Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Acts
Book: Acts
Chapter: 5
Overview:
The
Death of
Ananias and
Sapphira.
(1-11) The power which
accompanied the preaching of the
Gospel.
(12-16) The apostles
imprisoned, but set free
By an
Angel.
(17-25) The apostles
testify to
Christ before the
Council.
(26-33) The advice of
Gamaliel, The
Council let the apostles go.
(34-42)
1-11 The
Sin of
Ananias and
Sapphira was, that they were
ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, when they were not
true disciples. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may forego their
worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding
their account in something else. They were covetous of the
wealth of the world, and distrustful of
God and his
Providence.
They thought they might serve both
God and
Mammon. They thought
to deceive the apostles. The
Spirit of
God in
Peter discerned
the principle of unbelief reigning in the
Heart of
Ananias. But
whatever
Satan might suggest, he could not have filled the
Heart
of
Ananias with this wickedness had he not been consenting. The
falsehood was an attempt to deceive the
Spirit of
Truth, who
So
manifestly spoke and acted
By the apostles. The crime of
Ananias
was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might
have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavouring to impose
upon the apostles with an awful
Lie, from a desire to make a
vain show, joined with
Covetousness. But if we think to
Put a
cheat upon
God, we shall
Put a fatal cheat upon our own souls.
How sad to see those relations who should quicken one another to
that which is good, hardening one another in that which is evil!
And this
Punishment was in reality
Mercy to vast
Numbers. It
would cause strict self-examination,
Prayer, and dread of
hypocrisy,
Covetousness, and vain-
Glory, and it should still do
So. It would prevent the increase of false professors. Let us
learn hence how hateful falsehood is to the
God of
Truth, and
not only shun a direct
Lie, but all advantages from the use of
doubtful expressions, and double meaning in our speech.
12-16 The separation of hypocrites
By distinguishing judgments,
should make the sincere cleave closer to each other and to the
Gospel ministry. Whatever tends to the purity and reputation of
the
Church, promotes its enlargement; but that power alone which
wrought such miracles
By the apostles, can rescue sinners from
the power of
Sin and
Satan, and add believers to His
worshippers.
Christ will work
By all his
Faithful servants; and
every one who applies to him shall be healed.
17-25 There is
No Prison So dark,
So strong, but
God can visit
his people in it, and, if he pleases, fetch them out. Recoveries
from sickness, releases out of trouble, are granted, not that we
may enjoy the comforts of
Life, but that
God may be honoured
with the services of our
Life. It is not for the preachers of
Christ's
Gospel to retire into corners, as long as they can have
any opportunity of preaching in the great
Congregation. They
must preach to the lowest, whose souls are as precious to
Christ
as the souls of the greatest. Speak to all, for all are
concerned. Speak as those who resolve to stand to it, to live
and die
By it. Speak all the words of this heavenly, divine
Life, in comparison with which the present earthly
Life does not
deserve the name. These words of
Life, which the
Holy Ghost puts
into your mouth. The words of the
Gospel are the words of
Life;
words whereby we may be saved. How wretched are those who are
vexed at the success of the
Gospel! They cannot but see that the
Word and power of the
Lord are against them; and they tremble
for the consequences, yet they will go
On.
26-33 Many will do an evil thing with daring, yet cannot
Bear
to hear of it afterward, or to have it charged upon them. We
cannot expect to be redeemed and healed
By Christ, unless we
give up ourselves to be ruled
By him.
Faith takes the
Saviour in
all his offices, who came, not to save us in our sins, but to
save us from our sins. Had
Christ been exalted to give dominion
to
Israel, the chief priests would have welcomed him. But
Repentance and remission of sins are blessings they neither
valued nor saw their need of; therefore they,
By No means,
admitted his doctrine. Wherever
Repentance is wrought, remission
is granted without fail. None are freed from the guilt and
Punishment of
Sin, but those who are freed from the power and
dominion of
Sin; who are turned from it, and turned against it.
Christ gives
Repentance,
By his
Spirit working with the
Word, to
awaken the
Conscience, to work sorrow for
Sin, and an effectual
change in the
Heart and
Life. The giving of the
Holy Ghost, is
Plain evidence that it is the will of
God that
Christ should be
obeyed. And He will surely destroy those who will not have Him
to reign over them.
34-42 The
Lord still has all hearts in his hands, and sometimes
directs the prudence of the worldly
Wise,
So as to restrain the
persecutors. Common sense tells us to be cautious, while
experience and observation show that the success of frauds in
matters of religion has been very short. Reproach for
Christ is
true preferment, as it makes us conformable to his pattern, and
serviceable to his interest. They rejoiced in it. If we suffer
ill for doing
Well, provided we suffer it
Well, and as we
should, we ought to rejoice in that
Grace which enabled us
So to
do. The apostles did not preach themselves, but
Christ. This was
the preaching that most offended the priests. But it ought to be
the constant business of
Gospel ministers to preach
Christ:
Christ, and him crucified;
Christ, and him glorified; nothing
beside this, but what has reference to it. And whatever is our
station or rank in
Life, we should seek to make Him known, and
to
Glorify his name.