Acts 5

A fundamental element in dealing with others is respect. This was part of what Jesus meant by loving your neighbor as yourself. Loving respect makes no presumption regarding what another does with what God has placed in their hands. We can offer advice. We can withdraw a safe distance if their choices threaten our own work. We can certainly pray for them, but we must assume only God can direct their choices in terms of Kingdom service. This Sword of the Spirit cuts both ways, though. No one claiming Christ has the authority to deceive you regarding anything at all. Respect assumes you can find your own way regarding material objects, but regarding information, as well.

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not in how they chose to dispose of property or proceeds, but in their attempt to deceive. They were seeking to claim a renown and respect not rightly due them. They wanted the community of Christians to believe they were doing what Barnabas had done, wanted a share of what they must have thought was his glory. They did not see how the glory went to God, and merely reflected off the life of Barnabas. The original sin of Satan was also an attempt to claim a share of God's glory for himself. This remains a primary threat to the Kingdom still, where people in the community of faith attempt to deceive others in order to gain things God has not apportioned to them. It is a very grave violation of the principle of respect, demanding by fraud something God has granted to others, a form of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit working in others.

The Holy Spirit cannot be deceived. While they owned the property, they could do as they felt God wanted. Once sold, they could use the money as they felt God wanted. Instead, they sought to buy cheaply the respect they could have freely gained by honesty. This sort of blasphemy against the Spirit threatens His work. At His discretion, God can decide you are no longer useful in this world, and take you home. There is a sin unto death. Were they simply fleshly people, their antics would be no threat. Ananias and Sapphira had already manifested the power of God's presence, but now were destroying that witness. They both died at God's own hand.

While knowledge of this did dampen some of the enthusiasm of those who might have considered too lightly joining this community of faith, the outsiders still found these people highly reputable. Not only was this a continuation of the massive healing ministry of Jesus, but it was multiplied by the several apostles, with Peter at the helm. The city attracted a host of folks traveling to be healed by the passing shadow of Peter, as they continued meeting under the Law in the Temple. But this was the Law as Jesus taught it, a complete revolution. The message condemned the current political leadership in the Sanhedrin, not so much directly, but by comparing them with what Jesus had preached. The healings and other signs supported this indirect condemnation of the Sanhedrin.

Luke is careful to remind his sponsor the High Priest and his entire cohort were Sadducees. This was a theological and political party known for secularism, a sort of cultural Judaism which compromised with pagan Rome for political and monetary gain. They were largely intellectual atheists, considering themselves the only people who really understood what was going on in the world. They dominated the Sanhedrin, but the opposing Pharisees were far more popular with the people. Yet both were at risk from this non-violent uprising. The Sadducees were particularly to blame for the decision to turn Jesus over to Roman justice.

So they had the Temple Guard arrest all twelve apostles, and put them in the peasants' jail overnight. God had other plans. He sent angels to escort them all from the prison, with a message to keep preaching in the Temple "this life" -- the way of living according to the Kingdom of Heaven, according to spiritual values and the power of the Holy Spirit. This they hastened to obey first thing in the morning. By the time the Sanhedrin got around to convening for the day, they found their prisoners had vanished. There was nothing to indicate the guards had done anything irregular, as they expressed genuine shock themselves the apostles were gone. During the consternation which followed, other guards came to report the apostles were back teaching in Solomon's Porch. This time, the officials chose to use gentle persuasion, because the crowd gathered there were entirely too supportive of the former prisoners.

The High Priest charged them with disobeying a lawful order to stop teaching in Jesus' name, along with attempting to bring the Sanhedrin into contempt with the people, essentially claiming the Court were all murderers. Peter answered the Sanhedrin might as well accuse God Himself of evil. The Sanhedrin were guilty of murder, the most shameful execution possible under Moses -- hanging on a tree or on wood. Yet God Himself raised Jesus back to life. Indeed, Jesus was now enthroned as God's Prince, and He was the sole venue for reconciliation with God. It would not matter what the Sanhedrin came up with in all their erudition and power, because the apostles were simply reporting what they saw with their own eyes. Further, the power of God Himself was present in the Spirit to support their claims.

At this point, the Sadducees were ready to execute the lot of them. Even as they began seeking ways and means, a very influential rabbi from the opposition Pharisee Party stood to warn them. After sequestering the apostles, this Gamaliel listed examples of the many popular Messianic cults rising during that time. Jesus was merely one of several who claimed to be the Messiah, but the only one able to heal and raise people from the dead, not to mention Himself. He was also the only one who didn't raise an armed force to unseat the Sanhedrin. He was by far the greatest threat simply by making them look as bad as they actually were. But Gamaliel recited how all the fakes died and their cults disbanded. If Jesus was also fake, the same thing would happen. If He was the Messiah, they would be fighting God Himself, as the apostles asserted. In the minds of unbelieving Sadducees, it was enough their subjects would see it that way.

So they ordered the disciples beaten according to the Law ("forty lashes save one") and threatened it would be worse the next time if they didn't stop teaching Jesus. It had the reverse effect. The disciples rejoiced they were worthy of suffering for Jesus' name. Here we take a moment to note their confidence was in Christ, but bore total humility regarding themselves. It was the highest privilege to be oppressed by the enemies of their Lord. This is not some perverse delight in stirring up trouble, as if they now had some ancient version of "street cred." They stood condemned by the exact same people who plotted to kill Jesus, and for the same exact reasons. The Sanhedrin saw them as a genuine expression of Jesus' teaching.