A Sin Unto Death
Acts 5:1(NLT)—“But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.”
Hmmm…
Just try to imagine for a second this otherwise unimaginable scenario, as related in this PODCAST:
A highly-respected individual walks into the cozy confines of Safe Haven, only to drop dead on the spot.
Some time later, his unsuspecting wife walks in, and she too keels over, stone-cold dead.
That is exactly what happened here in Acts 5, one of the most mysterious and misunderstood narratives in all of the Bible.
For starters: That word “But,” δέ—as in “But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property”—is ominous in the extreme.
In the technical grammar of the passage, δέ is an adversative particle, signaling something that could be translated: “On the other hand”; or, “Contrary to what you just read”; or, “By way of a startling, scandalous, and jaw-dropping contrast”…
Alerted by that pesky particle, I can tell you that we are about to hear a strange story, a sobering saga, a troubling tale that sounds totally out of character as far as God is concerned.
Or is it?
Here’s the rest of the story (or at least part of it…)
But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”
“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. (Acts 5:1-11)
But, since context is everything, let me begin by first giving you the backstory.
Firstly, this is a perfect example of a poorly placed chapter break. The chapter break should have been placed after Acts 4:31, and before Acts 4:32.
If this were the case, we would read (and perhaps more easily understand):
32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
BUT, there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property… (Acts 4:32-5:1)
A head-turning happening that prompts us to ask three questions:
- Why did this happen?
- Could this happen today?
- What does it all mean for us?