Acts 5:1-11 ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA DIE FOR LYING! “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!”
On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened. Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
About three hours later his wife also came in, unaware of what had happened. “Tell me,” said Peter, “is this the price you and your husband got for the land?”
“Yes,” she answered, “that is the price.”
“How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events.”
Originally, the Book of Acts was not divided into chapters, but was one continuous manuscript. The chapter divisions were added much later. As Acts 4 ends, Joses, also known as Barnabas, “Son of Encouragement,” has sold a desirable piece of property and donated the entire amount to the disciples. Barnabas is a wealthy Jew from Cyprus. Now, another couple, Ananias and Sapphira, decide to sell property and donate SOME of the money. Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira fear that the Christian movement may fall apart and want to keep back some of the proceeds to live on. So far, no problem. But this couple is trying to compete with Barnabas for approbation, so they give everyone the impression that the money they have donated is the total amount they have received for the land.
At this point, Christians are living under intense scrutiny from their neighbors, so it doesn’t take long at all before word gets out that the amount this couple have donated is far less than the total amount they have received for the land. “Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!”
“On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened. Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.”
Well, this event has certainly turned things upside down! For years, Ananias has been attending the temple, publicizing his family’s donations as trumpets sound and announcements ring throughout the building. It’s quite possible that Ananias has been lying about his temple donations. Now that Ananias and Sapphira have become Christians, Ananias naturally expects something similar to happen. Barnabas has already gotten lots of attention, so why shouldn’t Ananias and his wife? And who’s ever going to know if they are donating the full price of their land or something less? But Ananias has failed to recognize the all-knowing presence of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is hidden from God, and after years of pretense, today Ananias pays the price for his lies, drops dead, and is buried immediately.
Somehow, the word about Sapphira’s husband’s death fails to reach her, and she comes boldly to meet the disciples. Sapphira is an accomplished liar, so when Peter queries her about the price of the land, she readily gives him information about the donation and not about the full price. But this is the day the lies end, for Peter confronts her. “About three hours later his wife also came in, unaware of what had happened. “Tell me,” said Peter, “is this the price you and your husband got for the land?”
“Yes,” she answered, “that is the price.”
“How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events.”
Undoubtedly, over the centuries, there have been large numbers of people who have lied about their donations to the Church. Why were Ananias and Sapphira punished so harshly? The British have a phrase, “Begin as you mean to go on.” God wants to make sure that these new believers have proper respect and awe for Him. Have there been other cases in which someone has lied and has been struck dead? Possibly. But God also is merciful, and many times He gives people the chance to repent and change.
Quite evidently, God knows that Ananias and Sapphira have been playing these games for years and have no intention of repenting or changing. It’s possible that this couple have become Christians simply because they think Christianity might prove cheaper and easier than traditional Judaism. It’s also possible that there are many more new believers who are being tempted to compromise just as this couple has done. Nothing will convince people to behave honestly more rapidly than seeing two people drop dead under the power of God! And the word about these deaths will spread throughout Jerusalem at the speed of light, causing others to seriously consider the claims of the Christians.
We read this story and think, “Oh, I would never do anything like that!” But would we? How many times have we prayed, “Oh, God, if you will just ______, then I will pray more/do better/be more loving?” And when God answers our prayers, do we simply walk away, conveniently forgetting our promises? How many small lies does it take to add up to an “Abomination to the Lord” lie? Or, what if God views all lies as equally wrong and equally sinful? We love to consider our lies as “white lies,” that are somehow more acceptable than those of others. But what does God think about our “white lies?” May God help us to search our hearts and confess our sins and failures so that He can forgive us. Otherwise, we too are in the same category as Ananias and Sapphira.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please send Your Holy Spirit to search our hearts and to reveal our sins and failures to us, particularly the lies we have told to ourselves and others. We confess all those things as sin and beg You to forgive us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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