Acts 5

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 ‭NIV‬‬

At first glance, the death of Ananias and Sapphira may seem exceptionally harsh.  When you more closely examine what they did wrong, however, you can see why a severe punishment was needed to serve as an example for other members of the early church. Their main sin was lying and deceitfulness in order to make themselves seem more generous.  They told the apostles that they sold the land and gave ALL of the money they received to them, which was untrue.  They chose dishonesty and putting on a fake front simply to make themselves look like they were more devoted to God than they really were.  This type of behavior is especially damaging within the church.  As representatives of Jesus on earth, we are held to higher standards and are called to set the example for others, both inside and outside of our church: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:7-8).  Being fake and lying to others is never the right thing to do, especially when it comes to our relationship with God.  God can only help us when we are honest with Him about where we are at, what we are struggling with, and what we need from Him.  In shining God’s light in this world, honesty is so very important because we are a group of people that have found the truth.  David prayed to God: “Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You” (Psalms 86:11).  Besides, God always knows the condition of our hearts and our motives behind everything we do!  Even if we are able to fool those around us, it will be of no benefit to us for our eternal futures.  If others do catch us lying about money, our faith, our relationship with God, or anything else in life, how are they going to be able to trust us when we talk to them about the Kingdom of God and all of the promises that come from accepting Christ as their Savior?  Building up someone’s trust in you can take months or years, but it only takes a second for trust to be broken.  Being known as fake or dishonest people will make us bad examples and ineffective leaders in this world.  Our God is a holy God, and He is serious about punishing sin, especially within His church.  Any discipline that comes our way is meant to correct us and ultimately help us to live our lives more closely aligned with His will.  “…God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11).  As believers in Christ Jesus, we also have the gifts of mercy, grace, and forgiveness extended to us.  So let us be thankful for God’s mercy and grace, which allow us to have a healthy respect for His perfect judgement and discipline.  

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging Him on a cross. God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that He might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭29‬-‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Although there are innumerable blessings that come from being a follower of Christ, it is not always an easy path.  In this passage, the apostles were even being persecuted for following Jesus’ command: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).  Despite the fact that they were being abused and threatened, and their words fell on deaf ears, they stood strong and showed great courage.  Their confidence came from their steadfast faith and their clear understanding that they were following God’s will.  They rightfully told the Jewish religious council, “We must obey God rather than men!” (verse 29).  Although we are to show respect for people in authority, there may be times when we do have to take a stand in order to stay faithful to God.  This may result in ridicule, isolation, legal consequences, or even physical harm.  God never promised that obeying His will would protect us from opposition.  In fact, He told us that “You will be hated by everyone because of Me…” (Matthew 10:22).  Once we dedicate our lives to Jesus, it is a life-long commitment, one that should not change based on how we are feeling or what circumstances we are facing.  No matter what we are going through in life, we can all share in the confidence that the apostles had during this exciting time of the early church.  Following God’s will is always the right path, and remember that Jesus said “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).