Before we owned a car, we had use of several, thanks to the generosity of church friends. One lady lent us her new car when she went on holiday, days after its purchase. For Luke, these kinds of action are marks of God’s grace (v 33). A powerful work of grace may be evidenced by many coming to faith, but Luke associates it with every need in the Christian community being met (v 34), which of course becomes a witness to the world.

Some of the main signs of God’s grace at work are unity (v 32) and generosity (vs 32,33). When God met Jacob at Bethel and Jesus befriended Zacchaeus (Genesis 28:22; Luke 19:8), the immediate result was a desire to give. In neither case was pressure exerted to elicit that response. Similarly, those in the early church who sold pieces of land or houses and gifted the proceeds seem to have done so freely and without coercion. Their laying of the money ‘at the apostles’ feet’ says they were not dictating how the money should be used, as if their wealth gave them power to determine its allocation. Barnabas, who will play such a significant role in Acts (9:27; 11:22–26; and chapters 13–15) is introduced as a stand-out example, his integrity contrasting sharply with those in the next story (5:1–11).

Lord God, enable us to face the real challenge of this text.

This is the second time that Luke has highlighted the unity of the first believing community of Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem and stressed the economic dimensions of discipleship. Two things should be noticed. 

First, the text must be understood in relation to the memory of the explicit teaching of Jesus concerning wealth and possessions. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit enables the disciples both to recall Jesus’ words and to do as he instructed. Many in this community would have been eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and may have heard the ‘Sermon on the Plain’ in which he pronounced blessing upon the poor and warned of judgement on the rich.¹ The radical teaching of Jesus surprised his disciples and left them asking, ‘Who then can be saved?’² However, after Calvary and Pentecost, ‘great grace was upon them all’ (v 33, AV), with the result that they were able to practise the manner of life together which Jesus had demanded – and so they became known as the people of the Way.

The second thing to notice is that it was precisely the countercultural character of this community which, according to Luke, attracted attention and resulted in the growth of the movement. In an unjust and deeply divided society the community described here appeared to outsiders to suggest that the kingdom of God really was becoming a reality, challenging the reign of Mammon and presaging a new and different world of love and justice. Alas, in modern times many Christian commentators attempt to evade the challenge of this text, but in our globalised world the very future of Christianity may depend on whether or not it can rediscover the economics of the kingdom of God.

For reflection: ‘The success of … evangelism depends upon the ability to create envy.’³

¹ Luke 6:17–26  ² Luke 18:26  ³ JH Bavinck, An Introduction to the Science of Missions, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1960, p47