Acts 4: 36 For instance, there was Joseph (the one the apostles nicknamed “Barnabas, the encourager.” He was of the tribe of Levi, from the island of Cyprus). 37 He was one of those who sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for distribution to those in need.
His actual name was Joseph, but most Christians know him as Barnabas, Son of Encouragement. He was a Jew from the priestly tribe of Levi, raised on the island of Cyprus. And evidently, he was well to do, for he owned a field that he could sell to donate money for the needy believers. And there were many needy people. The Pharisees and Sadducees might make a great show of their donations, even blowing trumpets announcing their generosity; however, that money went into the temple coffers, to which the poor and needy had no access. It was a sweet deal for wealthy worshipers to get religious credit while not having to get involved with actual sufferers who might wear rags and smell of sweat-and other odors-from the jobs they were doing to survive.
Acts 5:1 But there was a man named Ananias (with his wife Sapphira) who sold some property 2 and brought only part of the money, claiming it was the full price. (His wife had agreed to this deception.)
Did this couple actually believe in Jesus? Who knows? Perhaps Peter’s sermons on the Day of Pentecost had swayed them. Perhaps they knew they could never become socially prominent in traditional Jewish religious society while this new group offered all kinds of opportunities for someone smart. Here was a way of assuring reputations as charitable people. On the other hand, did they REALLY have to donate the full price of the property?
Why did this couple sell the property in the first place? Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira were Jewish believers who had watched the religious leaders get acclaim falsely for years. When this Jew from Cyprus, of all places, gained recognition and praise for his generosity, Ananias and Sapphira realized that they too might achieve positions of church leadership if they could just impress the disciples sufficiently. This group of Jesus believers was new; however, they were growing exponentially, offering lots of potential for advancement for anybody canny enough to manipulate their naïve leaders.
When you return to the story of the Garden of Eden, you realize that Satan’s question to Eve was couched in similar terms. “Did God REALLY say….” Spoiler alert! If you begin asking yourself questions that start with “Did God REALLY ___, you’re already on a slippery slope sliding into Hell.
Why were other believers willing to donate everything, sharing resources with all those around them? They were trusting that God was going to provide for them. In Matthew 6:24-34, Jesus reassures his disciples.
24 “You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around.
25 “So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things—food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body—and they are far more important than what to eat and wear. 26 Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. 27 Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothes? Look at the field lilies! They don’t worry about theirs. 29 Yet King Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as beautifully as they. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you, O men of little faith?
31-32 “So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, 33 and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.
34 “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.
Somehow, Ananias and Sapphira never got that message. They wanted something to fall back on in case this Jesus thing didn’t pan out. That misbelief proved to be a fatal mistake, revealing the couple as religious fakes.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, Satan has filled your heart. When you claimed this was the full price, you were lying to the Holy Spirit. 4 The property was yours to sell or not, as you wished. And after selling it, it was yours to decide how much to give. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us, but to God.”
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor, dead! Everyone was terrified, 6 and the younger men covered him with a sheet and took him out and buried him.
When Ananias fell to the floor, dead, Peter was just as shocked as everybody else. Peter probably hoped that Ananias would repent and confess the perjury, but God knew Ananias’ heart better than Peter did and God knew Ananias had no intention of repenting whatsoever. Believers buried Ananias swiftly and then asked Peter, “But what about his wife?”
“Wait for the wife,” Peter counseled. “Perhaps she is true-hearted and does not know what her husband has done.”
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Did you people sell your land for such and such a price?”
“Yes,” she replied, “we did.”
9 And Peter said, “How could you and your husband even think of doing a thing like this—conspiring together to test the Spirit of God’s ability to know what is going on? Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out too.”
10 Instantly she fell to the floor, dead, and the young men came in and, seeing that she was dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Terror gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened.
If you think Ananias and Sapphira were the only ones envying Barnabas and plotting similar schemes, think again. By now, the fledgling church had more than 5,000 believers. It’s quite possible that others were closely watching Ananias and Sapphira to see if they could fool the disciples; if they got away with the deception, others would copy them. The famous nineteenth century evangelist C.H. Spurgeon was fond of saying, “Begin as you mean to go on, and go on as you began.” Peter doesn’t realize it, but this matter has brought the church to a crisis point: Will the church allow manipulation and lies? God conclusively settles the matter by striking both Ananias and Sapphira dead. At this point, anyone else entertaining similar schemes should change their hearts and minds quickly!
If you have been a church member for very long, you might read this story and think, “Okay, God. But why aren’t you continuing to strike lying people dead as you did this couple?” One thing we forget is that God is infinitely gracious while we are not. We long to see evil-doers punished, preferably as swiftly as possible. God, on the other hand, gives people lots of opportunities to repent as long as the potential exists. Evidently, God knew that this couple had NO intention whatsoever of repenting, hence, their fate became a graphic lesson to others.
What’s the bottom line on the story of Ananias and Sapphira? Don’t try to fool God; He knows you better than you know yourself. May we continue to turn to God, trusting that He will guide us in the distribution of our resources.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain true-hearted, no matter what temptations present themselves. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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