Ananias and Sapphira

In Acts 5 we have the strange story of Ananias and Sapphira. Chapter 4 ends with how Barnabas sold a tract of land and gave the money to the church. So chapter 5 starts with, "But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet" (Acts 5:1-2). The opening word, "but," signifies a difference, a contrast with Barnabas (and the others) in the previous chapter. What was different? It was not that they sold property. It was not that they gave money to the church. The difference was ... they lied about it. Ananias went to Peter and laid the money at his feet and said, "This is the whole price." He could have said nothing. Or he could have said, "This is some of it." We know that would have been just fine because Peter told him, "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God" (Acts 5:4). The problem wasn't that he kept some back. "After it was sold, was it not under your control?" That was just fine. No, it was the lie. For that lie, "Ananias fell down and breathed his last" (Acts 5:5), and when his wife, Sapphira, came in and confirmed, "Yes, that was the price," she, too, died on the spot (Acts 5:8-10).

Some suggest this is a story about how socialism reigned in the early church. But Peter's assurance that they had every right to keep it or to sell it and give whatever they wanted kind of deflates that idea. No, their error wasn't in keeping some back. It was in the claim that they didn't. Their error was, in Peter's words, "You have not lied to men but to God." Lying to God is a bad thing. In their case, fatal. But it occurs to me that we're often in the same mode. Maybe it's in our interaction with fellow believers. "Oh, that's sad. I'll be sure to pray for you." But we never do. Or maybe it's in our church gatherings where, maybe, we're asked to pray and we make it the best show we know how. I think we all have things that we just don't talk about to others. Problems, troubles, concerns, failures ... things that we're pretty sure no one else is experiencing and certainly things that no one else would accept as something they need to uphold and encourage you in. No, you're pretty sure if they found out "that" about you, they'd likely throw you out. So we make ourselves hypocrites by trying to look like a good Christian when we know we aren't. We hide our failings and needs because we want everyone to think well of us ... like Ananias and Sapphira.

I get it. Really. We Christians, as a group, can be way too judgmental. The world has its "unpardonable sins," but we who believe in divine forgiveness have our own, don't we? "Divorced? Oh ..." "You have a problem with what??!" Our doctrine holds that we -- all Christians -- are forgiven from all sin by faith in Christ, but we can be unforgiving of others ourselves. We are called to restore one another, but we can be judgmental much quicker than we're willing to bear one anothers burdens. I get it. But that doesn't make it right. And Jesus had a real problem with hypocrisy. Well, so does God, thinking about Ananias and Sapphira. So maybe that's not our best option.