies hurt, but in their *spirits they had great joy. They knew that God was *blessing them. They would have a great reward in heaven. Jesus had said this (in Matthew 5:10-12 and Luke 6:22-23).

Verse 42 The *Sanhedrin had tried to stop the *apostles. But they could not stop them. Since then, many people have tried to destroy the *church. But they could not destroy it. Today, more people than ever before are suffering because they are *Christians. But the *church continues to grow in numbers.

*Satan will always attack the *church. But Jesus has defeated *Satan already, on the *cross. *Christians must not be worried and they must not be afraid. The *church will continue. Nothing can destroy it.

apostle ~ a man that God chose to lead other Christians; a man that God chose to teach about Jesus; one of the 12 men that Jesus chose to be his helpers.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Satan ~ the name for the worst spirit among the evil spirits, who are against God. He has another name, which is the Devil. He is God’s enemy.
spirit ~ a person’s spirit is the part in them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after his or her body is dead. There are good spirits. Those include God’s Spirit and his angels. There are also evil spirits. These include Satan and his angels.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Greek ~ the language that the people from Greece spoke; the language in which authors wrote the New Testament; a person from Greece.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible; the name means that he is above all other things; a name that we use for Jesus when we obey him; someone with authority.
spirit ~ a person’s spirit is the part in them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after his or her body is dead. There are good spirits. Those include God’s Spirit and his angels. There are also evil spirits. These include Satan and his angels.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
Satan ~ the name for the worst spirit among the evil spirits, who are against God. He has another name, which is the Devil. He is God’s enemy.
believer ~ a person who knows *Christ and accepts him.
repent ~ to stop doing sin and then to obey God; to change from past evil behaviour; to let one’s mind change, so that one stops doing wrong things.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power; a wonderful thing that happens.
porch ~ an entrance to a building. This entrance has a roof.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
spirit ~ a person’s spirit is the part in them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after his or her body is dead. There are good spirits. Those include God’s Spirit and his angels. There are also evil spirits. These include Satan and his angels.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
Satan ~ the name for the worst spirit among the evil spirits, who are against God. He has another name, which is the Devil. He is God’s enemy.
Sanhedrin ~ a special group in Israel that met together to be judges over the people. The priests’ leaders were in it. The important Jews were also in it. And the men that taught about the Law were in it. The high priest led the group.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.

high priest ~ the most important priest in the Jewish Temple.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power; a wonderful thing that happens.
Gospel ~ a book at the beginning of the New Testament. There are 4 Gospels. They are called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
gospel ~ the good news about Jesus; the message that Jesus came to save us.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
save ~ to rescue from sin’s result.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
faith ~ when someone believes in someone or something; when someone is really sure about God and Jesus his Son; ‘the faith’ means the things that Christians say are true about Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.

'high priest ~ the most important priest in the Jewish Temple.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Sadducees ~ a certain group of Jews that did not believe in heaven and resurrection. This group was important when Jesus lived on earth. They used only the 5 books at the beginning of the Old Testament.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
resurrection ~ when someone comes back to life after death; when someone rises from death to life.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
resurrection ~ when someone comes back to life after death; when someone rises from death to life.
preach ~ to tell the good news about Jesus to a person or people; and to explain it to them.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together. They fix one piece across the other piece. The Romans fixed people to a cross to kill them. Jesus died on a cross.
Roman ~ a person from Rome; a word that describes someone from Rome; or it describes something from Rome. The Roman soldiers fought against people in many countries. And they defeated them. They made the people obey the rules that officials in Rome made. They made the people pay taxes to Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
saviour ~ Jesus, the person who saves us; the person who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done; someone who saves us from the bad things that other people have done to us.
save ~ to rescue from sin’s result.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Roman ~ a person from Rome; a word that describes someone from Rome; or it describes something from Rome. The Roman soldiers fought against people in many countries. And they defeated them. They made the people obey the rules that officials in Rome made. They made the people pay taxes to Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Pharisee ~ a member in a certain group of Jews. These Jews thought that they obeyed all God’s rules. They did not like the things that Jesus taught. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. So, they became very proud.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Galilee ~ a region in northern Israel, where Jesus and some disciples lived; a lake in that region.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
census ~ when someone counts people for official reasons.
Messiah ~ in the Old Testament, the anointed king; in the New Testament, Jesus. It means the same as *Christ.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil. This shows that God has chosen him or her.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
blessing ~ a good thing that God does for us.