(29) Then Peter and the other apostles.—The whole company of the Twelve, it must be remembered, were now the objects of attack, and they all accept Peter as their spokesman.We ought to obey God rather than men.—The words are an assertion of the same general law of duty as that of Acts 4:19-20, but the command of the angel in Acts 5:20 had given them a new significance. read more
Definite Religious Teaching (In St. Lawrence Jewry, to the Association of Head Masters, 11th January, 1907) Acts 5:12 What were they doing there? Worshipping is the answer which used to be made; holding the primitive Divine service out of which have grown our liturgies. The unlikeliness of this answer does not need drawing out. We shall most of us agree that the meetings of the groups of Christians in the Temple's cloister must have been for conference on the affairs of the community on some ... read more
CHAPTER 5 1. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10 ). 2. Signs and wonders by the Apostles (Acts 5:11-16 ). 3. The second arrest of the Apostles and their Deliverance (Acts 5:17-25 ). 4. Before the Council (Acts 5:26-33 ). 5. Gamaliel’s Advice (Acts 5:34-39 ). 6. The Apostles beaten and dismissed (Acts 5:40-42 ). With this chapter the scene changes. Beautiful is the ending of the previous chapter, Barnabas having sold his land, laid the money at the feet of the Apostles. He gave by it a... read more
5:29 {10} Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.(10) We should obey man only in so far that in obeying him we also obey God. read more
Where God is working, however, the opposition of Satan soon becomes apparent. The evil begins (as evil always does) in an underhand manner, but is quickly exposed by God. Ananias and Sapphira certainly did not expect to have their sin discerned as it was. Evidently because others were doing it, they sold land, bringing part of the price to the apostles on the understanding that it was the full price. The power of the Spirit of God present at the time did not allow the falsehood to pass. God... read more
VARIED EXPERIENCES UNITY OF LOVE (Acts 4:31-37 ) The quickening in the last lesson was associated with another outpouring of the Holy Spirit but not another “baptism,” and some who had been filled before were refilled, with results following: (1) courage in preaching (Acts 4:31 ); (2) unity of soul (Acts 4:32 ); (3) power in testimony (Acts 4:33 ); and (4) love in practical conduct (Acts 4:34-37 ). This last result has sometimes been quoted as favoring Christian communism, but it is to be... read more
Chapter 13 Prayer Almighty God, thou dost speak wonderful things unto the children of men. Thy voice is like none other. The sound of thy voice is heard in our heart like music from heaven, and it soothes and inspires, and warms our life with a new glow. All thy words are wonderful, but who shall tell the graciousness of thy promises, how sweet they are, how many in number, strong as a great host, many as the drops of the dew of the morning. And thou dost not withhold one of them from the... read more
Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, (18) And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. (19) But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, (20) Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. (21) And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high... read more
Peter answered boldly, We ought to obey God, rather than men. And withal adds, that God had raised from death Jesus, the Prince and Saviour of mankind, by whose merits all might find repentance, and forgiveness of their sins; that they were witness of his resurrection, &c. (Witham) read more
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John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 5:1-42
The Apostles Again Imprisoned1-16. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not keeping back part of the price, which they had a perfect right to do (Acts 5:4), but pretending that the money which they offered to the Apostles was the whole price of the possession sold, which was not the case. Their motive was vanity and ambition. They wished to have a greater reputation for liberality than they were entitled to.1. Ananias] i.e. ’Jehovah hath been gracious.’Sapphira] If the word is Greek it means... read more