Bible Gem 1450 – Why were Ananias and Sapphira dealt with so harshly? (Acts 5:1-11)

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Acts 5:1-11

Let’s return to an issue which we have not addressed as yet:

• Isn’t the judgment passed on Ananias and Sapphira too harsh?
• Why does God judge Ananias and Sapphira, so harshly?
• Surely they can choose how much they contribute or not? It is up to the giver how much they give.

It seems there are still some of you for whom this matter is an issue. So let’s deal with the matter. This was not written only for those present at the time of Ananias and Sapphire. This was meant to be prescriptive for the church and for those who followed, including us. As I have hinted at before, the issue has nothing to do with the money and what they did with it. Peter has told them and us clearly in verse four. The issue is about them lying to God and the Holy Spirit. “The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” The commandment not to lie or bear false witness makes it clear. God does not like falsity or lying.

Micah 6:8:-

• (MSG) But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously– take God seriously.
• (NASB) He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of youBut to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
• (NLT) No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: todo what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

At the heart of this statement of what God wants of us, is to do according to the commandments. The Hebrew of this section is to do [משׁפט] mishpat or “commandment”.

Literally to do (according) to the commandments. To do according to the commandments is indeed to be fair, to do right and to follow God’s rules and principles for a happy life for the doer and for those around them. Some of Jesus’ strongest condemnation came against falsity or pretence of piety and hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to be what you are not.

Here are some Jesus statements concerning this practice taken from Matthew chapter 23.

• vs 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.
• vs 5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.
• vs 14 [What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, you will be severely punished.]
• vs 25″What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!
• vs 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

It is one thing to not practice the law, in other words, to literally be lawless or as the term used in Westerns, to be an outlaw, to do things outside the law. But it is quite another level down from God’s point of view to do things that are not in accord with the law but to pretend that you are following Him and being spiritual. It is strong language to use but God hates that kind of practice and reserves His strongest judgment for those who do that. Hence the statement in Matt 23:14 – Because of this, you will be severely punished. Pretending to be pious is not just making long prayers in public. That is just an example. There are many ways you can pretend to be pious. Of course claiming to have given all of the proceeds of the sale of land to the Apostles is another way of appearing to be pious when in fact you are not. One person has asked me if there was not a difference between Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They can accept Ananias’ fate but why did Sapphira suffer the same fate? “She simply knew what her husband had done.” No, the word “condone” suggests she agreed and went along with what Ananias did. Then when Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” she said that it was. In other words, did you and your husband in fact give all the proceeds to the communal fund as you claim? Her claim that they did was false. That was the moment to speak up and admit they had not, but were claiming to have done so in order to appear on the same level of piety as Barnabas. It was for that which she was punished so severely. I think we also need to bear in mind it was not Peter or any other apostle who pronounced the judgment. It was God Himself. The pronouncement came from heaven and they were both struck down right after they had each made the condemning statement. It is and was pretty clear what was happening.

Now is the time for us to ponder on this passage and rightly align our lives with the Spirit of God and the intent of the law and the stories or examples that we have been given in Scripture. This modern world is clever at appearing to follow the letter of the law and to live according to the commandments but in reality to be far from it. It is perhaps time to ask God to:

“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong then guide me on the road to eternal life.” [MSG]Ps 139:23-24

People who get excited about preaching that requires nothing of them fall short of God’s standard.

Anon

He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.

Thomas Jefferson

Live for today, while keeping tomorrow in mind. Our battle lies in the inches, not the miles.

Lavonia Grabau

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle

Perfect people aren’t real, real people aren’t perfect, so you must decide either to hate me for my flaws or to love me for being real.

Paulo Coelho