Believers share their Possessions.
The
Passage: Acts 4:32-37
Structure:
P (4:32-33) Those who believed had one heart and one
soul.
A. (4:34-35)
General principle – sold and laid at the feet of the apostles
A’. (4:36-37) Particular example – Joseph
Historical
and geographical context:
The
important geographical input – we are still in Jerusalem. The practice of total
sharing is not going to be replicated in the diaspora.
Theology:
Unity and
diversity is a theme of many passages in the Bible. Here we have the unity of
the Jerusalem community – one heart and one soul (v. 32). It is not even a
congregation in the modern sense of the word. It is a community that has
members living in the different parts of the city. It has members who gather in
a variety of places in Jerusalem (Acts 2:46). Having one heart and soul has a
multi-dimensional application. For sure, it is emotional or psychological
unity: if one suffers – all suffer. When St. Peter and St. John were released
from their first imprisonment – the community prayed all together the words of
thanksgiving and encouragement (Acts 4:24). It also can be a representation of
confessional unity (Deut. 6:4-5). They confess God – the united YHWH – together
“with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might”. The words of Sh’ema
were given to Israel for a communal statement of faith. Therefore, the third
level of unity is liturgical. As noticed above, they could break the bread at
different places, but this practice was a sign of unity of all who “believed
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:30-31).
On the other
hand, we should acknowledge structural diversity. What we see in the first Jerusalem
church is the apostles who rule and regulate the business of the community. It
will create some complications in the future that will be addressed by creating
a diaconal ministry (ch. 6). Yet, at this point, the landowners and real estate
owners would bring their money to the apostles after closing the deal on their
properties. So, to summarize, we see family type structure.
Two outcomes
of the that: First, apostles still preach (giving their testimony to) the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Unlike many modern preachers who get access to the financial
benefits of their parishioners, they did not shift to prosperity Gospel. Their
testimony was built on the solid rock of resurrection of Jesus. Neither the
persecution nor the increased financial element changed the message. That’s
what St. Paul will pick up later on – Philippians 4:10-13.
Also, we can
see the theological connection with the year of Jubilee. The Biblical calendar
is divided into 7 years cycles. 7 cycles of 7 years turn into 49 years periods.
Then there is the Jubilee year – 50th year. During the fiftieth year
the land would return to the LORD Who would give
it back to the original “renters”. We need to avoid the term “original owners”
for the land belongs to the LORD (Ps. 24:1).
When the believers brought their money to the Lord’s representatives – apostles
– the monetary value went back to the Lord who gave (or left) the means for His
Bride – the church.
Other
themes:
Luke has an
interesting habit – introducing important people as a minor character. For
example, St. Paul is introduced as Saul – just a guy who was guarding the outer
clothing or garments of those who stoned the first martyr – St. Stephen.
Same here, we meet Joseph, whom apostles called
Bar-Nabas (son of encouragement). Later he will be a very prominent figure and
a partner of St. Paul (9:26-27; 11:30 etc.). Yet, there is a possibility for
another connection. We already saw Joseph Bar-Sabbas (Son of Sabath) in 1:23.
It is possible that it is the same person. That’s why St. Luke writes that the apostles
used an adjusted name for him. It is very interesting that loses the election
to be a replacement for Judas, but he stayed in the community, sold his
possessions, brought it to apostles (in stead of starting his own group or
sect). As a result of his patience, he was listed as an apostle – 14:14 –
together with St. Paul.
