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.
And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. How self-possessed!-the indwelling Spirit making the glory of their testimony so to irradiate their own souls, and their wonderful liberation so to confirm it, as to lift them above fear.
Remarks:
(1) The severe fidelity with which our historian-immediately after picturing the beautiful disinterestedness of the young Christian community-proceeds to relate a foul case of covetousness and duplicity in two of its members, with the terrible punishment that so speedily overtook it, without any explanation or reflection of his own, cannot but strike the thoughtful reader as an indubitable mark of authenticity in the narrative itself. As for the occurrence itself, though no one, perhaps, would have expected it in such a state of the infant Church as the close of the preceding chapter describes, it is, nevertheless, in thorough consonance with all that we know of the workings of the human heart in a state of high religious excitement. In such circumstances as those before depicted, characters like Ananias and Sapphira may be expected to appear-so powerfully worked upon by the truth, and by the manifest seal of Heaven upon it, as to join themselves to so divinely-owned a society without thorough heart-sympathy with them and entire surrender to the Lord.
So powerful, however, is the sympathy which they do feel, that, once sucked into the atmosphere of Christians, and henceforth mingling constantly with them, they catch their impulses, and are ready, for a considerable time and to a large extent, to go along with them. At length their real character comes out, which, indeed, only waited for some adequate occasion to call it forth. That occasion, in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, was the sale of their property. In resolving to dispose of it for the Church they were probably quite sincere. While everyone was surrendering his all, they could not think of being behind. Besides, it would be noticed by those who knew their means, and would be regarded in an ill light. So they go away, perhaps from some meeting at which they had seen other brethren offering princely gifts, to vie with them in self-sacrifice. They dispose of their property, and have the proceeds in hand ready for surrender at the apostles' feet, when, lo! at the sight of such a sum, the thought occurs to them whether, after all, it was quite right, fitting, or necessary that they should part with the whole.
Perhaps their first proposal to one another was to state openly that what they contributed was but part of what they had realized by the sale. But this, on reflection, would seem fitted to raise remarks on the selfishness of reserving a part. Still clinging to the money, yet loath to want the credit of disinterestedness, their next thought, perhaps, was, whether by laying down at the apostles' feet what they agreed to surrender as the price of the land, they might not leave it to be concluded, without expressly saying so, that it was the whole proceeds; and they might flatter themselves that by this way of putting it there would be no lie in the matter. One almost fancies this to be implied in Peter's question to Sapphira-as if he had designed to bring out of her, more explicitly than had been expressed by the donors, the real truth. Be this as it may, they played with the temptation until they made up their minds to practice a deception in the matter upon the apostles and the brethren. The apostle treats Sapphira differently from Ananias. To her he opens a way of escape, by the admission-if she would have made it-that the sum gifted was but part of the price. On him he brings down at once, and before all, the charge of falsehood in its most aggravated form, expostulating with him on the absence of all temptation to such a deed, provided they were right-hearted. But the history of religious movements in all time proves that the desire to establish a religious reputation beyond the actual attainments of the parties cherishing it is with some a very strong principle of action; and when this works on a covetous nature, and in connection with money, we may expect manifestations of it not very unlike to that here nature, and in connection with money, we may expect manifestations of it not very unlike to that here recorded. With respect to the severity of the punishment, let these following things be observed:
First, Peter did not call down the vengeance of Heaven, nor (so far as appears) even announce what would happen in the case of Ananias, insomuch that some have thought it took the apostle as much by surprise as others in the assembly-a view we cannot concur in.
Second, The deception-deliberately planned, and in the absence of all temptation-was openly practiced amidst blazing evidences of a divine presence in the Christian assemblies, and daily manifestations of transparent simplicity and overflowing liberality on the part of others.
Third, Had such a high-handed sin, which could not long have remained hid, been allowed to pass, or been only exposed and censured, the unparalleled love and liberality of the infant Church would have come under just suspicion; the wonder and admiration which it was attracting would have been converted into a very different feeling, and the credit of the young community would have been speedily destroyed.
As it was, the effect produced was of the deepest character, and eminently salutary. But one such example in the Church was quite enough, proclaiming for all time that He who walketh among the golden candlesticks hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and will give unto every one according to his works.
(2) The personality of Satan, and his subtlety and skill in turning even the highest religious movements to his own purposes; but, at the same time, that there is a "Stronger than he," who is able to outwit him, and make his wrath to praise Him-these truths stand out on the very surface of this narrative very strikingly.
(3) The entire freedom of the human will, even when most under the dominion of the wicked one, is strikingly seen in the apostle's expostulations on the subject with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3-4).
(4) Two things are to be equally valued in the Gospel-that life from the dead in the Risen Saviour which it proclaims, and "the words of this life," or the divine testimony regarding it, or (as it is called in Isaiah 53:1) "our report" as ambassadors for Christ. (See Romans 10:14-16.) True "the words of this life" are but the casket which contains the pearl of great price-the vessel in which the waters of life are held. But when the vessel is shattered, what becomes of the water it contained? Even so will the life everlasting evaporate as soon as the divine message, authoritatively conveying it to the acceptance of men, is thrown away.
(5) 'There is (says a German writer, quoted by Gerok) a divine "but" which often puts all human plans to shame. Men are prepared with their human designs, when this "but" steps in. Joseph says to his brethren, "Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it for good." David complains that "the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His Anointed; but He that sitteth in the heavens laugheth at them, the Lord hath them in derision," (Psalms 2:1-12.)'
(6) How delightfully is the ministry of angels in behalf of the cause, as well as "the heirs, of salvation," displayed in such interpositions as that here recorded (Acts 5:19).
Hearing that the Apostles Are at Large and Publicly Teaching, the Sanhedrin Send for Them and Question Them (5:21-28)
But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate, х gerousian (G1087), the word used by the Septuagint to denote the assembled elders]
Of the children of Israel. This was evidently an unusually general convention of the authorities, hastily summoned.
And sent to the prison to have them brought.