Scripture: Acts 4:32-37
32 The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. 33 The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, 35 and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need.
36 Joseph, whom the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (that is, “one who encourages”), was a Levite from Cyprus. 37 He owned a field, sold it, brought the money, and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles.
Questions
- What was the belief that united the community together in one heart and one mind?
- Were the early Christians selling everything they owned or is there some level of hyperbole in this passage, if so what does the hyperbole convey?
- Verse 34 says, “there were no needy persons among them”, what are the obstacles for our communities today when it comes to eliminating poverty?
- What does the people placing their giving in the care of the apostles teach us about stewardship and giving?
- How does this passage relate to the story of Ananias and Sapphira in the next chapter?
Background
Related Scriptures: Jeremiah 32:36-41; Acts 5:1-11; Romans 12:6-8; 2
Corinthians 8:1-9
The only passage in the Bible outside of Acts that talks of people being of one heart is Jeremiah 32:39 where that idea is connected to proper worship.
The generosity of the group is directly connected to people accepting the apostles’ message. The passage wants to demonstrate that Divine power is unleashed when we take our relationships seriously and work to build community.
Though verse 34 gives the appearance that selling large property like fields and houses verses 36-37 seem to indicate that Barnabas’ gift was extraordinary. Either because it was a gift that triggered others to copy or because it was especially large. Based on this it is likely that verse 34 has some degree of hyperbole and is meant to highlight the willingness of people to sell possessions rather than a reflection that many did so.
The name Barnabas is presented in the text as meaning “son of encouragement or exhortation” it may be derived from the Aramaic “Son of the prophet” which would mean there is a connection between Barnabas’ actions and prophetic speeches which seems to be what Acts is trying to highlight.
Acts includes that Barnabas was a Levite, the Levites were not given land as an inheritance but were dependent on the people of Israel meeting their material needs. Including this detail is one way Acts shows the ironic reversal of the Gospel message. When people discover Jesus they become providers for others.
Reflection
The opening chapters of Acts recount miraculous events that happened to the Apostles after Jesus’ ascension, which led to rapid growth in the community of believers. When we get to the end of chapter 4 the Church has a few thousand members and we begin to get a glimpse of these believers’ mundane life together. It is so easy to focus on the supernatural exploits of Peter (and the other apostles) in opening chapters of Acts that we can overlook how important this brief section is to the story of the Church. this brief passage is often even overshadowed by the supernatural deaths that occur in the next chapter to the point that we forget that those deaths are the result of the perversion of what we see here. It is the generosity of the community and in particular Barnabas that highlights what was so wrong about the gift of Ananias and Sapphira. We can get so caught up in the miraculous healings, gifts of tongues, and deaths that we overlook the everyday miracle present in this passage.
It is too easy to overlook the fact that Acts tells us Holy Spirit that worked through Peter to bring healing to the lame man and allowed the crowds to hears also gave Barnabas the power to demonstrate overwhelming generosity. In fact, the whole community was of one mind in listening to the Holy Spirit’s moving and the Holy Spirit’s gift to the community was to see the needs of the community and how God had already given them the resources to meet that need. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is resources to take care of the community we belong to and using this gift within the church is just as much the work of the Christian as anything else we do. The Apostles recognized this when they called Joseph the “one who encourages”. To us it simply sounds like they recognize that Barnabas was a person who lifts the spirits of others; however we should take the time to break down the name. The translation I used says “one who” but this is literally “son of” a term used to say that a person completely embodies a trait and the word translated “encourages” is probably better rendered “exhorts”. Barnabas then is someone who completely embodies exhortation or preaching the Gospel. The name change given to Joseph in verse 36 is a way of saying that his generosity is embodying the preaching of the Gospel message in the same way that the Apostles did on Pentecost or Peter and John did healing the man in the Temple. This is because to take part in generosity is to truly understand and proclaim the reality that God has provided us with enough. A lifestyle dedicated to generosity is a living sermon that God has richly provided for creation and I, as God’s servant, am charged with ensuring God’s resources go where they are needed. Or as St. Cyprian said:
This is truly to become a son of God by spiritual birth; this is to imitate the equity of God by the heavenly law. For whatever belongs to God belongs to all by our appropriation of it, nor is anyone kept from his benefits and gift, nor does anything prevent the whole human race from equally enjoying God’s goodness and generosity. Works and Almsgiving 25.[1]
Barnabas’ lifestyle was a living presentation of God’s gifts to the world, and in many ways there is no better sermon than people seeing a person whose life imitates God. Barnabas was not simply a model for the community, pushing them to good works of charity, he was a sermon in and of himself bringing the community closer to God. Barnabas opened himself up to the Holy Spirit saying, take what I have and let me reflect Jesus, and the Holy Spirit responded by showing Barnabas the need that he could care for. It should be a regular event for us today to see the active role of the Holy Spirit in our lives in our caring for the needs of others. When we take on the calling to generosity we are hearing the Holy Spirit speak to us and through us to the whole world.
[1] Francis Martin and Evan Smith, eds., Acts, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, 57.
Squinting in the Light 
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