Acts 5: Shock Waves

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

The disciples, newly empowered with the Holy Spirit, start acting, well, like Jesus. They go to the temple and preach sermons; they heal the sick and meet the needs of the poor. Meanwhile, the new church grows by leaps and bounds.

An honest account, Acts tells of problems that spring up alongside the successes. As the church becomes popular, sorcerers and magicians drop in, drawn by the reports of healings and other wonders. Wealthy people, like Ananias and Sapphira, see the church as a place to attract applause for their benevolence. Such opportunistics learn that the apostles, not to mention God, will not tolerate corruption in the fledgling church.

The focus of concern soon shifts from internal problems to outside opposition. The same forces that conspired against Jesus now align themselves against the new phenomenon of the church. Every so often they haul in the church's leaders, but for what can they prosecute them- healing the sick? Inciting people to praise God? The Christians hardly resemble dangerous conspirators. They usually meet openly on the temple porch.

Even so, religious leaders beat and jail the apostles on trumped-up charges. What happens next should show the establishment what they are up against: The apostles respond to the beatings with praise to God for the privilege of suffering in his name, and an angel of the Lord springs them free from jail. Gamaliel, a wise old Pharisee, has perhaps the best advice of all: "Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will bot be able to stop these men" (verses 38-39). He could not have been more prophetic.

Reflection

Each time that I read this chapter, I can't help but question whether this punishment wasn't a bit harsh. Certainly, it would appear that other Biblical characters committed crimes that most folks would deem worse than that of Ananias and Sapphira. Yet, as Peter makes clear, Ananias and Sapphira were punished not for holding back money but for lying about it. They were misrepresenting themselves spiritually, trying to appear especially pious and generous. At the very beginning of the church, God set a stern standard of absolute honesty and integrity.