Sunday, July 25, 2021
Acts 5:1-11
“Impure Impression”
Service Overview: The church has always been infiltrated by people with impure motives; “glory seekers” simply seeking attention for their good works. The story of Ananias and Sapphira should remind us to check our motives whenever we seek to do good in this world. Are we seeking glory for Jesus, or for us?
Memory Verse for the Week: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)
Background Information:
- This is one of the stories which demonstrate the almost stubborn honesty of the Bible. It might well have been left out because it shows that even in the early Church there were very imperfect Christians; but the Bible refuses to present an idealized picture of anything. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 44)
- Luke’s use of the verb nosphizo (“kept back,” “purloined,” “put aside for oneself”), which in the LXX heads the account in Joshua 7:1-26 of Achan’s misappropriation of part of what had been dedicated to God, implies that Luke meant to draw a parallel between the sin of Achan as the Israelites began their conquest of Canaan and the sin of Ananias and Sapphira as the church began its mission — both incidents coming under the immediate and drastic judgment of God and teaching a sobering lesson. And this is very likely how the early church saw the incident as well. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 314)
- v.3-4 Peter referred to Ananias’ lying “to the Holy Spirit” (v. 3); now Peter referred to his lying to God. This is an affirmation of the Holy Spirit’s deity. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 365)
- Many believe that the positive response of the church to gifts from people like Barnabas became a source of envy for Ananias and Sapphira. Desiring that same esteem from others, Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property, desiring to give money to the apostles for the needy. They could have given any amount of the selling price, but because they apparently desired the esteem that Barnabas had received, they pretended to give all the money they had received for the field. Instead, however, they kept back part of the money. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 74)
- The question “Why?” draws attention to the fact that their action was voluntary; there was no excuse for what they did. Before they sold it, it remained theirs, and they were under no compulsion to sell it. After they sold it, it was still “at [their] disposal” (in their power or authority). There was nothing compelling them to give it all. What Ananias had conceived in his heart was a lie, “not … to men but to God.” (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 2670-2674)
- The names Ananias and Sapphira were as much a contradiction of their old nature as Barnabas’s was an affirmation of his new nature. The Hebrew form of Ananias means “Yahweh is gracious,” and Sapphira means “beautiful.” There was nothing gracious about what Ananias did nor anything beautiful about Sapphira’s collusive cooperation in the swindled pretense of loyalty to the Lord and the Body. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 118)
The question to be answered is…
Why was the consequence of this lie so severe and what does this reveal about the nature of the early church and God?
Answer…
The purity of the early church was so important, this new tabernacle so sacred, God would not jeopardize its inception by tolerating pretense and hypocrisy.
The word of the day is… protect
What aspects of this grim account can and should we learn from?
- The ploy; their pursuit of image over integrity.
(vv. 1-2 | Job 27:4-6; Proverbs 11:5, 13; 21:3; 28:6; Luke 18:14; Rom. 2:1; James 1:22-25)
Giving gifts to God is sacred business, and to taint a gift to the Lord by concealing it in the package of a lie is a kind of blasphemy against the sanctity of God. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 87)
Pride opens the door to every other sin, for once we are more concerned with our reputation than our character, there is no end to the things we will do just to make ourselves “look good” before others. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
- The reveal; how nothing stayed hidden before God.
(vv. 3-4 | Ps. 139:7-12; Pro. 10:9; 12:22; 15:3; Jer. 23:24; Matt. 9:4; John 2:25; Heb. 4:13)
The way Ananias and Sapphira attempted to reach their goals was so diametrically opposed to the whole thrust of the gospel that to allow it to go unchallenged would have set the entire mission of the church off course. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 314)
People who give to impress others don’t impress God. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
- The result; God’s judgment and expulsion.
(vv. 5-11 | Mat. 12:36; Acts 10:42; Rom.14:12-13; 2 Cor. 5:10; Hebr. 9:27; 1 Peter 4:17)
There is no perfect church, not even the church of the apostles. I read Acts 4:32, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had,” and I think, ah, there’s the perfect church. But even this church had Ananias and Sapphira in it. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 85)
God brought this judgment near the beginning of the Church’s history to let the Church know what He thinks of unbelief, greed, and self-seeking hypocrisy that lies to God (see 1 Pet. 4: 17). In times of beginnings God is often more severe. When the sons of Aaron offered “unauthorized fire” before the Lord, fire came out from the manifest presence of the Lord in the Holy of Holies and struck them down (Lev. 10: 1– 2). After that the people were more careful to seek God for His way to do things. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, 2691-2696)
Conclusion…
How can we be challenged to live in in light of this?
A. By striving to keep our motives in check.
(Ps. 37:4-5; Mat. 6:33; Rom. 13:13-14; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 6:6; 1 Thes. 4:3-5; James 4:1-3)
We must keep in mind that their sin was not in robbing God of money but in lying to Him and robbing Him of glory. They were not required to sell the property, and, having sold it, they were not required to give any of the money to the church (Acts 5:4). Their lust for recognition conceived sin in their hearts (Acts 5:4, 9), and that sin eventually produced death (James 1:15). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 338)
If when we judged others, our real motive was to destroy evil, we should look for evil where it is certain to be found, and that is in our own hearts. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 185)
The lack of God-centeredness leads to self-centeredness. Sin celebrates its middle letter—sIn. (Max Lucado, Come Thirsty, 20)
B. By seeking to impress God more than people.
(Pro. 21:2; Mat. 6:1-18; Gal. 1:10; Phil.2:3; Col. 3:23; 1 Thes. 2:4; 1 Tim. 1:5; Titus 2:7)
We must not think that failure to reach our ideals is hypocrisy, because no believer lives up to all that he or she knows or has in the Lord. Hypocrisy is deliberate deception, trying to make people think we are more spiritual than we really are. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
You are called not to be successful or to meet any of the other counterfeit standards of this world, but to be faithful and to be expended in the cause of serving the risen and returning Christ. (Charles Colson, Faith on the Line, 54)
The temptation of the age is to look good without being good. (Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, 125)
C. By seeking to give and live with integrity in following Jesus.
(Luke 16:10; Acts 24:16; 2 Corinthians 8:21; Philippians 4:8; Hebrews 13:18; 1 Peter 2:12)
The world is not impressed when Christians get rich and say thanks to God. They are impressed when God is so satisfying that we give our riches away for Christ’s sake and count it gain. (John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life, 72)
Christians, whose faith in its essence holds to the ascendency of the spiritual over the material values, must prove this faith in everyday life by holding rather loosely to material things. So-called love that does not involve one’s money is a mere sentiment and does not really involve the person himself. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 60)
The cross will cut into our lives where it hurts worst, sparing neither us nor our carefully cultivated reputations. It will defeat us and bring our selfish lives to an end. Only then can we rise in fullness of life to establish a pattern of living wholly new and free and full of good works. (A. W. Tozer, The Radical Cross, 5)
Gospel Application…
The gravity of sin requires a response, but the good news of Jesus is that in him you can be imputed impunity; given exemption from punishment and freed to live a life holy and pleasing to him.
(Romans 6:1-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 4:7-10)
Every single sin that we commit is not simply transgression of some abstract moral code so that karma takes it’s toll. Sin in the Bible is first and foremost offense against God. Of course, the sin must be canceled; that is expiation. But the God who has been offended must be satisfied; that is propitiation. (D. A. Carson, Scandalous, 62)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What made the offenses of Annanias and Sapphira so grave? (no pun intended)
- Luke clearly intends for us to see the death of Ananias and Sapphira as a work of divine judgment. How do you respond to the severity of God’s judgment? Why was it so important that they be judged the way they were? How might we respond to those who see divine judgment as an antiquated (or too old fashioned) belief?
- How can you work to keep your motives in check when it comes to serving and/or giving?
- How do you sometimes find yourself seeking to promote or project an image of yourself that isn’t quite accurate?
- Is there another lesson we might benefit to learn from this text?
Quotes to note…
The fact that God loves the cheerful giver implies that He is not particularly pleased with the reluctant giver, and the text that we read in this study indicates that He is furious at the lying giver. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 86)
It is worth noting that the Lord judges sin severely at the beginning of a new period in salvation history. Just after the tabernacle was erected, God killed Nadab and Abihu for trying to present “false fire” to the Lord (Lev. 10). He also had Achan killed for disobeying orders after Israel had entered the Promised Land (Josh. 7). While God was certainly not responsible for their sins, He did use these judgments as warnings to the people, and even to us (1 Cor. 10:11–12). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
Like the act of Achan, this episode was pivotal in the life and mission of God’s people, for the whole enterprise was threatened at its start. And while we may be thankful that judgment upon deceit in the church is not now so swift and drastic, this incident stands as an indelible warning regarding the heinousness in God’s sight of deception in spiritual and personal matters. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 314)
The moment we pretend to be something we’re not—especially when we pretend to be more spiritually noble than we are—death enters in. We are cut off from the life of Christ. We become dead and unresponsive cells, and our part of the body becomes weak and paralyzed (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 71)
Someday we are going to die, and the good we can do with our possessions will end then. Doesn’t it make sense to take care how we use our possessions and use them well now? We should make them count. I do not say sell all you have. Normally that would be an unwise thing to do. But make sure you use your possessions for the Lord. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 84)
The community of goods in the primitive Jerusalem church was quite voluntary. The piece of land belonged to Ananias; he could keep it or sell it as he pleased, and when he had sold it the money he got for it was his to use as he chose. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 129)
Jesus saw the tithe as part of the Law of God—not the most important part, but it was expected from everybody. Therefore, one’s bringing his 10 percent was nothing to boast about because one was only doing his duty. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 87-88)
Their deception proves this fact. If they had truly cared for other people, they either would have given the full amount, or would have been honest about keeping some of the money for themselves. For Ananias and Sapphira, a concern for image was more important than speaking honestly. What others thought of them took priority over what God thought of them, and thus they became willing to lie to the Holy Spirit (see 5:3). (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
God saw more need to protect the church from prideful believers than from external persecution. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Their sin was not in holding back some of the funds but in the pretense, the hypocrisy. They lied to the church. They lied to God. They lied to the Holy Spirit. They pretended that they were giving the full amount when they were not. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 87)
The principle of tithing should be a no-brainer for the Christian. It is something that all Christians ought to do, and if they are not doing it, they ought to move heaven and earth to start. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 88)
I believe that the lion’s share of our tithe should be given to our local church, but I also believe that it is perfectly legitimate to designate a portion of our tithe for the support of other Christian ministries that need our help. We find that principle set forth in the Didache, one of the earliest books of the Christian community. Some practical advice given in the Didache is this: “Let your donations sweat in your hand.” It does not say, “Let your donation freeze in your hand so that you never give it.” The point is, hold on to it until you have given careful scrutiny to where you are going to give the gift. But sooner or later it has got to come out of your hand and into the work of the Lord. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 89)
The [myth] you hear more than any other, is that some cannot afford to tithe. Yet the poorest among us is living at a higher standard than 99 percent of all people in every era since the beginning of the world. How can we, who have been blessed with so many creature comforts, stand up before God and say, “I can’t afford it”? Let me translate that myth into real terms. “I can’t afford it” really means “I cannot tithe and still do all the things I am doing now.” (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 89)
We have to take seriously what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. There is some similarity to this occasion in Joshua 7. The Israelites were set to come up against Ai, a small, insignificant town, but the Israelites were defeated in the battle. Afterward Joshua said, “O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” (Josh. 7:8–9). And God responded this way: Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. Get up, sanctify the people, and say, “Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” (Josh. 7:10–13) So Joshua and his soldiers went through the camp and they found Achan, who had violated the commandment of God and taken the silver and gold for himself. He withheld it from God and buried it under the floor of his tent. Finally he confessed his crime, and Joshua said, ‘Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.’ So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones” (Josh. 7:25). (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 90)
Ananias and Sapphira, who owned property, wished to experience the joy of sharing and to receive the praise of others. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
They lied to cover the fact that they had done a good thing … for the wrong reason. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Why did God judge Ananias and Sapphira so harshly? God could have considered giving them a warning first, promising stronger punishment if they fell into pride again. We don’t have the mind of God; we can’t be sure of all His reasons. However, it does appear that God acted as He did because He felt an overwhelmingly strong concern for the purity of His church. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Note that He judged Ananias and Sapphira, the deceitful church members, quite severely. Later, however, He did not strike dead the Jewish leaders who wished to kill Stephen and James (see 7:54-60; 12:1-2). (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
There is a second crucial question in God’s judgment of Ananias and Sapphira. What about us? Our motives are so rarely pure or unmixed. Don’t we continually deserve God’s judgment? How do we escape? God’s grace. We can never earn God’s love and favor. Fortunately, God does not require absolute perfection from anyone. If He did, we would all be in trouble. When we admit our weaknesses, when we depend on God’s goodness rather than our own power or worthiness, then God continually offers His grace. But this does not give us permission to abuse God’s grace. He wishes to help us, to purify our actions and our motives, so that we love as He loves. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
The church has always attracted people with impure motives: hucksters who want to profit financially from religion, power mongers seeking control, the self-centered who want to be pampered and cared for, and glory seekers who want to be noticed and affirmed for their “holy” acts. Ananias and Sapphira, a married couple in the Jerusalem church, fell into this last category. They concocted a plan whereby they hoped to give a little to God but get credit for a lot. Their scheme was dishonest, and God’s judgment was swift and severe. As you ponder their story, ask yourself the question, What are my motives for serving and giving? (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 73)
Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look instead of to be what one is not. George MacDonald
Acts (Life Application Bible Commentary) (p. 74). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
They brought the money from the sale of their property, but kept some of the money for themselves. The word for “kept” is the same one used in the Septuagint of Achan who “kept” some of the spoils of Jericho, which ultimately caused a great defeat of Israel (Joshua 7:1-26). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 74)
Ananias and Sapphira were jealous of Barnabas. The proper response to a “Barnabas deed” is not to become jealous but to follow the example. When we see a Christian life lived correctly, a marriage done right, or children reared successfully, we must not become envious; instead, we should rejoice with them and be motivated to continue in our own task of growing into Christ’s likeness. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 75)
In this passage the Holy Spirit is equated with God (one of the great passages in the New Testament on the deity of the Holy Spirit—see Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 13:13 for other passages that teach of the Spirit’s deity). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 75)
When Ananias realized that Peter knew all about his scheme, he fell down and died. The Greek word ekpsucho literally means “to breathe one’s last, to die” and usually connotes death by divine judgment (see 5:10; 12:23; 1 Corinthians 10:6; 1 John 5:16). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 75-76)
It is important to note that Peter didn’t kill Ananias, nor did he ask the Holy Spirit to kill him. Peter condemned the lying, and the Spirit of God executed judgment. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 76)
Winning the approval of God, not people, should be the motivation for our actions. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 77)
As she and Ananias had been joined in their “testing” of God (5:9), so they were joined in death. This is more than just a historical record of events in the early church. This serves as a warning that no one should trifle with the Holy Spirit or take lightly the importance of telling the truth. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 77)
This is the first appearance of the term “church” (ekklesia, meaning “assembly”) in the book of Acts—and notice it is a moment of judgment! It will become the regular word for the universal church and the local church in the remainder of the book (7:38; 8:1; 9:31; 11:22; 13:1; 14:23; 15:22, 41; 16:5; 20:28). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 77-78)
Upon witnessing the holy wrath of God on sinning people, the church (as well as those outside the church) was gripped with great fear! We must be careful, in an age of marketing the church and trying to make the gospel user-friendly, that we do not skim over this truth: God is to be feared! It is true that he is a God rich in love and abounding in mercy. But it is also true that he hates and judges sin. Note the response of everyone in the Bible who ever caught a glimpse of God. The reaction was always one of dread (for example, Isaiah 6:1-6). The good news of the gospel is that because of what Christ has done on our behalf, we can come boldly into the very presence of God (Hebrews 4:16). But let us do so with “deep reverence and fear” (Philippians 2:12 NLT). God is holy! (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 78)
With the example of Barnabas the Encourager before them, two members of the believing community conspired to get for themselves the same kind of attention given to him. It is clearly implied that they were believers enjoying the blessings of God. They knew what it was to be filled with the Spirit. They listened to the teaching of the apostles, saw the miracles, and shared the fellowship. But their actions were guided by selfish motives, not by the Holy Spirit, as Barnabas’s actions had been. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 2651-2655)
Ananias “kept back part” of the price for himself. Sapphira shared the knowledge of this and was therefore in accord with him and equally guilty. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 2657-2659)
This identification of the Holy Spirit with God in verses 3 and 4 also makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Location 2686)
They were deliberately trying to see how far they could go in disobedience without provoking God’s wrath. (cf. Exod. 17: 2; Num. 15: 30– 31; Deut. 6: 16; Luke 4: 12.) (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 2715-2717)
George MacDonald wrote, “Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
Ananias means “God is gracious,” but he learned that God is also holy, and Sapphira means “beautiful,” but her heart was ugly with sin. No doubt some people are shocked when they read that God killed two people just because they lied about a business transaction and about their church giving. But when you consider the features connected with this sin, you have to agree that God did the right thing by judging them. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
If Satan cannot defeat the church by attacks from the outside, he will get on the inside and go to work (Acts 20:28–31). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
When God judged Ananias and Sapphira, He was also judging Satan. He was letting everybody know that He would not tolerate deception in His church. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
Jesus made it very clear that we must be careful how we give, lest the glory that belongs to God should be given to us (Matt. 6:1–4, 19–34). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 337)
The church is safe so long as Satan is attacking from the outside, but when he gets on the inside, the church is in danger. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 338)
This Spirit-given capacity to see what was really motivating a person enabled Peter to see that, in this case, it was Satan, and not the Holy Spirit to whom Ananias and Sapphira were devoting their loyalty. That kind of spiritual dishonesty gave him grave concern for the fellowship. Ananias and Sapphira were not lying to the church, but to God! (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 119)
The difficulty in local churches today is not the keeping back of part of the proceeds of a sale of property, it is the holding back of part of ourselves. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 119)
The characters of Barnabas and Ananias are set forth in deliberate contrast. The Bible records human events with realism. Luke wishes his readers to see the real Church, “warts and all.” The spiritual lessons taught are profound. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 59)
The sad, dark contrast to Barnabas and the bright portrait of the Church’s life is sketched in bold, honest realism, and with a minimum of detail. This was the Church’s first internal crisis. The Church has often been in greater peril from internal betrayal than from external persecution. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 61)
Knowing as we do the amazing forbearance of God with sinners, the punishment of these brazen hypocrites seems at first strangely severe. But we remember that they sinned wilfully against the most intense spiritual light possible. Spiritual death followed . While physical death appears to have been a divine judgment, the intense shock of discovery was in itself enough to produce heart failure. The Old Testament case of Achan who had stolen the thing devoted to God and had been punished with death, would be very familiar to them. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 62)
Peter acted, not as the agent in their deaths, but as God’s spokesman in uncovering their deceit. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 62)
The purity of the Church is a very precious thing in the eyes of God. The Church will not be a perfect society. There will be tares amongst the wheat. But defiant sin is to be dealt with in the Church’s discipline; purity is to be the Church’s standard. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 63)
It is on record that once Edward the First blazed with anger at one of his courtiers and the man dropped dead in sheer fear. This story shows two things about the early Church, the expectancy of men’s minds and the extraordinary respect in which the apostles were held. It was in that atmosphere that the rebuke of Peter acted as it did. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 44)
Once a court painter painted the portrait of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell was disfigured by warts upon his face. The painter, thinking to please the great man, omitted the disfiguring warts. When Cromwell saw the picture, he said, ‘Take it away, and paint me warts and all.” It is one of the great virtues of the Bible that it shows us its heroes, warts and all. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 45)
There is a certain encouragement in this story, for it shows us that even in its greatest days the Church was a mixture of good and bad. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 45)
Peter insists that sin is sin against God. We do well to remember that, very specially in certain directions, (i) Failure in diligence is sin against God. Everything, however humble it may be, that contributes to the health, the happiness and the welfare of mankind is work done for God. Antonio Stradivari, the great maker of violins, said, “If my hand slacked, I should rob God.” That is a motto for every man to take, (ii) Failure to use our talents is sin against God. God gave us such talents as we have ; we hold them in stewardship for him; and we are responsible to him for the use we make of them, (iii) Failure in truth is sin against God. When we slip into falsehood it is sin against the guidance of the Spirit in our hearts. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 45)
The phrase the apostles’ feet is the same as in 4:35, 37 and throws Ananias’ action into bold contrast with Barnabas’ action. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 365)
This discipline was severe because it was an example, as Achan was an example to Israel (cf. 1 Cor. 10:6). (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 365)
The purpose of this account in the narrative is manifold: (1) It revealed Acts 5:3-16 God’s displeasure with sin, particularly dishonesty, in His body, the church. (2) It marked the church off as distinct from Israel, for such discipline was not seen in Israel. The word church (used here for the first time in Acts) refers to the universal church here and in 9:31 and 20:28, and to local congregations in 11:26 and 13:1. (3) It indicated God was at work in this new group. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 365)
The case of Ananias and Sapphira is opposite that of Barnabas, though it was meant to look the same. No doubt the story circulated within the church as a warning of the awfulness of deceit, for at times of great enthusiasm such a warning is especially necessary. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 313)
3-4 Probably no account in Acts has provoked more wrath from critics than this one has. Commentators have complained about the difficulty of accepting the death of both husband and wife under such circumstances and have questioned Peter’s ethics in not giving them an opportunity for repentance and in not telling Sapphira of her husband’s death. Even more difficult for many is the way the story portrays Peter, who appears to be without the compassion or restraint of his Lord. Jesus’ relations with even Judas, whose sin was a thousand times more odious, certainly were not on this level. Many have felt it impossible for a leader of the early church to have shown such harshness over a relatively “slight” offense and have doubted that the church would have wanted to preserve such an account. Many, therefore, have taken this to be a fictitious story that arose only within a certain part of the early Christian community, perhaps to explain why certain members of the community had died before the Parousia. But Peter did not view the action of Ananias and Sapphira as merely incidental. He spoke of it as inspired by Satan and as a lie to both the Holy Spirit and God. It was a case of deceit and was an affront, not just on the community level, but primarily before God. Deceit is spiritually disastrous-a sin, whatever its supposed justification, that sours every personal relationship. Where there is even the suspicion of conscious misrepresentation and deception, trust is completely violated. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 314)
Ananias and Sapphira were severely dealt with because of the voluntary nature of their act of pretended piety (cf. v.4) and because the greater freedom permitted in the church at Jerusalem made the individual Christian more responsible to be honest and more culpable when dishonest. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 314)
The psychological explanations of Ananias’s sudden death attribute his fatal collapse to the shock and shame of being found out. The verb Luke uses for his death, however, is ekpsycho(“breathe one’s last,” “die”) — the same one used in the LXX of Sisera’s death (Judg 4:21). It appears in the NT only in contexts where someone is struck down by divine judgment (Acts 5:5, 10; 12:23). Psychological and physical factors may well have been secondary causes in Ananias’s death, but Luke’s emphasis is on the ultimate causation of God as the agent. This is the light in which he means his readers to understand his further comment: “And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.” (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 314)
The theme of the church in Acts 4 carries on into Acts 5, which begins with the word now in the New International Version or “but” in many other versions. The word now or but serves to signal a particular kind of transition. Luke is saying here that what follows in Acts 5 is in contrast or opposition to what just happened in Acts 4. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 70)
In Acts 4 and 5, we have seen three “greats” in the early church. There was great power. There was great grace. Now there is great fear. Why did the Holy Spirit act in such a severe way? I once heard someone comment, “Thank God this doesn’t happen anymore—or we’d have to put a morgue in every church!” It’s true, we don’t see such dramatic divine judgment today, but God wants us to heed the lesson of this event. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a picture of what results from a life of pretense and hypocrisy. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 71)
The mark of authentic Christian living is that we love one another, we share our lives with one another, we carry each other’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Until that occurs, we cannot truly say that our lives are authentically Christian. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 71)
Unfortunately, as it was soon to turn out, sitting over on the side of the church somewhere there were two people who noticed what was going on and who wanted to be acclaimed like Barnabas. Their names were Ananias and Sapphira. They thought, I wish people were praising us like that. Look at the attention Barnabas is getting. He sold his field and gave them money. They named him “Son of Encouragement.” How marvelous it would be to be thought of like that by our friends. So they decided to sell their piece of property and do the same thing. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 84)
Outwardly they seemed to be, but inwardly they were of quite a different character. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 84)
Someone once told Charles Spurgeon that they were leaving his church because they were going to find a perfect church. Spurgeon, who had a great deal of wit and sometimes was more forthright than people dare to be today, said, “When you find it, please don’t join it, because you’ll ruin it.” ()
We have a tendency to refer to Satan in glib terms. “The devil made me do it,” we say. Or, “Maybe it was Satan.” It is probably unlikely that Satan has ever tempted you personally, because he is only a creature and therefore can only be in one place at any one time. If you did wrong, you probably just did it on your own. Nevertheless, there is such a thing as spiritual warfare and it is quite possible to be tempted either by Satan or by one of those fallen angels who sinned with him. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 98)
If we go through periods of special blessing, as these early Christians had, personally or in our church, we can expect Satan or one of his demons to attack us. It is because Satan does not want the church of Jesus Christ to thrive. If you are only going through the motions of serving Jesus, Satan will not worry about you very much. If you are not attempting anything important for God, if you are not breaking new ground, not witnessing, not serving in any particularly effective way, Satan will probably leave you alone. On the other hand, if you really are trying to do something for God—if your church is effective, if you have a strong missions program, if you have people out witnessing, if you are trying to embody the gospel in social programs that minister to the needs of real people and demonstrate the real love of Jesus Christ—Satan will attack you. You will have to be on your guard against him. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 99)
- S. Lewis put it when he was talking abOUt
Christian morality. He wrote:
‘ Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from What it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war with and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.2 ()
The story of Ananias is to the book of Acts what the story of Achan is to the book of Joshua. In both narratives an act of deceit interrupts the victorious progress of the people of God. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 127)
The incident shows, too, that even in the earliest days the church was not a society of perfect people. Luke’s picture of the primitive community is no doubt idealized, but it is not over-idealized. Lest his readers should overestimate the unity and sanctity of the first believers, he has recorded this incident which not only illustrates his honest realism but is intended also to serve as a warning to others. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 128)
In verse 11 the word “church” (Gk. ekklēsia) occurs for the first time in the authentic text of Acts. The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. In its Gentile sense it denotes chiefly the citizen-assembly of a Greek city (cf. Acts 19:32, 39, 41), but it is its Jewish usage that underlies its use to denote the community of believers in Jesus. In the Septuagint it is one of the words used to denote the people of Israel in their religious character as Yahweh’s “assembly.” (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 131)