SINFUL GIVING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Acts 5:1-11

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After Peter and John returned from their encounter with the Sanhedrin, they returned and reported to their fellow Christians about what had transpired. And then, they all joined together in prayer unto God, a prayer that resulted in the place they were in shaking before the Holy Spirit came upon all gathered.

What happened next?

In yesterday’s message, we saw where unity and selfless charity broke out within the Christian community. The closing scriptures of Acts, chapter 4 told us that everyone was of the same heart and mind, being generous with their possessions, so much so that there was no one among them that was in need. Some were even driven to sell their homes and land, donating the proceeds to the apostles to distribute as needed to the poor. It was a beautiful depiction of how much better our world would be if everyone simply dedicated their lives to Jesus and committed to live as He did.

Well, as we turn the page and head into the fifth chapter of Acts, we find that there were at least two people who weren’t quite on the same page as everyone else, a reminder of how sin can still creep into the hearts of believers if they turn their attention from their Lord and onto themselves.

The start of this chapter highlights a couple, Ananias and Sapphira, who obviously let greed and a general mistrust of God’s provision infiltrate their lives. For as Barnabas and others were selling what they owned and donating one hundred percent of the money to the apostles, we find Ananias and Sapphira choosing to lie about how much they had donated, making things appear that they had donated all when they had actually withheld a portion of the sale proceeds for themselves. We’ll see that where Christ-centered giving was happening with everyone else, this couple chose sinful giving instead, giving that showed the deceit and selfishness in their hearts.

First, we see Ananias come on the scene and we’re provided with some background on him.

The scriptures let us know that he was married and his wife’s name was Sapphira. We also know that this couple had some money as they were landowners which would put them in a category of being well off in New Testament times.

We learn further that the couple decided not to sell all their property but simply a parcel of it. It’s our first indication that they aren’t exactly all in when it comes to being charitable or fully trusting God to provide for their needs. And as a point of emphasis, we read where Sapphira was fully aware of what was happening as Ananias took just a portion of what the property sold for and laid the gift at the feet of the apostles.  

Now, the choice that Ananias and Sapphira made was not sinful in and of itself. They certainly had the right to retain some of the money. But as we read the words of Peter, it becomes obvious that Ananias presented the money as if they were giving everything they gained for the good of others. It was a ruse that may have escaped any human being but it wouldn’t be hidden from the Lord who reveals the deceit to Peter, and he in turn confronts Ananias with it. Look again at his words here:

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

The exposure of Ananias’ dishonesty was too much for him to take. For the scriptures tell us that he fell down and died as soon as he heard what Peter said and was then wrapped and buried. Any money he withheld was of no good for him anymore.

So would his wife benefit from his passing?

Not exactly.

For we read that Sapphira comes to Peter just as her husband had done, completely unaware that she had become a widow just three hours earlier. Immediately, she was asked what had to seem like a simple question when it was really a loaded one in disguise. Peter asked Sapphira:

“Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

To which she answered, “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Fully aware that she was not telling the truth, Sapphira tried to lead Peter to believe that she and Ananias had donated all that they gained from the land sale. Little did she know that Peter already knew the truth and he immediately confronted her with it saying:

“How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

And immediately, Sapphira fell dead at Peter’s feet and died. She ended up in the ground next to her husband where they resided together in the wake of their sinful dishonesty.

This event had a huge impact on the whole church as word spread about what had happened. The message had to be clearly understood that God’s judgment is very real and no one should invite it through willingly engaging in sinful behavior.

In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, their sin was connected to dishonest giving but it could have been any other transgression. God’s word is speaking clearly to us through this event, reminding us that God does not tolerate sin in any way, shape, or form.

For it was sin that led Him to offer up His one and only Son on Calvary’s cross and so you can see why He would despise it so much. My prayer is that we learn from the iniquities of Ananias and Sapphira, intentionally eliminating any transgressions that may place us in opposition to our God, a place that no one should ever want to be.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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