II. Curious Tales From the New Testament ~ Peter A. Not Your Typical Bible Bedtime Story: Acts 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira Three men by the name of Ananias appear in the New Testament...each playing a role in Acts. Ananias is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Hananiah and means “Yahweh has been gracious.” The first Ananias is featured in a dramatic episode that took place in the early Jerusalem church. READ ACTS 5:1-11 BACKGROUND: READ ACTS 4:32-37 Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, were members of the church during this time. They sold a parcel of their own property, and conspired to withhold a portion of the profit for themselves and lie about the total. Their actions stand in contrast to the sincerity and generosity of the community of faith. The mood changes in chapter 5. It’s easy to forget the first word in a story: “But.” One little word is used to point out the contrast. Contrasting what? Barnabas, held God’s authority in high regard and showed it by laying his possessions at the apostles feet. Ananias laid the money at the apostles’ feet, implying that they were sacrificially giving it all to the church. This may have fooled some, but not Peter, who, by the Spirit, knew that Ananias was lying—not just to him but to God. The word for kept back (V2) is nosphizomai, which means "to misappropriate, embezzle." The same word was used of Achan's theft in the Joshua 7:21, relating to the sin of Achan. There do seem to be parallels between the two accounts. Joshua was about to take the city of Jericho. Joshua 6:18-19 shows some clear instructions from the Lord regarding the spoils. Accursed things here refers to those things “cursed things, dedicated to destruction”. They then went to take Ai, but were soundly defeated. Joshua goes to God to see why this happened, and was given a response in: Joshua 7:10-13 Achan is found to be the guilty party, and when confronted responds in: Verses 20-21 Seems God takes these things seriously...something Achan learned the hard way. It is not out of character for God to bring swift judgment and guard His holiness. In Joshua, God expected the people of God to execute the judgment upon the offender. In Acts, God executes it Himself. It seems reasonable that one reason for God’s judgment here is to guard the holiness of His people and their growing community. In its only other New Testament use, it means “to steal”. Titus 2:9-10 This incident of lying to God was the first recorded public sin in the new church, and it carried a severe punishment. By divine revelation, Peter called out Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit and to God. Upon hearing Peter’s words, Ananias fell to the ground and died. About 3 hours later, Sapphira arrived. Not knowing what had happened, she, too, lied about the offering and was also struck dead. That seems out of proportion to their offense, doesn't it? Sapphira was a willing participant in the sin and cover-up. God's judgment of her is just as righteous as His judgment of Ananias. Married couples in the Lord have a responsibility to keep each other from sin, and to refuse to participate in sin together, for God will hold each accountable. Peter acknowledges that they were under no obligation to donate the money in Acts 5:4.They could have chosen to hold back the resources God has entrusted to them. So why does lying about the money bring instant death? His crime was not withholding the money, but in deceptively implying that he was giving it all. Some suggest that Ananias and Sapphira’s transgression is they are not true followers of Christ. New Testament scholar Scott Bartchy, “By lying in order to achieve an honor they had not earned, Ananias and Sapphira not only dishonored and shamed themselves as patrons but also revealed themselves to be outsiders, non-kin.” They are not so much misers as imposters.” They perhaps attempt to look like Barnabas but their motivation may actually be to gain honor without paying too high a price...giving for the sake of status, not love. We sometimes want to be considered "spiritual" while refusing to pay any kind of price in our service to God. Their false generosity & attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit threatened the Christian community. It tarnished the Name and brought into question the holiness of Christ. And, it was unnecessary! So...were Ananias and Sapphira saved in the first place? We can't say for certain...only God knows. I believe they probably were. Their story is told in the context of the actions of “all the believers” (Acts 4:32). They knew of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). It's been suggested that Ananias’s lie could have been an earlier promise to give the whole amount to the Lord. We don't know. Other evidence that they were children of God may be that they received discipline, as true sons and daughters would (Hebrews 12:8; 1 Corinthians 5:12). And disciplined they were! A Couple of Insights into this Account: Ultimately, this passage is about them lying to God. (Acts 5:3, 9). Lying is an act of betrayal, violating the trust in a relationship. Sometimes it seems easier to lie our way out of a situation, but rarely does that have positive results. It often leads to hurt, mistrust, and an endless cycle of more lies. God saw the dangers of lying and the way it would hurt both the liar and the person being lied to. He wanted something better for us. Proverbs 12:22; 19:9, Ephesians 4:25 It’s about an attack on the church from within—Satan was trying to thwart the Spirit. You see in Peter’s statement in V3 that principalities are at war. Satan had filled the heart of Ananias, yet Peter asked why he conceived this thing in his own heart. Satan can influence the life of a believer, but he can't do your sinning for you. Ananias had to conceive it in his heart. The community was “filled” with the Holy Spirit (4:30). It would make sense that Satan is trying to get a foothold because he sees how powerfully the Spirit is moving. The story is not the norm. There is nothing in this story, Acts, or the New Testament, that indicates this is a typical pattern for God. The people’s fear indicates this was not something they were accustomed to. This is a unique moment of sudden divine judgment. Natural causes? Perhaps Ananias died from shock or guilt, but Peter pronounced Sapphira’s death before she died. The timing and place of their deaths indicate that this was indeed God’s judgment. Why would God kill two people for lying? Why did God strike down Ananias and Sapphira rather than give them a chance to repent? Why didn’t Peter show the same grace toward them that he was shown? (Matthew 26:69-75) The text does not directly speak to these questions. It seems harsh, but the greater wonder is that God delays His righteous judgment in so many other cases! Ananias received what we all deserve. As much as anything else, the lesson here is that we presume greatly on God when we assume that there is always time to get right with God. Any such time given by God is an undeserved gift that He owes no one; we should never assume it will always be there. The assembly’s response matters. Luke’s repeated “Great fear came upon all who heard it / the whole church” (verses 5, 11) is important. Fear = phobos (fear, dread, terror) This is the first use of the word church in the Book of Acts. What is the church? ekklēsia: (a company of Christians, or those who, hoping for eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ, constitute in one company and are united in one body) The Jewish usage denotes the community of believers in Jesus. In the Septuagint it is one of the words used to denote the people of Israel in their religious character as Yahweh's 'assembly.' Luke chose a term that was used to describe the people of God in the OT. It was not the only term, but one of them. This is not the only time awe/fear is inspired in Acts (2:43; 9:31; 19:17). The phrase “and the word continued to spread” is also seen in Acts (6:7; 12:24; 13:49; 19:20). So what's the take away? No more and no less than that of the people who witnessed the event: fear and awe. God is a holy God who destroys evil and zealously defends His holiness. His judgments are His, and He only makes some of them known. God's purpose was accomplished in the church: So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. IN SUMMARY This sad story is not some obscure incident from the OT regarding a violation of Mosaic Law. This occurred in the first-century church to believers in Jesus Christ. In addition, He is concerned for the purity of His church (1 Corinthians 11; 1 John 5). It serves as a warning to all believers that God does not tolerate dishonesty and hypocrisy... esp. in His Church. God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) and hates sin.