“Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment 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. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” Acts 5.3-11
The account of Ananias and his wife Sapphira is bizarre. It’s something you might read in the Old Testament but rarely does something so bluntly devastating find itself recorded in the New Testament. It’s both shocking and an unsettling account of dishonesty and corruption within the Body of Christ.
As you have just read, Ananias offers only a portion of the sale of his field to the apostles. He lied “to the Holy Spirit” and kept a portion of the money for the sale of the field for himself, even though he said it was the entire amount that he gave. He could have kept all the money, it was his after all says Peter, but he chose to boast about giving it all to the church. He lied and gave only a portion of the sale. Greed entered his heart. As a result, Ananias “fell down and died.” “Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him and out and buried him.” Unbelievable!
His wife, knowing nothing about what had happened to her husband, was in cahoots with the lie her husband was telling. Peter calls her in, asks her to verify the price of the land, she does and lies. Peter said, “How could you conspire to test the Lord? The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” And at that moment she died. “Ggreat fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events,” and rightly so!
What’s the lesson? Don’t lie to the Lord! Give to the Lord what is owed him. And if he allows you to keep some of the profit then keep it. Otherwise, give all you have to the Lord. Ananias and Sapphira‘s mistake wasn’t in wanting to keep some of the money from the sale of the land, it was in lying about the price and then telling the church a different figure. Dishonesty has no place in the faith.
“O Lord God, have mercy on us! Help us to do, say and live according to your word. Help us find strength in your Holy Spirit. Come now, Lord God, fill us with your power and love. I thank you for saving us and for lessons such as these they can lead us toward holiness and right living with you. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen