First Prison Break

 

Acts 5

When a chapter begins with “But,” you know it is important to look back at what came before. What is the “but” pointing to? In this case, it is pointing us back to the last paragraph in Chapter 4, where new disciples are selling all their possessions and laying the proceeds at the feet of the apostles. This is the image of complete devotion to God – giving your all to the community of faith.

But Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, are a different matter. Our attention should be focused on the fact that they kept something back when they came to the apostles. The reader may assume that Ananias has led the apostles to believe that he is giving everything, as others before him have. Peter immediately calls him out on his dishonesty.

How Peter knew that Ananias was holding back is not clear. Perhaps Ananias is not a good liar and his guilt was written on his face. Perhaps someone with firsthand knowledge of the transaction had tipped Peter off. Or perhaps it was intuition on Peter’s part – the work of the Spirit.

The dramatic deaths of Ananias and Sapphira serve to show that the way we deal with wealth is a life and death matter. This episode picks up the thread from Luke’s gospel (18:25) where Jesus says “It is easer for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” But the question nags at us, why is wealth so dangerous?

In this story, we see that it is the desire to hold on to their wealth that leads them to be dishonest. They lie to the apostles. They probably lie to themselves, rationalizing that their case is special and they shouldn’t have to hand over everything like others have done. Peter claims that when they lie about this they are lying to God.

Perhaps Luke puts such an intense light on wealth because it is something that we have such a hard time with. We give our heart more readily than we give our possessions – would there be any need for prenuptial agreements otherwise? But if you are withholding your possessions, are you really giving your heart? For Jesus also said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34).

The church in Acts expects the new members to hand over their wealth for the good of the whole community. In the church everyone is cared for, all needs are met. There is a beautiful equality in the community. If Ananias and Sapphira are permitted to join on their terms, the church would lose the pure fellowship they are cultivating, which it eventually did.

At the very beginning, the church was set apart from the world and their life together stood as a model of the kingdom of God. Even while it may not be sustainable on this side of the pearly gates, this model is worth examining closely. It is worth taking seriously the ways that wealth can corrode our hearts, damage relationships, and erect a wall between ourselves and God. It is worth taking seriously how the early church created an alternative community, a different quality of life. We might then wonder what kind of alternative the church can offer in the world today.

The apostles continue on with their ministry of signs and wonders (v. 12) attracting large crowds. The religious authorities are as disturbed as ever and again order them to be imprisoned. The episode where they mysteriously escape from the prison cell like Harry Houdini is comical, and the officials’ consternation, combined with their fear of the people, is amusing. But wisdom is heard from the respected Pharisee, Gamaliel. He gently reminds the council that movements which have nothing of God in them will fall on their own. But if this is, indeed, God’s work then they would not be able to stop it anyway. Besides, why would they want to stop God’s work? Basically, he says, you need to let go of this.

May you practice letting go – of possessions, of control, of what you think you know, or whatever God is nudging you to let go of.

Questions for Reflection:

·        William Willimon, Methodist pastor and professor, points out that in verse 11 the word “church” is used for the first time. Willimon suggests that it is in this struggle with their relationship to money that the community defines itself. What do you think are the defining characteristics of church?

·        When we speak of stewardship in the church, most people think only of pledges and offering. But stewardship actually refers to our belief that God has made us to be responsible for faithfully managing all the resources God provides. Does reading Acts change your thinking about stewardship?

·        Gamaliel’s advice to the council asks them to let go of trying to control the outcome and trust God to handle it. Have there been situations in your life when you could have used Gamaliel’s advice?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They Will Listen

Image
  Chapters 27 & 28 The last two chapters of the Acts of the Apostles are jam-packed with exciting events, as Paul sets out on his final journey to Rome. I don’t know if Luke was feeling like he had shortchanged Theophilus, his intended reader, and decided to throw in a thrilling adventure at sea? Or if he had a point to drive home about Paul and the gospel. I’m leaning toward the latter. Sea journeys are never without risk, and this one is no exception. Because of the winds, the early part of the journey was slow. By the time they got out on the open sea, it was late in the year – a dangerous time for sailing. Paul was exceptionally prophet-like on this journey. He warned the crew of the danger; he offered them advice and encouragement to get them through safely. They shipwrecked and ended up on the island of Malta, where they were treated well. They spent the winter months there and set off on another ship in early spring. When they arrived finally in Rome, Paul was gr...
Read more

On the Road to Damascus

Image
Chapter 9 Chapter 9 has us bouncing from Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch right back to Saul. When we last saw Saul, he was leading persecutions against the church, and when we pick up with him, he is doing that still. The language Luke uses to describe Saul’s behavior toward the church – ravaging (8:3), breathing threats and murder (9:1) – present a vivid and frightening picture. This is a man who is single-minded and zealous in his mission. He is heading north to Damascus, indicating that the church has spread at least that far, and on his way he has a dramatic experience. The experience follows a pattern that has been seen often enough before, such as in the calls of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and Ezekiel. A mysterious voice calls his name – Saul, Saul! A light from heaven flashes around him, blinding him so that he must be led by the hand to Damascus. A disciple named Ananias is called upon by Jesus to go to Saul and help him regain his sight. Ananias is loath to do such a thing....
Read more

His Witness to All the World

Image
  Chapter 22 Chapter 21 left us on the edge of a cliff. Paul was, once again, in grave danger and he was given a chance to rescue himself with his words. He is on the verge of speech, with a hushed crowd who will, apparently, give him one chance to convince them he should not be killed. Chapter 22 is, for the most part, his effort to do just that. Paul begins, in Hebrew: “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you.” From the start Paul wants them to see him as a brother, a fellow Israelite. He makes his case by first telling them who he is – a Jew, from Tarsus, raised at the feet of a respected Pharisee, Gamaliel. He tells them about his zeal for God. In these first verses of his speech Paul is saying to his listeners: I am one of you. Then he begins to tell them about his particular experience on his way to Damascus. Here he retells the story that we first heard in Chapter 9 – but don’t skim over it, because Paul has his own way of telling the s...
Read more