Reading… and Thinking

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

– Acts 5:1-5 (ESV)

The believers were not under any compulsion to give donations to the ecclesia. So why did Ananias and Sapphira do what they did? Many others were donating, and perhaps Ananias and Sapphira felt social pressure to do the same. But at the same time, they figured they better look out for their own well-being. Peter makes it clear that they didn’t have to sell the land, and even after they sold it, they didn’t have to give the entire proceeds. It would be OK to give part, and that’s what they did. So why is the judgment so harsh?

The point is that these two cared more for what people thought of them than what God thought of them. Did they think He didn’t know about their lie? Their religion was for others to see, not a true conversion of the heart. They failed to understand a key characteristic of God: He is true, and hates all lies.

Well, I’m sure lots of believers have told lies over the years, but they don’t all fall down dead. In fact, summary judgment like this is exceedingly rare, for any sin – it happens only a very few times in all of Scripture. When it happens, it is being used by God to provide an example, to teach others. We need to think of ourselves in the place of Ananias or Sapphira whenever we tell a lie, or whenever we make an outward show of religion that has not touched our heart. God does not accept lies or liars, and He does not accept hollow service. The result of the Lord’s action here was that “great fear came upon the whole church”. It’s important to remember that God is a “consuming fire”, as well as a gracious savior. We need to approach God with awe, not with shallow self-interest. If we can learn this lesson, then some good will have come out of this display of the Lord as Judge.

Two bonus notes from the same chapter:

(1) We get in this passage a good definition of Satan in the New Testament: evil that comes out of a person’s own heart. “Satan filled your heart” = “you contrived this deed in your heart”.

(2) In vv 34-39 Gamaliel refers to Theudas and Judas of Galilee, two false Messiahs who had arisen in the past. Gamaliel is confirmed as the most respected Jewish teacher of his day by secular history. Likewise, there are historical records that confirm the details Gamaliel mentions about Theudas and Judas. This kind of historical accuracy of the Acts is confirmed over and over. If the writer (almost certainly Luke) was so accurate in these details, what grounds are there for claiming that his accounts of the activities of the apostles are just fiction? But that is what is claimed by those who don’t wish to believe the Bible. The proven historical accuracy is good reason to trust all of the account.