Acts 4:34-37 34For there was not any needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses, after selling, brought the proceeds of what was sold 35and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was given to each to whatever degree any had need.
The movement of the Holy Spirit among the believers moved them to care deeply for one another, so much so that they sold their properties to care for the needs of one another. Verse 34 is the fulfillment of God’s plan for Israel expressed in Deuteronomy 15:4, that there would be no poor among the people if they obeyed God’s commands. The believers’ motive is not explicitly mentioned but implied from the larger context. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the laws of God were written on believers’ hearts so that they were moved to obedience. The highest level of obedience that encompasses all other laws is love. The earliest believers were so moved by love for one another that they sold what had great value to them in order to care for those who were in need. They may not have fully understood the theology behind what they were doing, but verses 34-35 are in answer to Jesus’ prayer for unity given in John 17.
Another possible cause for selling real estate was the belief that they were in the end times, and so it was more important that everyone was taken care of rather than having a long-term investment. They took care of immediate needs rather than hoarding things that do not matter in the long term. They were living out Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, particularly Matthew 6:33-34, by putting God’s kingdom first. The apostles were the authority figures and served as the administrators of the funds. To “lay” the money at the feet of the apostles meant giving up control of it and entrusting it to the apostles as representatives of Christ and the community. By giving to the group, people were actually giving to God, which is a model for giving to the church today. There is no evidence that people were forced or compelled to sell their properties but gave out of compassion for one another. The Holy Spirit was powerfully moving and motivating the early believers to live out the compassion of Christ in tangible ways, and because of that, they received great spiritual blessing from God.
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