Ananias And Sapphira
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA
ACTS 5:1-11
The frightening results are a reminder to them, and to us, that sin is serious and that you can’t play around with God.
Just as the idyllic setting of the first man was destroyed by sin’s presence, and its effect in Cain’s crime, so the fair beauty of the church’s life was spoiled by unworthy members. Their sin lay not in keeping back part of their proceeds (as 5:4 makes clear), but in trying to deceive others (and God!) that they were in fact more generous than they were. They pretended to give all—the full price of their property—but they had kept back a portion for their own use (5:2,8). Their sin was one of vain pretension and hypocrisy; their unholy motive was discerned by Peter (5:4) whose stern verdict (5:4b) had a startling effect (5:5). Peter is no less severe with Sapphira, although he does give her a chance to confess and put things right (5:8).
“To our minds the whole tone of the story seems un-Christian.” So one commentator passes his judgment of this passage, while others find it “frankly repulsive.” How would you justify Peter’s severe actions? Indeed, how would any of us escape, if our hidden motives and secret sins were laid bare and openly punished (Psalm 130:3)?
Certain features should be kept in mind in interpreting this passage:
Notes 5:3: this explains the gravity of Ananias’ act (cf. 5:4,9). 5:6: these young men may have been public buriers (like undertakers’ assistants today). Cf. Ezekiel 39:12-16.