Acts 5
5
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a field,
2 and he was deceitful about the price of the field, with his wife's consent. And bringing only part of it, he placed it at the feet of the Apostles.
3 But Peter said: "Ananias, why has Satan tempted your heart, so that you would lie to the Holy Spirit and be deceitful about the price of the land?
4 Did it not belong to you while you retained it? And having sold it, was it not in your power? Why have you set this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!"
5 Then Ananias, upon hearing these words, fell down and expired. And a great fear overwhelmed all who heard of it.
6 And the young men rose up and removed him; and carrying him out, they buried him.
7 Then about the space of three hours passed, and his wife entered, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter said to her, "Tell me, woman, if you sold the field for this amount?" And she said, "Yes, for that amount."
9 And Peter said to her: "Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out!"
10 Immediately, she fell down before his feet and expired. Then the young men entered and found her dead. And they carried her out and buried her next to her husband.
11 And a great fear came over the entire Church and over all who heard these things.
12 And through the hands of the Apostles many signs and wonders were accomplished among the people. And they all met with one accord at Solomon's portico.
13 And among the others, no one dared to join himself to them. But the people magnified them.
14 Now the multitude of men and women who believed in the Lord was ever increasing,
15 so much so that they laid the infirm in the streets, placing them on beds and stretchers, so that, as Peter arrived, at least his shadow might fall upon any one of them, and they would be freed from their infirmities.
16 But a multitude also hurried to Jerusalem from the neighboring cities, carrying the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, who were all healed.
17 Then the high priest and all those who were with him, that is, the heretical sect of the Sadducees, rose up and were filled with jealousy.
18 And they laid hands on the Apostles, and they placed them in the common prison.
19 But in the night, an Angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out, saying,
20 "Go and stand in the temple, speaking to the people all these words of life."
21 And when they had heard this, they entered the temple at first light, and they were teaching. Then the high priest, and those who were with him, approached, and they called together the council and all the elders of the sons of Israel. And they sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the attendants had arrived, and, upon opening the prison, had not found them, they returned and reported to them,
23 saying: "We found the prison certainly locked up with all diligence, and the guards standing before the door. But upon opening it, we found no one within."
24 Then, when the magistrate of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were uncertain about them, as to what should happen.
25 But someone arrived and reported to them, "Behold, the men whom you placed in prison are in the temple, standing and teaching the people."
26 Then the magistrate, with the attendants, went and brought them without force. For they were afraid of the people, lest they be stoned.
27 And when they had brought them, they stood them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,
28 and said: "We strongly order you not to teach in this name. For behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and you wish to bring the blood of this man upon us."
29 But Peter and the Apostles responded by saying: "It is necessary to obey God, more so than men.
30 The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging him on a tree.
31 It is he whom God has exalted at his right hand as Ruler and Savior, so as to offer repentance and the remission of sins to Israel.
32 And we are witnesses of these things, with the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who are obedient to him."
33 When they had heard these things, they were deeply wounded, and they were planning to put them to death.
34 But someone in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law honored by all the people, rose up and ordered the men to be put outside briefly.
35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, you should be careful in your intentions about these men.
36 For before these days, Theudas stepped forward, asserting himself to be someone, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined with him. But he was killed, and all who believed in him were scattered, and they were reduced to nothing.
37 After this one, Judas the Galilean stepped forward, in the days of the enrollment, and he turned the people toward himself. But he also perished, and all of them, as many as had joined with him, were dispersed.
38 And now therefore, I say to you, withdraw from these men and leave them alone. For if this counsel or work is of men, it will be broken.
39 Yet truly, if it is of God, you will not be able to break it, and perhaps you might be found to have fought against God." And they agreed with him.
40 And calling in the Apostles, having beaten them, they warned them not to speak at all in the name of Jesus. And they dismissed them.
41 And indeed, they went forth from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer insult on behalf of the name of Jesus.
42 And every day, in the temple and among the houses, they did not cease to teach and to evangelize Christ Jesus.
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Acts 5
5
Ananias and Sapphira.#The sin of Ananias and Sapphira did not consist in the withholding of part of the money but in their deception of the community. Their deaths are ascribed to a lie to the holy Spirit (Acts 5:3, 9), i.e., they accepted the honor accorded them by the community for their generosity, but in reality they were not deserving of it. 1A man named Ananias, however, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2He retained for himself, with his wife’s knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land?#Lk 22:3; Jn 13:2. 4While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God.” 5When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6The young men came and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
7After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. 8Peter said to her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount?” She answered, “Yes, for that amount.” 9Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10At once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men entered they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.#2:43; 5:5; 19:17.
Signs and Wonders of the Apostles.#This, the third summary portraying the Jerusalem community, underscores the Twelve as its bulwark, especially because of their charismatic power to heal the sick; cf. Acts 2:42–47; 4:32–37. 12Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s portico.#2:43; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12. 13None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them. 14Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them. 15Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.#19:11–12; Mk 6:56. 16A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
Trial Before the Sanhedrin.#A second action against the community is taken by the Sanhedrin in the arrest and trial of the Twelve; cf. Acts 4:1–3. The motive is the jealousy of the religious authorities over the popularity of the apostles (Acts 5:17) who are now charged with the defiance of the Sanhedrin’s previous order to them to abandon their prophetic role (Acts 5:28; cf. Acts 4:18). In this crisis the apostles are favored by a miraculous release from prison (Acts 5:18–24). (For similar incidents involving Peter and Paul, see Acts 12:6–11; 16:25–29.) The real significance of such an event, however, would be manifest only to people of faith, not to unbelievers; since the Sanhedrin already judged the Twelve to be inauthentic prophets, it could disregard reports of their miracles. When the Twelve immediately resumed public teaching, the Sanhedrin determined to invoke upon them the penalty of death (Acts 5:33) prescribed in Dt 13:6–10. Gamaliel’s advice against this course finally prevailed, but it did not save the Twelve from the punishment of scourging (Acts 5:40) in a last endeavor to shake their conviction of their prophetic mission. 17Then the high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy,#4:1–3, 6. 18laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said,#12:7–10; 16:25–26. 20“Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.” 21When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught. When the high priest and his companions arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin, the full senate of the Israelites, and sent to the jail to have them brought in. 22But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back and reported, 23“We found the jail securely locked and the guards stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24When they heard this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss about them, as to what this would come to. 25Then someone came in and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people.” 26Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them in, but without force, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.#Lk 20:19.
27When they had brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, 28“We gave you strict orders [did we not?] to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”#Mt 27:25. 29But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men.#4:19. 30#Hanging him on a tree: that is, crucifying him (cf. also Gal 3:13). The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,#2:23–24. though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him at his right hand#At his right hand: see note on Acts 2:33. as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.#2:38. 32We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him.”#Lk 24:48; Jn 15:26.
33When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. 34#Gamaliel: in Acts 22:3, Paul identifies himself as a disciple of this Rabbi Gamaliel I who flourished in Jerusalem between A.D. 25 and 50. But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the men to be put outside for a short time,#22:3. 35and said to them, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you are about to do to these men. 36#Gamaliel offers examples of unsuccessful contemporary movements to argue that if God is not the origin of this movement preached by the apostles it will perish by itself. The movement initiated by Theudas actually occurred when C. Cuspius Fadus was governor, A.D. 44–46. Luke’s placing of Judas the Galilean after Theudas and at the time of the census (see note on Lk 2:1–2) is an indication of the vagueness of his knowledge of these events. Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important, and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed, and all those who were loyal to him were disbanded and came to nothing. 37After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census. He also drew people after him, but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered. 38So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. 39But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him. 40After recalling the apostles, they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.#Mt 10:17; Acts 4:17–18. 41So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.#Mt 5:10–11; 1 Pt 4:13. 42And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus.#2:46; 5:20–21, 25; 8:35; 17:3; 18:5, 28; 19:4–5.
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