What happensPermalink
Ananias and his wife Sapphira lie about a gift to the church, and God kills them. The council imprisons the apostles, but an angel frees them. The council wants to kill them, but the respected rabbi Gamaliel convinces them not to.
Why it mattersPermalink
Ananias and Sapphira sow dissent in the church by their lie, which is why they are punished. Peter’s healings are legendary, and the council cannot abide losing power. Gamaliel reasons that if the apostles are not from God, they will fail, but if they are, they cannot be stopped.
Key versePermalink
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.