Honesty – Part 4
April 11, 2004
Dear Friends,
While considering the subject of honesty, let us examine the strange case of Ananias & Sapphira. As you may recall, Ananias and his wife sold a piece of land and gave it to the ecclesia. However, they kept a portion of the sale amount back and then lied to the brethren about how much they sold the property for. As we are told in Scriptures, Ananias and Sapphira paid for this act of deceit with their lives at the hands of God.
In considering this, we have to ask ourselves why this was such as unusually harsh penalty. One reason the penalty was so harsh is because the lie was PREMEDITATED. Ananias and his wife conspired in advance to perpetrate this fraud. It was not like Peter’s momentary act of cowardice in his denial of Jesus, this was calculated and planned. The Bible shows that God is more forgiving to those who have momentary slips than those who practice systematic fraud and then attempt to cover it up.
Another reason the penalty was so harsh was to whom Ananias and Sapphira lied. Not only did Ananias and Sapphira lie to their brethren which is bad enough, THEY IMPUGNED GOD’S CHARACTER. “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 5:3) God’s Holy Spirit in this case refers to His righteous character. A similar context is brought out in Ephesians where Paul is counseling the brethren on right behavior and he says “grieve not the holy Spirit of God.” (4:30) Like Achan bringing the stolen treasures into the camp of Israel, Ananias and Sapphira profaned God’s ecclesia by bringing in the offering of deceit and thus profaning the institution He established to rise above such illicit deeds.
Their actions also merited severe treatment because they INJURED CHRIST’S BRETHREN. Chapter five of Acts is a continuation of chapter 4. The chapter starts out with “but.” This clues us in that what we are about to read is a contrast to what we have just read. Chapter four of Acts tells of the communal atmosphere of the first century ecclesia where they shared everything. This sheds much light on exactly what Ananias and Sapphira were up to. The idea was that you sold everything you had, contributed it to the common purse (as Jesus had with his apostles) and lived as one big family. What it appears Ananias and Sapphira were attempting to do was share in the common purse without truly giving everything they had. They could live a little better life than the rest with their hidden funds. The result of their sin was people stopped doing this. “And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.” (Acts 5:13) In other words, people continued to convert to Christianity, but they failed to take that next leap of faith and sell everything they had to join in this large, communal family. This is the first recorded digression in the New Testament from the ideal. Before, it is recorded, that they “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.” (4:32) Now, this feeling of good will, honesty and camaraderie were lost forever through the disobedience of one couple (notice the Bible echo to Eden). How grievous it is for God to have His children injure each other through their deceit and wickedness!
The last thing that makes the punishment fit the crime is Ananias’ PRIDE AND ARROGANCE as he attempted to make a show of his “generosity” and “piousness.” It appears that not only did he lie and cheat the ecclesia, he attempted to make a show of it by laying it “at the apostles’ feet.” Not only were the Apostle’s gathered together, but others were as well (v.5). What sort of a sick mind attempts not only to do an evil act but at the same time get kudos from the ecclesia for the very act of deception? When we truly understand exactly what was happening here, it is no wonder that God struck down Ananias and his wife on the spot!
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” (Eph. 5:1-8)
Have a great week!
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