October 13, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Ananias and Sapphira Didn’t Hold Anything Back?

“But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.” Acts 5:1-11

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a difficult, yet powerful story from the early church. The problem with our friends Ananias and Sapphira is, perhaps, that they wanted to be seen as generous, perhaps more generous than they really were. The church’s well-intentioned sharing of goods probably led to a considerable amount of subtle pressure on members to make donations. In other words, when one member, or several make significant donations and sacrifices to the church community, others will want to look as if they too can make such a sacrifice. So, perhaps Ananias and Sapphira got caught up in a band-wagon effect. The couple wanted to appear as outstanding church members, but they didn’t want to part with their possessions. In order to have both, they pretended to give the full price of the sale of their property to the Apostles. But they secretly kept part of the money for themselves, thus trying to deceive the community. But what if they had given everything to the community? And what if they did not lie to Peter?

It would seem that the reputation of Peter, his power and his faithfulness to the community would have spread mightily after this encounter. Acts chapter 5 goes on to say that a great fear seized the church and all who heard of this account. If Ananias and Sapphira did not withhold anything from the sale of their property, they would have gone on to remain nameless and faceless among those who lived within the community of the believers following the Day of Pentecost. Could it be that, by their selfish actions, their sudden and shocking deaths serve more to embolden the power and position of Peter rather than if they had remained faithful followers? I think this is a fair question. Obviously, by being named as liars, and suffering the shocking judgment of Peter, the fear their story produces continues to have an impact within the church community – well, for those who even know their story.

When we consider reading the Bible and taking the words and teachings of G-d seriously, we have stories like these that have the power to keep us up at night.

Pastor Dave

October 12, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Junia Was a Female Apostle?

“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.” Romans 16:7

There has been a scholarly debate whether Junia was a man or a woman. Most manuscripts give the name Junia (which is a female name) while some manuscripts give the name Junias (a male name). The reason, as I can understand it, for the confusion is the fact that Paul identifies Andronicus and Junia as “Prominent among the Apostles…in Christ before I was.” I could see that it would be hard for many in the first or second century to name a woman as a “Prominent Apostle” – so the gloss would be to add an “S”, to change the name from a woman to a man. After all, how could a woman be named as an Apostle?

We do know of several women who are among the prominent disciples or apostles or workers within the early Christian church. Aquila and Priscilla are named as early converts of Paul’s. They were tent makers, well-to-do, without children and most likely middle-aged. Junia’s relationship with Andronicus is somewhat ambiguous, but it is generally supposed that they were husband and wife. It is also possible they could have been siblings or simply a team of evangelists. What is important is that Junia is referred to in her own right, not as an attachment to someone else. This means that she earned her title and position on her own merit, rather than it being simply a natural derivation from her husband’s status. Paul refers to Priscilla as another of his “fellow workers in Christ Jesus”. Phebe is also mentioned by Paul as a servant or deaconess of the church.

When we think of women who may have been Apostles or workers for Christ in the early church, we must contend with the Patriarchal society in which the early church developed. There may have been many women who served in the role of Apostle, but their names have been redacted from the canon by men. However, many of our own churches today still struggle to allow women equal status to serve in leadership roles. It is my opinion that without women serving the church of Jesus Christ, many churches will lack leadership and will eventually close due to a lack of people willing to serve the Gospel.

Pastor Dave