"GREAT FEAR CAME UPON THE WHOLE CHURCH"-This event impressed the Christians with the authority the apostles possessed. Thus, upon the erecting of God's temporal kingdom among the Jews, Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for offering strange fire before the Lord; and Korah and his company were swallowed up alive by the earth, for opposing Moses, the faithful minister of the Lord; and lastly, Uzzah, for touching the ark, fell by as sudden and remarkable a divine judgment, when the kingdom was given to be established in the house of David, to teach Israel a reverence for God and divine things. That does not at all conflict with regarding his death as a punitive divine act. Acts 11 - In-depth verse-by-verse commentary and Bible study of Acts chapter 11 in plain English. David Guzik commentary on Acts 11 describes a controversy arising in Jerusalem regarding the ministry to the Gentiles, to which Peter speaks in defense. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. "The truth always comes out." Bengel’s note, in loco. And all that laid their money at the apostles’ feet, after this, were afraid of keeping back any part of the price. 5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge v he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and w laid it at the apostles’ feet. And great fear] {See Trapp on "Acts 5:5"} Laudo Venetos, apud quos unicum publicae pecuniae intervertisse denarium, non infame solum est, sed et capitale. 3But (See Notes on Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:17.) The two, a married couple, sell a piece of property and publicly give the proceeds to the community. He, being silent, yet speaketh, and bids us learn our limits, and be content to be surpassed. God said, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. As we saw the same use could be found at Antioch. More congregations will observe the Ascension on the following Sunday, thus bumping the seventh Sunday of Easter from the calendar. Why was Barnabas’ act singled out for mention, since there was nothing peculiar about it? He knew that Satan was trying to plant sin in the church so that the Holy Spirit would withdraw His aid, which was essential for the church to be effective in preaching the gospel. ], The writers of Scripture always referred to the church, the body of Christ, as an entity distinct from the nation of Israel. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. Be that as it may, Peter’s stern words to Ananias put all the stress of the sin on its being an acted lie. There is some overlap between the end Perhaps the husband had gone straight to the Apostles after completing the sale, and had left the wife to follow at her convenience. He was a Levite. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may forego their worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 5:1-11 The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, when they were not true disciples. Here in Acts 5:11 we have the first mention of ‘the church’ by Luke (in the Greek text). [Note: See Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today, pp132-55; and C. I. Scofield, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, pp5-12.]. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the … Upon the whole church (ep olhn thn ekklhsian).Here ekklhsia for the first time in Acts of the believers in Jerusalem. In Genesis 4, Cain gives a poor-quality offering and pays the penalty. It comes in appropriately at the end of the account of the triumph over the first assault of civil authority, which assault was itself not only baffled, but turned to good. These … A few congregations will worship on the Thursday that comes 40 days after Easter. "So familiar are we with "spots and wrinkles" in the church that we can with difficulty realize the significance of this, the first sin in and against the community. Acts 5:1-11 1But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. The proper meaning of this name is, a follower of This is the attitude of holiness we must bring before God. And great fear came upon all the church — All that had joined themselves to it were struck with a holy awe of God and his judgments, and with a great veneration of this dispensation of the Spirit, which they were now under. Acts 4:31 says, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of god with boldness.” Then – this account of benevolence, in Acts 4:32-37. καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας κ. τ. Neither sin nor salvation are “make-believe!” What these two did was blasphemy! And great fear came upon all, &c.— In the striking narrative before us, we have an example of the severest temporal punishment inflicted throughout the New Testament; a punishment inflicted by the apostle, not out of a spirit of passion, cruelty, or revenge, but by a prophetic spirit; not by the sword of the magistrate, or by any power of his own, but by a miraculous and divine power; punishing a notorious lie, which was made to tempt or try the Holy Spirit in the beginning of his peculiar oeconomy or dispensation. Surely that expression suggests that the stern words had struck at his life, and that his death was the result of the agitation of shame and guilt which they excited. As many as heard these things, out of the pale of the church: God’s judgments do restain in a great measure wicked men. upon the whole church (in Jerusalem), and (generally) on all (and so also on those who had not yet come over to the church, Acts 5:13) to whose ears this occurrence came. The terms of the description should be noted, as completely negativing the notion that the fact in question was anything like compulsory abolition of the right of individual ownership. The sudden startling death of Ananias and his wife naturally tended to give a new prominence to the society, the rulers of which were seen to be clothed with supernatural powers; and the fear that fell upon all who heard of these things led them in part to draw near with reverence, in part to shrink back in awe. How much Ananias kept back is of no moment; indeed, the less he retained the greater the sin; for it is baser, as well as more foolish, to do wrong for a little advantage than for a great one. 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