Ananias and Sapphira

Scripture Reading

Acts chapter 5 and this evening we’ll be looking at verses 1 through 11 Once again listen now to the reading of God’s Holy Word

But a certain man named Ananias with Sapphira his wife sold a possession and he kept back part of the proceeds his wife also being aware of it and and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose, and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

Now it was about three hours later, when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter answered her, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, Yes, for so much. Then Peter said to her, How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door. and they will carry you out. Then immediately she 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.”

Prayer for Blessing

Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing on this, His holy word. O gracious God, Heavenly Father, we do praise you and thank you for your word and the great gift that it is to us. And even as we come to this kind of challenging passage before us this evening, we pray that your spirit would give us understanding and insight to see the truth that is here, to see the challenge for us, and just even the hope and the encouragement that we find here. And so we just pray that you would truly bless your word to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Introduction to the Early Church

Well, as we’ve seen so far in our study of the Book of Acts, that the early church was marked by great unity and sharing and cooperation. And even with over 5,000 members in the church there in Jerusalem, at this time there was a great commitment to putting the needs of others before their own, serving one another, and loving one another. And this was truly a great blessing indeed, and clear evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of God’s people.

But if the book of Acts ended at the end of chapter four, Well, we would have a very skewed view of the church. And even with the opposition from the religious leaders that we read about in chapter four, which at this point was fairly mild, the account of what was happening within the church, with all the growth, with all the excitement, and all this wonderful things that were happening, it seems very idealistic, and perhaps even to us 2,000 year later, it seems very unrealistic.

We’d be tempted to think that if we just had those first four chapters, we’d be tempted to think that the church never had any significant problems or controversies, no divisions, no disruptions to its unity. We might even think that the church was just full of wheat without any tares and that somehow the parable that Jesus had told in Matthew 13 about the tares growing along with the wheat didn’t actually apply to the kingdom of Christ church. But we know Jesus’ words are true, that there is often those of false faith sitting beside those of true faith in the very same church. Indeed, even among the close-knit group of Jesus’ followers, we know Judas was the betrayer, one of the twelve, and he betrayed his Lord.

And now we come to Acts chapter 5. kind of shine the light of reality on what the early church was like, showing us that no matter how unified the church may be, there is always going to be threats to that unity, both from outside the church and yes, even from within inside the church.

The events recorded here in chapter five, They aren’t just meant to be a reality check about the peace and unity of the church and the challenges that face the church, but they’re also recorded here for our encouragement. So that we can see that despite threats to the peace and unity of the church, whether it comes from outside the church or within the church, that God’s plan and purpose for the church and its ministry will be preserved, and the church will continue to press forward as the gospel continues to spread.

And so when Jesus promises in Matthew 16, on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it, we know that this is true. Christ will build his church, despite even the fiercest opposition that it may face in the world. Maybe not always in the way that we plan or would like to see it happen, but we know that the gospel witness will persist and that the church will remain in some form or fashion. For the Lord is always true to his word.

Introduction of Ananias and Sapphira

And so again, as we come to Acts 5, we’re introduced now to a couple who were members of the church there in Jerusalem, Ananias and Sapphira. Now, we don’t know when they believed, but certainly we know that they had heard the gospel, that they apparently had professed faith in Christ, that they had enjoyed the fellowship and the unity of the church. And that they even sat under the teaching and the preaching of the apostles and indeed were firsthand witnesses of how the church lived and sought to minister to one another so that even all the needs in the congregation were met.

That is, they witnessed how people freely and willingly gave and sold their property so that the proceeds could be distributed to those who were in need in the church. In fact, at the end of chapter four, we had read about Barnabas and that he had sold a tract of land and he freely gave all the proceeds of the sale of his land to the church so that this ministry of sharing could continue.

But with the mention of Ananias and Sapphira immediately afterwards, it seems very likely that they had witnessed this great act of generosity, kindness, and love on the part of Barnabas. In fact, it seems as though Ananias and Sapphira were so moved by this deed that they desired to do the very same thing. because they had a piece of property that they were willing to sell.

And so what was keeping them from going ahead and doing the very same thing that Barnabas had done? Demonstrating his love to God and love for neighbor by selling his property and giving the proceeds to the ministry of the church. Why couldn’t Ananias and Sapphira also sell their property and give it as a gift? Indeed, what a great blessing it would be. And truly it would have been.

The Deception Revealed

But we learn pretty quickly that Ananias and Sapphira weren’t who they appeared to be. By our appearance only, they seemed just like any other faithful disciples in the church. But it’s evident that their hearts were filled with deception. In verse 2, Ananias kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it. and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. And so instead of turning over all the proceeds to the church, Ananias, in collusion with his wife, decided to only give a portion to the church and then keep a portion for themselves. The deception is found here. that they intended to make it seem as though what they gave to the church was the full amount of the proceeds from the sale.

In other words, they wanted others to think that they were just as generous and sacrificially giving even as Barnabas was. But we see here that they were giving not in order to bless and benefit the poor and needy, not even in order to demonstrate their love toward God and neighbor. They were only giving so that they might be recognized as generous people before the apostles and before everyone else. And so in this small deception, we see that the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira are revealed.

They, like the Pharisees Jesus had condemned, were lovers of self, who sought the praise and the affirmation of the people by performing all these outward works of righteousness while their hearts were far, far away from the Lord. In short, we would say they were hypocrites.

We also see that in their deception they showed how much they despised their needy brothers and sisters. Someone like the ones James addresses in his epistle when he talks about the rich who oppressed the poor and yet professed a faith in Christ. Here Ananias and Sapphira wanted to give as little as possible while receiving for themselves not only a cut of the proceeds, but also all the praise of all the people. They put this praise for self above love for others.

And thirdly, we note that in this deception, they showed their animosity ultimately toward God. by thinking that God wouldn’t know what they were doing, that He wouldn’t find out, and that the apostles wouldn’t find out. Indeed, they were lying to God. They were denying the very nature and character and the power of God’s Spirit. And though they had made a profession of faith, they were revealing by this action, they were revealing themselves to be not true believers. Their faith was without sincere heartfelt works for the glory of God.

Peter’s Confrontation

But we know here that God did see what they were doing. He did see their plot and their scheming, thinking they were going to pull it fast when Ananias and Sapphira ended up being exposed by God in a very dramatic way. In fact, the Spirit reveals to Peter what their deception was. And so, instead of receiving public praise for this seemingly generous gift, Peter publicly calls Ananias to count.

In verse 3, he says, Ananias, and you can imagine, here’s Ananias bringing this gift and expecting all this praise, and yet here’s the response Peter gives. Ananias why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and Keep back part of the price of the land for yourself While remained was it not your own and after was sold was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God

What’s interesting here is that Peter confirms that people like Barnabas and Ananias, were under no compulsion to sell their property. and invest, and God will return to you tenfold, as the false prosperity gospel preachers claim. No, these people were freely moved to do these things. There was no compulsion. They saw the need, and they desired to meet their need because of their love for one another. And so Peter confirms that. It was their own private property. It was at their disposal to do with whatever they wanted to do before they sold it and also after they sold it.

Again, the apostles weren’t demanding that people sell their property. They weren’t even demanding that if someone did sell their property, that they had to give all the proceeds to the church. In other words, Ananias and Sapphira were free to do whatever they wanted with their property. They didn’t have to sell it, but they chose to do it. They didn’t even need to give anything to the church, but they chose to. In fact, they didn’t even need to give the whole amount to the church. They could have kept back a portion of the sale for themselves and given some to the church. That would have been perfectly acceptable.

As long as they made clear when they presented the gift saying something, perhaps, well, we sold this property and I’m going to give a portion to the church. But the deception again is this, that they sold the property for X amount of dollars and they only gave the church Y amount of dollars keeping Z for themselves. But they made it seem as though they sold the property for the Y amount so they could get credit and praise for giving all the proceeds to the church. That was the lie and the deception. And it was evil. Because as Peter makes clear, they weren’t lying to men. They were lying to the most holy God.

Judgment on Ananias

Ananias has no time to make a defense when she’s confronted. God’s judgment is swift and severe.

5 Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young man arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. God struck Ananias down on the spot because he dared to lie to God and attempted to defraud him.

Judgment on Sapphira

But we then quickly discover that Ananias had approached the apostles by himself. His wife and co-conspirator Sapphira wasn’t with him. In fact, Luke tells us that it wasn’t until three hours later that she shows up. Now, it’s kind of amazing that she didn’t hear the news about her husband and what happened and how he was struck down in such a dramatic fashion. But apparently there were no Twitter feeds or Facebook posts to announce these kind of events. and have it go viral. And you wonder how they survived in those times.

But when Sapphira does eventually come in, note that Peter actually gives her an opportunity to confess and to come clean. Perhaps if Sapphira would confess and repent, her fate would be different than her husband’s. But she doesn’t know that Peter knows what he does about the sale of the property. So Peter asks her, or say, tell me whether you sold the land for so much. Now, certainly such a question, some people might give you pause. Does he know something? Well, apparently she didn’t think through all that. Perhaps she maybe endured a little bit of a panic, but instead of confessing and coming clean and telling the truth, She just stuck with the prearranged plan established with her husband. And she said, yes, for so much.

The opportunity to confess and repent had passed. Sapphira was sticking to the lie and Peter quickly renders God’s judgment in verses nine and 10. How is it that you have agreed together to test the spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out. And she then fell down to the ground dead, breathing her last. And so Ananias and Sapphira suffered severe judgment because of these lies and deceit.

Response in the Church

And the response to this event, which Luke records, is quite striking. Twice he mentions, even after it happened with Ananias and then again with Sapphira, he says, great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. So you had this very large but very intimate community filled with love and sharing and cooperation has now been suddenly filled with great fear.

Parallel to Achan in the Old Testament

Now some look at this account of Ananias and Sapphira and they’re surprised that this is found here in the New Testament because, well, this seems a whole lot like that mean, harsh God of the Old Testament. In fact, some commentators have drawn parallels between this event and what happened to Achan in the Old Testament.

In Joshua 7, the Israelites are rejoicing and celebrating after the fall of Jericho. And this is an exciting time. It’s the beginning of a new era in the history of Israel, the beginning of the conquest of the land of Canaan, and the establishment of Israel as a great nation, as God had promised Abraham long ago. And God had given Joshua those specific instructions that everything in Jericho, except for Rahab and those of her house, everything in Jericho was to be destroyed. And the Israelites weren’t even to pillage the belongings of the people of Jericho. Everything, including all their belongings, was to be destroyed.

But Achan kept for himself some silver and gold, and he hid it in his tent. And this sin was then discovered when the Israelites were routed by the people of Ai and they were shocked. Well, we’re supposed to be conquering the land and how can we be losing? Well, it’s because there was sin in the camp. And though Achan did confess to what he had done, of course, this was only after he had been pinpointed by the Lord as the culprit. As first they separated the tribe and then the family group and then his own family and then Achan himself. And so that everybody knew. that it was Achan who brought this trouble upon Israel.

And so as a judgment against Achan, he and his whole family were stoned to death by the people. And it seems rather harsh and extreme. Friends, Achan, and now Ananias and Sapphira, were examples of God’s just judgment upon sin, even the sin among his own people. Imagine for a moment if God didn’t punish Achan, if he didn’t punish Ananias and Sapphira. Again, these events happened both at very critical times. With Achan, it was the establishment of Israel in the land. And here with Ananias and Sapphira, it’s at the beginning of the establishment of the church.

The very nature and the character of the nation and the church would have been different. It wouldn’t have been a holy assembly called out by God if this sin would have been tolerated. And so clearly God was severe in these judgments as a warning and as example at this critical time so that his church might continue to grow and flourish in truth and holiness.

God’s Judgment and the Church Today

Now it’s true, we don’t hear such swift judgments happening today. And sometimes when we look around at some of the despicable things done in the name of Christ, we may wish that God would just strike people down. But then we might not want that to happen so quickly, because we may not want God to just start striking down every time He sees a hypocrite in the church, because even of our own hypocrisies. And so even though we don’t see this happen much today, although there may be times when it does happen, yet this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t notice the hypocrites in the midst of his people, even if his justice is delayed. And we know ultimately their hearts will be revealed and that they will be brought to justice.

And even though there aren’t many being struck down to death, we do see many instances. And there was another unfortunate example this past week. Someone that was highly regarded, a Christian author and leader, confessed of sin that happened years ago, ending his ministry. And we see that happen, unfortunately, time again. God reveals the sin in the midst of his people to judge it, to purge, to cleanse his precious body, the church. And so he continues to purge out the tares from the wheat.

But I want to note here, finally, that though there were many in the church who were filled with great fear because of these things, It wasn’t necessarily a fear and a trembling that is God going to get me. It was more a reverent fear. A reverent fear and acknowledgement that the God that they were serving is truly a most holy and righteous God. And that the blessing of course is that despite this disruption to the peace and unity of This community of believers continued to flourish and prosper. And this was good news. And it was a source of great encouragement because there would be still more trials yet to come.

Not only assaults from outside, which we’ll see shortly in the rest of chapter 5 as the Jewish religious leaders continue to oppress and they kind of ramp up their oppression. But even from within the church, there’ll be challenges to that peace and unity of the church that will come. And it would drive the apostles and the believers in the church to seek the Lord for wisdom, so that the church and the gospel that it proclaimed would continue to press on to the glory of God alone.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray. O gracious God in heaven, we do rejoice and give thanks to you for this day. We thank you for, again, this challenge from your word and this difficult passage of a dramatic event. And it does perhaps stir within us a sense of fear. And yet we acknowledge, we’re reminded here that you are a holy God and you desire your people to be a holy people. And that we are to strive to purge out even within our own hearts, the hypocrisy that we all live with and that we all fall prey to at various times.

And that you would continue to strengthen and encourage your church in the midst of great challenges and trials, both from without and also within. And that you would be true to your promises. We know you are. that you will build your church, that you will build, that you will encourage, that you will strengthen, that the gospel will continue to go forth until you return again on the last great day.

So we praise you and thank you, O God, that you have called us, even this congregation of your people here, to be a part of that great mission. to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel. And we pray as we prepare now to go into the week that lies ahead, that we would consider, remember all that we’ve considered on this day, that we would be equipped and strengthened by your word and your spirit and through the encouragement and the building up of the saints to go forth to be those faithful witnesses. and that many would come to know you through that great witness.

And we pray, Father, that your blessing would be upon us in these things. And we ask now for you to be with us and watch over us until we return again on the next Lord’s Day. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.