FIRST BIAS

DEVIATION

Yeshua taught these lessons:

Love God and Love Others
Love All People, Not Just Those Who Agree with You
Make Peace among People
Forgive without Reservation
Do Not Judge Others
Be a Servant to All Others
However, in the days after Yeshua's death, followers of Yeshua believed that either God or an apostle was justified in judging, condemning, and killing two followers of Yeshua for disobeying the group or apostles.

However; When it was apparent that Yeshua was not going to return with a few days or weeks, the band of followers sold their belongings and property in Galilee, moved to Jerusalem, and pooled their money to wait for Yeshua to return, assuming it would not be much longer. Two followers, Ananias and his wife Sapphira, sold a field, but didn't give all the money from the sale to the apostles to be used for the community.

Peter confronted Ananias about it with strong, vituperate language: "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? Why do you lie to the Holy Spirit?" Ananias, Luke reported in Acts, fell dead on the spot. His wife, Sapphira came in three hours later. Peter confronted her about the money and she fell dead at Peter's feet. Luke reported that "all the people who heard about this were very much afraid" (Acts 5:1-11).

The occurrences were remarkable in their ferocity and provide insight into the early church: The deaths were very suspicious. Two people fell dead instantly when they displeased the apostles. However, apparently nothing was made of it at the time. Either God killed them or the apostles killed them.

The fear of retribution from their exposure probably would not have been great, but even a fear that the group would be angry with them would hardly have killed two people within hours of each other, and the clear message was that they didn't die of natural causes—something killed them because they displeased the Holy Spirit.

Violence had intruded itself into the believer's community within days of Yeshua's death. Obviously they were killed by the aphostoles. That was the first sign that the twelve also have not understood and internalized the path they were taught by Yeshua himself.

Our mission is to proclaim our Lord Yeshua's lesson that He was the "sole teacher." (Matthew 23:8-11). He sternly told the apostles they were not to call themselves or anyone else a "teacher"! In John, Jesus explained why when He insisted that the "apostolos is not more important than the one who sent him." (John 13:16.) The Greek word apostolos means either the title of Apostle or messenger or one that is sent. Here Yeshua meant He was more important than any Apostle or messenger.