Following this incident, Luke focuses on some characteristics of the early church which made them great. He writes, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common” (4:32). Since they were convinced that God had given them all things they possessed, they kept a loose hold on their possessions in case someone else had a need. The spirit of giving was so prevalent in the early church that Luke says, “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need” (4:34-35). The early church was filled with people from differing economic backgrounds; however, money was not what unified them as a people. Those who owned land or houses would sell them if someone had a genuine need. Luke even mentions that Barnabas, who later becomes a companion of Paul on his journeys, sold land so that others could be helped (4:36-37). This is a pretty radical thing. I wonder how this attitude toward giving would change the modern-day church?
I’m not sure that the chapter break between Acts 4 and 5 is located in the best place because the theme of people selling their land and houses is continued in the Acts 5:1-11. At any rate, a man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sell a piece of their land and lay the money at the feet of the apostles so they could use it to help those who were in need. Ananias appears to be the one who brings the money to the apostles, but Luke points out that “he kept back part of the proceeds…” (5:2). Scripture seems to indicate that Ananias had made it appear as if he had given the entire amount of profit from selling his land because Peter gets very angry saying, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” I’m certain that Peter exposing this fact caught Ananias by surprise because he did not even have a chance to respond. Instead, Luke records that when Ananias heard these words, he “fell down and breathed his last” (5:5a). Upon hearing about this, great fear came upon the church (5:5b) which is very understandable. Why did God kill Ananias for just lying? Well, Ananias made it seem as if he was giving the entire amount of his profit to the church when, in reality, he was only giving part. In essence, Ananias was lying to God and this is a serious offense (5:4). When a commitment or promise is made in the name of God, we must always fulfill it. The death of Ananias would have served as a great reminder of the seriousness of lying to God.
After Ananias had been carried out of the presence of the apostles, Sapphira comes walking in to see Peter not knowing what had just happened to her husband (5:7). Peter directly asks her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” Sapphira responds by saying, “Yes, for so much” (5:8). Peter confronts her lie saying, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out” (5:9). Sapphira “fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things” (5:10-11).
Sin is a very serious thing and God wanted the church to know that they could not get away with hypocrisy. I really believe the specific sin here is lying, but the heart condition which caused the death of Ananias and Sapphira was hypocrisy. They desired others to see them as “spiritual” when in reality they were selfish. This couple did nothing wrong by giving the amount they gave but they wanted people to think they had sacrificed the whole profit, so they lied believing no one would find out, but God knew. The example of Ananias and Sapphira should challenge us to be honest in our hearts as well as in our actions. The church cannot be tainted by those who perform works with false motives because God will eventually bring His judgment upon them.
Dear God, keep my heart pure and free from false motives. Remind me often of the example of Ananias and Sapphira so that I may serve You with a clean conscience.
