Acts 5:1-6 1But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and kept back some of the money, with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a certain part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lie to the Holy Spirit and kept back some of the money of the land? 4While it remained, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why have you contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.” 5So when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6And standing up, the young men wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
Luke now gives a negative example of a couple who had the wrong motives in giving. The story is difficult to consider and indicates a setback in the early church. Not everything was smooth and according to plan. Up until this point, the only major problem was with the Jewish leaders. This chapter indicates issues in the church. This passage is a direct comparison to Barnabas in the previous passage and illustrates an example of how people sold their properties, mentioned in 4:34-35.
We do not know much about Ananias and Sapphira. The name of Ananias means “God is gracious,” which is ironic with the story that follows. The story begins with them selling a piece of property and bringing the money to the apostles, like Barnabas and other early Christians. Verse 2 seems innocent enough in that they kept some of the money of the proceeds of the land. The amount of money or size of the land is not mentioned, nor are these factors in what happens later. Many people think that a tithe of 10% of the income is adequate for an offering. Luke notes that Sapphira was in full knowledge of this decision, which will factor into the second part of the story in verses 7-11. The verb for keeping back some of the money (enosphisato) is a rare word that has the connotation of embezzlement or pilfering, where one skims off the top or keeps some of the booty for oneself. What Ananias did was more than give generously from the sale of his land, but he intentionally kept part of it in a sneaky way.
Peter serves as the spokesperson for the rest of the apostles. Somehow, Peter knew about Ananias’ sneaky plan of keeping some of the money. It may have be obvious by the amount of money Ananias brought, which made it obvious he did not bring it all. Or, it is possible Peter was given prophetic insight by the Holy Spirit into the situation. Whatever the case, he discerned that Ananias was not honest but had followed Satan’s temptation, thinking he could fool the Holy Spirit. An important theological insight is given in verse 3 that giving in to Satan’s temptation is a form of lying to the Spirit, who convicts and warns of temptation.
The surprise of the story comes in verse 5 when Ananias keels over dead. Luke does not give any specific reasons and leaves it up to the reader’s imagination about the cause. It could have been a heart attack from the great guilt or shame that resulted, or he could have been struck dead by God. Whatever the case, it created a great shock and fear among everyone who heard about it. The believers may have interpreted this incident as judgment from God. Ananias was also buried quickly outside the city since the young men who carried out the burial were back in only three hours (verse 7). It looks like his family was not even notified, and there was not time for proper mourning. Ananias was there one moment and completely gone the next. In many ways, what happened to Ananias echoed the story of Judas, who was also dishonest about money and had a tragic death.
The story reinforces the need to carry through when giving a pledge. The unity of the church is threatened by people who are dishonest. By rejecting the Spirit’s leading, Ananias was cutting himself off from the source of life. He isolated himself through his selfishness. Money was more important to him than compassionate love for others. This story is the first example and warning about the dangers of the flesh and how it wars against the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-11). The incident is unique in many ways and not a situation people today may experience, but there are important lessons to learn about honesty, commitment, stewardship, listening to the Spirit, and the danger of temptations about money.
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