Study Desk

Ananias and Sapphira

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.

With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself,^(a) but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.^(b)

Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan^(c) has so filled your heart^(d) that you have lied to the Holy Spirit^(e) and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?^(f)

Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal?^(g) What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God."^(h)

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.⁽ⁱ⁾ And great fear^(j) seized all who heard what had happened.

Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body,^(k) and carried him out and buried him.

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."^(l)

Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord?^(m) Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

At that moment she fell down at his feet and died.⁽ⁿ⁾ Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.^(o)

Great fear^(p) seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

The apostles performed many signs and wonders^(q) among the people. And all the believers used to meet together^(r) in Solomon's Colonnade.^(s)

No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.^(t)

Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.^(u)

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.^(v)

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.^(w)

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party^(x) of the Sadducees,^(y) were filled with jealousy.

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.^(z)

But during the night an angel^(aa) of the Lord opened the doors of the jail^(ab) and brought them out.^(ac)

"Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people all about this new life."^(ad)

At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates^(ae) arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin^(af)—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.

But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there.^(ag) So they went back and reported,

"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside."

On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests^(ah) were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people."

At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people^(ai) would stone them.

The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin^(aj) to be questioned by the high priest.

"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,"^(ak) he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."^(al)

Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than human beings!^(am)

The God of our ancestors^(an) raised Jesus from the dead^(ao)—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.^(ap)

God exalted him to his own right hand^(aq) as Prince and Savior^(ar) that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.^(as)

We are witnesses of these things,^(at) and so is the Holy Spirit,^(au) whom God has given to those who obey him."

When they heard this, they were furious^(av) and wanted to put them to death.

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel,^(aw) a teacher of the law,^(ax) who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.

Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.

Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.

After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census^(ay) and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.^(az)

But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."^(ba)

His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged.^(bb) Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing^(bc) because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.^(bd)

Day after day, in the temple courts^(be) and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news^(bf) that Jesus is the Messiah.^(bg)

The Choosing of the Seven

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing,^(a) the Hellenistic Jews^[a](b) among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows^(c) were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.^(d)

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples^(e) together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God^(f) in order to wait on tables.

Brothers and sisters,^(g) choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit^(h) and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them⁽ⁱ⁾

and will give our attention to prayer^(j) and the ministry of the word."

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen,^(k) a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit;^(l) also Philip,^(m) Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed⁽ⁿ⁾ and laid their hands on them.^(o)

So the word of God spread.^(p) The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,^(q) and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs^(r) among the people.

Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene^(s) and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia^(t) and Asia^(u)—who began to argue with Stephen.

But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.^(v)

Then they secretly^(w) persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."^(x)

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.^(y)

They produced false witnesses,^(z) who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place^(aa) and against the law.

For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place^(ab) and change the customs Moses handed down to us."^(ac)

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin^(ad) looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these charges true?"

To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers,^(a) listen to me! The God of glory^(b) appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran.^(c)

‘Leave your country and your people,' God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.'^[a](d)

"So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.^(e)

He gave him no inheritance here,^(f) not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land,^(g) even though at that time Abraham had no child.

God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.^(h)

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.'^[b](i)

Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.^(j) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.^(k) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,^(l) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.^(m)

"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph,⁽ⁿ⁾ they sold him as a slave into Egypt.^(o) But God was with him^(p)

and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.^(q)

"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.^(r)

When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit.^(s)

On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was,^(t) and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family.^(u)

After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family,^(v) seventy-five in all.^(w)

Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died.^(x)

Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.^(y)

"As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.^(z)

Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.'^[c](aa)

He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.^(ab)

"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.^[d] For three months he was cared for by his family.^(ac)

When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.^(ad)

Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians^(ae) and was powerful in speech and action.

"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites.

He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian.

Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?'

"But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?^(af)

Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'^[e]

When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.^(ag)