2. Internal compromise 4:32-5:11

As was true of Israel when she entered Canaan under Joshua's leadership, failure followed initial success. The source of that failure lay within the company of believers, not their enemies.

"The greater length of the story of Ananias and Sapphira should not lead to the conclusion that it is the important incident, the preceding section being merely an introduction to give it a setting; on the contrary, it is more likely that 4:32-35 describes the pattern of life, and is then followed by two illustrations, positive and negative, of what happened in practice."²⁴⁷

 The unity of the church 4:32-35

This brief pericope illustrates what Luke wrote earlier in 2:44-46 about the early Christians sharing and selling their possessions as well as giving verbal witness. Luke recorded this description to emphasize the purity and unity in the church that resulted from the Spirit's filling (v. 31).

4:32 The unity of the believers extended beyond spiritual matters to physical, material matters (cf. Matt. 22:37-39). They owned personal possessions, but they did not consider them private possessions. Rather they viewed their belongings as common (Gr. koina, cf. koinonia, "fellowship") property. Customarily they shared what they had with one another (cf. 2:44, 46; Deut. 15:4). Their unity manifested itself in a sense of responsibility for one another. Love, not law, compelled them to share.

"Their generosity sprang not from coercive legislation (as modern Socialists and Marxists demand) but from a true union of hearts made possible by regeneration."²⁴⁸

The economic situation in Jerusalem was deteriorating due to famine and political unrest.²⁴⁹Employment opportunities were declining, and unsaved Jews were beginning to put economic and social pressure on the Christians.

4:33 The power in the witness of the believers was their love for one another (cf. John 13:35), not just their rhetorical (homiletical) and miraculous power. Notice the central place the resurrection of Jesus occupied in their witness. His resurrection fulfilled prophecy and identified Jesus as the Messiah (cf. 2:29-32). The abundant grace that rested upon these Christians was the divine enablement that God granted them to speak and to live as they did. This grace was on the young church as it had been on the young Jesus (cf. Luke 2:40).

4:34-35 The voluntary sharing described in verse 32 seems to have been customary, but the occasional selling mentioned here was evidently exceptional (cf. 2:45).²⁵⁰The apostles were in charge of distributing help to those in need (cf. 6:1-4). The Christians were witnessing with their works (vv. 32, 34-35) as well as with their words (v. 33).

Sincerity or insincerity could motivate these magnanimous deeds. An example of each type of motivation follows.

 The generosity of Barnabas 4:36-37

Luke now gave a specific instance of what he had just described in verses 34 and 35. This reference to Barnabas is significant because it introduces him to the reader. Barnabas becomes a major character in Acts later. Furthermore Barnabas provides a vivid contrast to Ananias in chapter 5.

4:36 His given Jewish name was Joseph, but people called him by his Jewish nickname (cognomen), Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement"(Gr. huios parakleseos).²⁵¹They probably did so because he was a constant positive influence on those around him, as further references to him in Acts will demonstrate (cf. 9:27; 11:22-30; 13:1-14:28; 15:2-4, 12, 22, 36-41; 1 Cor. 9:6).²⁵²Luke probably mentioned that he was a Levite just to identify him more specifically, not to throw a cloud of suspicion over him since the Mosaic Law forbade Levites from owning property (Num. 18:24).

". . . the rule was no longer rigidly adhered to, and would not have applied to those living overseas."²⁵³

Levites had connections to the temple, but not everyone with temple connections opposed the apostles (cf. 4:1). Barnabas had lived on the island of Cyprus at some time, though he had relatives in Jerusalem, namely John Mark, Mark's mother, and perhaps others (cf. 12:12; Col. 4:10).

4:37 Barnabas evidently sold some of his land--where it was we do not know--to provide cash for the needs of the church members. He humbly presented the proceeds of the sale to the apostles for their distribution.

"Barnabas is a first example in Acts of the tendency to introduce an important new character first as a minor character, one who appears and quickly disappears. Philip (6:5) and Saul (7:58; 8:1, 3) are similarly introduced before they assume important roles in the narrative. This procedure ties the narrative together, and in each case the introductory scene contributes something significant to the portrait of the person."²⁵⁴

 The hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira 5:1-11

We might conclude from what precedes that the church was a sinless community at this time. Unfortunately this was not the case. There were sinning saints in it. This episode reveals that God was working dramatically in the church's early days in judgment as well as in blessing. Luke did not idealize his portrait of the early church but painted an accurate picture, warts and all.