Act 5:1 ¶ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his
wife, sold a possession,
COMMENT: What they sold, we do not know here.
Act 5:2 And kept back [part] of the price, his wife also
being privy [to it], and brought a certain part, and laid
[it] at the apostles' feet.
COMMENT: This was a devious act, for by it
they intended to deceive the Apostles into trusting them; while
they possessed funds the others in the commonwealth of the Church
did not possess. This would have given them an unfair advantage
materially. It also allowed them an exit financially were they
to decide against remaining in the movement.
Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine
heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the
price of the land?
COMMENT: But the Word of the Lord spoken by
Saint Peter focused only on the lie while revealing to Ananias
that the Apostle knew of the deception by means of revelation
knowledge from the Lord. Peter went on to say:
Act 5:4 While it remained, was it not your own? and after
it was sold, was it not in your own power? why have you
conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied
unto men, but unto God.
COMMENT: Saint Peter's explanation is deep
theologically.
He does not say to Ananias, "You lied to a little god," but to God.
Yet we know Peter does not intend for us to understand he is God.
We do understand that God was speaking through Peter the Apostle,
and with God speaking through Peter; it is reasonable to believe
God was hearing through Saint Peter's ears. We are counselled to not
look upon the appearance of things, but to see things through
spiritual eyes. So the Light working in Saint Peter was God to
reveal all this to Ananias, and the judgment that fell was from
God.
Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave
up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard
these things.
COMMENT: Ananias had no chance to say another
word, but fell to the floor and took his last gasp as his spirit
departed from his body. His death caused GREAT FEAR on all who
heard these things.
Act 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him]
out, and buried [him].
COMMENT: They apparently had much more
freedom to bury their dead in those days, so Ananias was buried
right away.
Act 5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when
his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
COMMENT: Somehow word did not reach his wife
that he was dead as she came in to what was probably communal
living.
Act 5:8 And Peter answered unto her, "Tell me whether you sold
the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
COMMENT: Peter immediately got to
the point. Once Sapphira's guilt was established, he reproved
her of having agreed "to tempt the Spirit of the Lord."
Act 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that you
have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?
behold, the feet of them which have buried your husband [are]
at the door, and shall carry you out.
COMMENT: Just as soon as Saint Peter spoke
the prophecy, it came to pass. It is a dangerous thing to lie to
a Prophet particularly when he is an Apostle as well.
Act 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet,
and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and
found her dead, and, carrying [her] forth, buried [her] by
her husband.
COMMENT: Sapphira died in the same way her
husband died which made their miraculous deaths all the more
believable. She fell to the floor at the Apostle's feet and
breathed her last gasp as her spirit departed from her body,
and she too had no chance of saying anything.
Act 5:11 And GREAT FEAR came upon all the church,
and upon as many as heard these things.
COMMENT: Christians in America do not believe
in the fear of God because they have little or none, but GREAT FEAR
came upon all the Church and upon those who heard these things
and were not of the holy revolution. The fear of God motivates
believers to obey the Word and those whom God sets to rule over
them.
Act 5:12 ¶ 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.
COMMENT: The eleven Apostles were all with
one accord in Solomon's porch at the glorious temple of God in
Jerusalem.
Act 5:13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to
them: but the people magnified them.
COMMENT: No man dared join himself to the
Apostles, but the people realizing they were holy and Christ like
working miracles and signs and wonders in Him; magnified them.
The Apostles were not seen as ordinary men but were greatly
enlarged in the perceptions of the people, and if there was
anything they wanted done great or small; you can be sure the
people were zealous to do it.
Act 5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord,
multitudes both of men and women.)
COMMENT: The movement was growing rapidly as
multitudes of men and women repented of their sins and received
Christ as their Saviour.
Act 5:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into
the streets, and laid [them] on beds and couches, that
at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow
some of them.
COMMENT: Such was the faith of the people in
the Apostle Peter, that even his shadow passing over the sick
set out on beds and couches in the streets, was desired.
Act 5:16 There came also a multitude [out] of the cities
round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which
were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
COMMENT: Great baseball players have had
.400 batting averages or four of ten hits at the plate, but the
Apostles healed and delivered ten out of every ten.
Act 5:17 ¶ Then the high priest rose up, and all they
that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,)
and were filled with indignation,
COMMENT: "Wickedness in high places"
is always there hiding in the shadows of religion, but now the
High Priest and all they with him were filled with indignation.
It appeared the Apostles would soon
have the entire nation in obedience to
the One they crucified and they would no longer retain their
prominent positions in the religion of the Jews.
Act 5:18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them
in the common prison.
COMMENT: The religious leaders no longer
concerned themselves with finding anything wrong with what the
Apostles were doing, they arrested them and put them in the
common prison where you might have expected to find
thugs and thieves and murderers.
Act 5:19/20 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the
prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
"Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the
words of this life.
COMMENT: There is the leading of the Spirit
from the kingdom within, but here we find the Apostles sent
by the angel of the Lord who is presumably the Lord Jesus
Christ, the head of the Church.
Act 5:21 And when they heard [that], they entered into the
temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest
came, and they that were with him, and called the council
together, and all the Senate of the children of Israel,
and sent to the prison to have them brought.
COMMENT: The only charge they could lay on
the Apostles was the violation of the rule they had put on them
to not use the name of Jesus Christ. Wickedness in high places
reigned from the materialistic advantage of their positions of
authority in the practice of the Jewish religion, their wealth
and prestige and the enforcment of their religious edicts by
religious police.
Act 5:22 ¶ But when the officers came, and found them
not in the prison, they returned, and told,
Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety,
and the keepers standing without before the doors: but
when we had opened, we found no man within.
COMMENT: The religious police officers
returned with the report that no break in or break out was
evident, but the Apostles were no longer incarcerated there.
Act 5:24 Now when the High Priest and the Captain of the
temple and the Chief priests heard these things, they
doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
COMMENT: This was a move of God and the
religious leaders could not stop it.
Act 5:25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold,
the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple, and
teaching the people.
COMMENT: But a glimmer of hope arrived
for the wicked religious leaders with
the report that the Apostles had been found teaching in the
temple.
Act 5:26 Then went the Captain with the officers, and brought
them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they
should have been stoned.
COMMENT: Now the Captain of the religious
police went to the temple to make sure of the arrest with his
officers very carefully making the arrest without violence, knowing
the people might turn on them with stones for harming a hair
on the Apostles' heads.
Act 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set [them]
before the council: and the high priest asked them,
COMMENT: They had hoped to drag them in
as though they were common criminals, but set them before the
council where the High Priest asked,
Act 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that you
should not teach in this name? and, behold, you
have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and
intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
COMMENT: The High Priest avoided any mention
of the good works of healings and the casting out of demons to cure
the people but made it as though there were a theological difference
then he further accused the Apostles of intending to make them
guilty for the blood of Jesus Christ whose name he chose to not
mention.
Act 5:29 Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and
said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
COMMENT: Once again we find the Apostles
boldly answering the religious leaders whom they discovered in the
ministry of Jesus Christ as his disciples to be enemies
of the God of Israel. So without speaking insulting words
offensively to the religious leaders of their many sins, the
Apostles simply made it clear they ought to obey God rather than
men.
Act 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you
slew and hanged on a tree.
COMMENT: The preaching began with
the assertion that the men before the Apostles are the ones who
are guilty.
Act 5:31 Him has God exalted with his right hand [to be]
a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel,
and forgiveness of sins.
COMMENT: By the preaching, all Israel
is brought into the picture with the nation's
need to come into repentance and receive forgiveness of sins.
Act 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and
[so is] also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them
that obey him.
COMMENT: Here in their preaching the Apostles
make it clear the Holy Ghost is a person, who cannot be received
without obedience.
Act 5:33 ¶ When they heard [that], they were cut
[to the heart], and took counsel to slay them.
COMMENT: What the Apostles said with the
sword of the Spirit in their mouth
cut the religious leaders to the heart,
and they took counsel to kill them. Christians and Catholics
find it hard to believe any of their religious leaders could
be evil like the religious leaders in Jerusalem whose
positions, prestige, authority and wealth were all threatened
by the Holy Revolution taking place there. Were there to be
such of God today in America, the wicked among the religious
leaders in this country would soon make themselves known.
Did Paul Crouch actually threaten to shoot heretic hunters if
God didn't kill them first? And what are the heretic hunters
doing? They are threatening the positions, prestige, authority
and wealth Paul Crouch is attempting to enjoy. Was it really just an
idle threat over the air? The religious leaders in Jerusalem
would have killed the Apostles could they have found a way
to get away with it, but since killing them would equally
jeopardize their roles, they listened to Gamaliel.
Act 5:34 Then stood there up one in the council, a
Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in
reputation among all the people, and commanded to put
the Apostles forth a little space;
COMMENT: By doing so, Gamaliel separated
himself from their criminal intent. God knows whether the
signs and wonders taking place in Jerusalem had reached even
unto Gamaliel who spoke as one of them.
Act 5:35 And said unto them, You men of Israel, take
heed to yourselves what you intend to do as touching these men.
COMMENT: Then he warned the religious leaders
by giving them examples they needed to be reminded of.
Act 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting
himself 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 scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the
days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he
also perished; and all, [even] as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
Act 5:38/39 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and
let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men,
it will come to nought: But if it be of God, you cannot
overthrow it; lest
haply you be found even to fight against God.
Act 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called
the Apostles, and beaten [them], they commanded that they
should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
COMMENT: They agreed to Gamiliel's counsel, but
did not follow it fully; for they beat the Apostles before
commanding them to not speak in the name of Jesus and let them
go. If there was any doubt they intended to kill them, this ought
to convince you how dangerous religious leaders are when their
positions are threatened.
Act 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for
his name.
COMMENT: The Apostles wasted no time in
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for
the name of Jesus, and this surely rankled the religious leaders.
Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they
ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
COMMENT: So the Apostles openly defied
the command of the religious leaders in the temple and in every
house ceasing not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. If only
God would raise up devout and courageous men willing to live
their lives in poverty seeking God's perfect will daily while
preaching and praising God continually. Then American would
be a better place to live and many would be turned away from
the folly of hypocritical religious practices and into a
holy and real relationship with God and Christ.