A DEADLY DECEPTION
ACTS 5:1-11
NASB
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s [a]full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not [a]under your control? Why is it that you have [b]conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land [a]for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, [a]that was the price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.
5:2 [a]Or collusion 5:4 [a]Or in your authority [b]Lit placed 5:8 [a]Lit for so much
NLT
1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3 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. 4 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!”
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”
“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
9 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.”
10 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. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.
Every once in a while, we need something to shock us into reality. When things are going well, it’s easy to coast along without a worry as good fortune creates a false sense of security. If we’re not careful, we can drift off course or fail to see the warning signs of disaster ahead.
In the fall of 1973, I received a shock like that. At about seven o’ clock on a foggy morning, I arrived at my study in the church with my arms full of books and my mind crowded with routine details. I unlocked the door, swung it open, shut it with my heel, plopped the books down on my desk, turned around, and came face to face with a casket, covered with a spray of wilted flowers and topped with a large picture of me!
I checked the second hand of my watch. (Still moving.)
I felt my pulse. (Strong and rapid.)
I puffed into my hands. (Something came out.)
Reassured that I was the victim of a practical joke and very much alive, I praised God and then plotted my revenge! In the quiet moments after that initial shock, however, I found myself the recipient of a unique gift. Very few people get to see a preview of their own funeral. My glimpse of the future caused me to take stock of my life —my priorities, my direction, my strengths, my weaknesses, and potential dangers.
As the fledgling church in Jerusalem overcame its first great challenge —the arrest, trial, and attempted intimidation by the Sanhedrin —people responded to the apostles’ witness in droves. Peter’s first sermon brought three thousand new believers into the kingdom; his second sermon brought another five thousand. These new Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit, bold in their proclamation of Jesus Christ, and supernaturally generous with their material wealth. The church became a little taste of heaven on earth. Then, something shocked every member of the movement, snapping them back into reality.
— 5:1-2 —
This portion of the narrative begins with the ominous word “but.” Why the contrast? A quick glance back just a few verses reminds us of the glory days of koinōnia [2842]. Members of the Jerusalem church were filled with the Spirit of God, bursting at the seams with the good news, worshiping together, eating together, learning together, growing together, and sharing their material possessions. In fact, it had become commonplace for landowners to sell off their property and donate all of the proceeds to the church (4:34-35).
Luke names one of these extraordinary Christians (4:36-37), probably for two reasons. First, to introduce the remarkable man named Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus. Nicknamed Barnabas, “Son of Encouragement,” he became well known for the grace he displayed toward others. Second, to provide a suitable backdrop for the story of Ananias and Sapphira. With Acts 5:1, the story turns from simple, transparent generosity to dark, deceitful hypocrisy.
The husband and wife went through the same external motions as Barnabas. They sold a piece of land and brought money to the apostles to help meet the needs of less fortunate people in the church. That, in itself, was a wonderful act of generosity. They would have been thanked for their display of grace —except that they lied (5:2-4).
— 5:3-4 —
The husband and wife didn’t arrive together. Ananias came first with the money. Peter’s indictment highlights an important contrast. While the Holy Spirit filled Barnabas and the other believers, Satan filled the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira (5:3). Instead of wisdom driving their actions, foolishness told them they could lie to an omniscient God. The apostle clarified two points of misconception.
First, Ananias and Sapphira were not required to do anything (5:4). They could have kept the land to produce more wealth for themselves. They could have invested the proceeds in another business venture. They could have spent the money on something nice for their family or used it to pay for a luxurious vacation. Nothing in the teaching of Christ declares material wealth sinful. Furthermore, He doesn’t command a specific amount of charitable giving. Rather than requiring sacrifices, instead of mandating offerings in a temple, far from demanding a 10 percent tax (a tithe), God fills His people with His Spirit and transforms their hearts. As a result of this filling, His people respond with spontaneous generosity (4:32-35).
Their freewill gift of money to the church would have been received gratefully if they had not lied. The man and his wife presented a partial sum of money to the apostles, claiming that it represented all of the proceeds (cf. 5:8). They could have said, “Brothers, we sold a piece of property, and we have brought a portion of the proceeds to you today; we have need of the other part.” Nothing wrong with that. But they pretended they were sacrificing like Barnabas, moved by the Spirit to give all.
Second, Christians aren’t morally accountable to apostles, church leaders, or any other humans. Because our actions affect one another, we are mutually accountable. Because church leaders must act in the best interest of the church, they must confront unrepentant sin. But we answer directly to God for our actions. Ananias and Sapphira thought pleasing the apostles counted for something, but Peter set them straight. He said, in effect, “You gain nothing spiritually by fooling us.”
— 5:5-6 —
We’re not told exactly what caused the man’s death. Heart attack? Brain aneurysm? Stroke? Luke’s grammar strongly implies divine activity without saying so outright. Regardless, we see a definite cause-and-effect relationship between the man’s deception and his sudden death.
Jewish Law called for quick handling of cadavers. If a death occurred close to sundown, the body would have been wrapped hastily in linen strips soaked with spices and resin and then placed in a cave. Preparation for permanent burial would have been completed the next day, followed by an extended period of mourning by the family.
— 5:7-10 —
Three hours later, Ananias’s wife, Sapphira, came to the apostles. For what reason, we can only surmise. Perhaps she hoped to receive the same accolades as Barnabas. Upon her arrival, Peter questioned the woman, giving her ample opportunity to be honest. He could not have been more direct in his question: “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” (5:8). Tragically, she lied as well: “Yes, that was the price” (5:8).
Peter’s indictment of the woman parallels that of her husband. “Lie to the Holy Spirit” (5:3) parallels “put the Spirit of the Lord to the test” (5:9). The Greek word for the latter, peirazō [3985], describes the process of discovering the true nature of something by means of experiment. Think of a man biting on a gold coin to see if it’s genuine, and you have the right idea. The term also carries the idea of entrapment: “to entice to improper behavior.”
Ananias and Sapphira didn’t set out to test God’s character or to draw Him into sin; nevertheless, that would have been the outcome if God had not responded the way He did. Peter implied that their actions backed God into a corner, so that allowing them to get away with their fraud would have made Him a silent accomplice.
Within moments, the woman joined her husband in eternity (5:9-10). Before the sun went down, her body lay beside her husband’s in the family tomb. What a tragedy for their family! What a sad day for the church! Hypocrisy brought two lives to their ends.
— 5:11 —
Acts 5:11 repeats the last half of 5:5. A respectful awe for the holiness and power of God filled the church. This terrible incident served as a wake-up call for the church, a sobering shock back to reality. Everything within the church had been going smoothly —almost ideally, in fact. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira reminded the church that Christians aren’t immune to sin. People can receive the Holy Spirit in salvation without yielding to His power in sanctification. They can appear one way on the outside while harboring sin on the inside. The church also learned that God’s grace doesn’t make Him soft on sin. He’s still the holy, righteous God who deals harshly with rebellion.
APPLICATION: ACTS 5:1-11
Christian Responsibilities
As I reflect on the sin of Ananias and Sapphira, two observations emerge. First, the act was premeditated. It wasn’t a mistake. They didn’t simply do a poor financial accounting of the transaction. They colluded to perpetrate a fraud in the name of the Holy Spirit.
Second, their sin was motivated by pride. Plain and simple. They wanted to appear generous like their peers. They weren’t willing to say, “Peter, as we bring this sum of money, we bring it for the glory of God, for His purpose only. We want you to know that we received more than this, but we’ve kept the rest for our own needs. We don’t want to give you the impression that we’re in any way in the same league as Barnabas. But here’s a portion of the money; use it as you like.” That’s honesty. That’s humility.
Bear in mind that this is in the context of a church moved to generosity by the Holy Spirit. This would be the equivalent of a few people on the Day of Pentecost speaking in a fake foreign language to appear Spirit filled like the rest. As true representatives of the Holy Spirit, we have three significant responsibilities.
First, we have a responsibility to maintain personal integrity. We must make truth a priority in every aspect of life. We must cultivate a lifestyle of transparency and authenticity —the opposite of hypocrisy. Ananias and Sapphira failed here. We are responsible to examine our motives, and if we don’t like what we see, present them to the Lord. As David wrote,
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. (Ps. 139:23-24)
and
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Ps. 51:10)
All through my four years in seminary, a little hand-painted sign hung in front of me at the desk where I sat. Every time I looked up from my studies, I faced the words, “What is your motive?” Today, more than fifty years later, when I look up from my desk in my study at home, those words hang before me in my mind’s eye.
What is your motive? Why do you do what you do?
Second, we have a responsibility to maintain a clear conscience. In Psalm 32, David reflects on the trap of deception:
How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. (Ps. 32:2-4)
The king’s tortured conscience made him physically ill. The Lord held him responsible to maintain a clear conscience, not only as a man of God, but in his role as judge. With his sin unconfessed, he could not be a fair and impartial judge of right and wrong in the cases brought before him. Finally, when Nathan penetrated his veil of secrecy, pointed his finger, and said, “You are the man,” the king admitted his guilt —and found relief (2 Sam. 12:1-14). Only then could he fulfill his duties as God’s representative, the Lord’s embodiment of right in a world gone wrong.
That’s our responsibility as well. As bearers of God’s Spirit, we have a duty to represent the voice of right in a world dominated by evil.
Third, we have a responsibility to be authentic. Ananias and Sapphira might have benefited from the words Paul would pen a couple of decades later: “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself” (Rom. 14:7, ESV). (I would add, “None of us sins to himself.”) But Ananias and Sapphira should have known better even without Paul’s words in front of them. The sin of hypocrisy always involves somebody else; in fact, it’s a sin committed against everyone. The Lord places us in a community so that we might encourage one another. That requires honesty!
I’m encouraged when another believer admits to having struggles. I feel less alone. It gives me an opportunity to share my own struggles. I learn how to face my temptations and weaknesses when I see someone else face similar difficulties and overcome them. God designed this community called the church to be a system of mutual support. So when one decides to put on a mask and pretends to have it all together, we all suffer.