Acts 2 and A Commune Church

This a quick treatise on the events of Acts 2-7 and specifically about the believers selling their property and having everything in common.

The setting is the Passover and 50 days later the Feast of Pentecost. The Passover was held once a year and Jews from all over the world came to celebrate and if their budgets permitted they would stay over 50 days for the Feast of Pentecost. Easton’s Bible Dictionary describes the city during this Passover:

The appearance of Jerusalem on the occasion of the Passover in the time of our Lord is thus fittingly described: “The city itself and the neighbourhood became more and more crowded as the feast approached, the narrow streets and dark arched bazaars showing the same throng of men of all nations as when Jesus had first visited Jerusalem as a boy. Even the temple offered a strange sight at this season, for in parts of the outer courts a wide space was covered with pens for sheep, goats, and cattle to be used for offerings. Sellers shouted the merits of their beasts, sheep bleated, oxen lowed. Sellers of doves also had a place set apart for them. Potters offered a choice from huge stacks of clay dishes and ovens for roasting and eating the Passover lamb. Booths for wine, oil, salt, and all else needed for sacrifices invited customers. Persons going to and from the city shortened their journey by crossing the temple grounds, often carrying burdens... Stalls to change foreign money into the shekel of the temple, which alone could be paid to the priests, were numerous, the whole confusion making the sanctuary like a noisy market” (Geikie's Life of Christ).

This year, the year Jesus was crucified, was special! Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover and everyone knew the chief priest was intent on putting him to death.

Joh 18:14 NET.  (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish leaders that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.)

Jesus’s crucifixion drew lots of attention and we can assume that people that would normally have gone home stayed for the Feast of Pentecost, just so see what might happen.

Acts 2.1 (TLB) Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived.

Acts 2.5 TLB Many godly Jews were in Jerusalem that day for the religious celebrations, having arrived from many nations. 

Regardless of the reason, they were in town, there were Jews there from all over the world:

Acts 2. 7-11 TLB “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “For these men are all from Galilee, ⁸ and yet we hear them speaking all the native languages of the lands where we were born! ⁹ Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, men from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia Minor, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the Cyrene language areas of Libya, visitors from Rome—both Jews and Jewish converts— ¹¹ Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these men telling in our own languages about the mighty miracles of God!”

Here’s a map showing how much of the civilized world was there that day:

Peter preached an inspiring message:

Acts 2.36 TLB “Therefore I clearly state to everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus you crucified to be the Lord, the Messiah!”

Acts 2.41 TLB  And those who believed Peter were baptized—about three thousand in all!

Verse 41 comes at the end of Peter’s speech and then verse 42 says:

Acts 2.42 TLB   They joined with the other believers in regular attendance at the apostles’ teaching sessions and at the Communion services^[f] and prayer meetings.

⁴³ A deep sense of awe was on them all, and the apostles did many miracles

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From the way the story unfolds, there are lots of Jews in town from all over the world and many of them became Christians. They have had a life changing experience and they wanted to stick around and be taught about what has happened to them.

As I understand the times, people from all over the world saved up to make a trip to Jerusalem at least once in their lifetime and now something has happened to them. They stick around for more, more of this life-changing joy, and in doing so they overextend their budgets. Therefore, those that had resources sold their possessions and belongings and shared as any had a need:

Act 2:44-47 ESV  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  (45)  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  (46)  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,  (47)  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

One day Peter healed the lame beggar, got into trouble with the Sanhedrin, and the people prayed for more power – and the out of towners were still in Jerusalem.

Act 4:31-32 NLT  After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.  (32)  All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.

Act 4:33-37 NLT  The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all. 

(34)  There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them  (35)  and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.  (36)  For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means "Son of Encouragement"). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus.  (37)  He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.

Then Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and died on the spot! They were not compelled to sell anything, as far as we know the Apostles never encouraged people to sell and share – it was all voluntary. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to seem generous when they were not.

Meanwhile, the teaching moved on:

Act 5:12 NLT  The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon's Colonnade.

Act 5:14 NLT  Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.

During all of this, the people’s fears were realized and the Sadducee officials arrested the apostles and put them in jail but they didn’t stay there overnight. This gave Peter an opportunity to preach another of his powerful sermons. And, the movement continued:

Act 5:42 NLT  And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: "Jesus is the Messiah."

Now, in Chapter 6 is where the trouble starts, there are two classes of believers in this crowd.

Act 6:1 NLT  But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

The Peoples New Testament commentary defines these people thusly:

"The Grecians" [Greek-speaking believers] were not Greeks, or Gentiles, but foreign Jews, who were born and brought up out of Palestine, and spoke the Greek language. This class of Jews was found in almost every city where Paul preached.

The Hebrews [Hebrew-speaking believers] were Jews of Palestine. They held themselves superior to the foreign Jews, and something of this spirit showed itself in the church.

It seems safe to assume that at least some of the Greek-speaking believers are holdovers from all over the world as per the map from Acts 2.

The seven men are selected as per the apostles' instructions and Stephen’s miracles, signs, and debating skills got him arrested and stoned. His sermon before the High Priest is the best New Testament summary of Old Testament history that I know about.

We can safely assume that the Apostle Paul was watching all of this action (Acts 2-7) and he gave his approval of Stephen’s death:

Act 8:1 NLT  Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.

It also seems safe to assume that the Passover Jews straggled back home after the Feast of Pentecost but some could have remained until Chapter 8. Regardless of those assumptions, the increase in Jerusalem believers stopped with the stoning of Stephen.

After Chapter 7 there are no Greek-speaking Jews complaining about the Hebrew-speaking Jews, they are all gone. And with that, the need for local believers to share their possessions and belongings with the out-of-town believers vanishes.

A church is started in Samaria by Phillip:

Act 8:5-8 NLT  Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah.  (6)  Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did.  (7)  Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed.  (8)  So there was great joy in that city.

From here the church spread even to Ethiopia and I can’t find any mention of everyone having everything in common in any of the new churches.

The people closest to Jesus and his teachings did not understand the Luke 12:33 and the Luke 14:33 verses to force the believers to be without possessions. Paul asked the Corinthian believers to give of their possessions as the Lord had blessed them and to do it with a cheerful heart.

2Co 9:7 NET.  Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion because God loves a cheerful giver.

1Co 16:2 NET.  On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income and save it to the extent that God has blessed you, so that a collection will not have to be made when I come.

I can’t believe that Peter, James, John, or Jude, (people that knew Jesus and that were close to him) understood the Luke passages as encouraging or expecting believers to sell everything they had, rather they understood them in terms of perspective – put Christ first, above things, in your perspective, hold possessions with and open hand, God is free to give and take away. They taught perspective, not destitution. 

The perspective idea is shown in Peter's comment to Ananias, "The property was yours, the money was yours..."

The events of Acts 2 - Acts 7 took place in a matter of months, and Paul's actions against the church scattered everyone so the need to share and the practice of caring for out-of-towners in Jerusalem ended. No other church in the New Testament had the problem like the believers in Jerusalem had.

That’s the way it seems to me. And that’s how I see the church leaders for last 2,000+ years understanding these verses.