ManusJustus said:
That line, and every other part of the story, says absolutely nothing about Ananias having a choice in how much he donates. If I sale a house for $100,000 and have to pay a 10% tax on it, I would owe $1,000. However, if I sent the government a check for $500, I would be lying because I did not pay the amount that was required. Nothing is said, the payment itself is simply the lie. This is exactly what happens in the Biblical story, Ananias is required to give all the money from the land he sold to the Apostle, but he only brought forth a portion of it. He was punished because he did not give all of it as he was required and everyone else in the community did. |
"And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal?"
How is that not saying he could donate what he wanted? At the least it's saying he didn't have to donate anything.