Why did Ananias and Sapphira sell their land?

A:It seems likely that at least some of the first-century Christians lived in communes and held their possessions in common. There is a hint of this in Mark's Gospel, and the focus of Luke-Acts on the poor would seem to support this. Ananias and Sapphira would have sold their land in order to hand the proceeds over to the commune leader, who is Peter in this story. Withholding some of the proceeds, perhaps in case they later became disenchanted with the new religion, would have been very much against the rules. Even if the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 did not really happen, the telling of it would have had a salutary effect on potential recruits to the faith.