The account of Ananias and Sapphira found in Acts 5:1-11 describes a married couple who were members of the early Jerusalem church. They sold a piece of property and brought a portion of the proceeds to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. However, they had secretly held some back. When confronted, first Ananias, then later his wife Sapphira, lied about the full price of the land. As a result of their deception, God struck them dead.
This severe judgment by God has troubled many readers over the centuries. Why were Ananias and Sapphira struck dead for what appears to be a relatively minor offense? Several factors help explain God’s harsh response.
The seriousness of lying to the Holy Spirit
Peter confronts Ananias, saying, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” (Acts 5:3). To lie to the apostles was to lie to the Holy Spirit who empowered and worked through them. The Holy Spirit is God himself, the third person of the Trinity. Lying to Him is an extremely serious matter.
The church was in its infancy, with the Spirit demonstrating God’s power through miracles and changed lives. Deception and hypocrisy could have hindered the Spirit’s work. God desired sincerity, honesty and purity as the church was established.
Greed and deception
Though Ananias and Sapphira gave a significant amount, they were greedy and wanted to keep some back while appearing generous. Their action was deceptive, publicly presenting their gift as the full sale price (Acts 5:2). Pretending to give sacrificially when they actually did not tested God’s patience.
As Peter said, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?” (Acts 5:4). They were under no compulsion to give the money, but their deception was displeasing to God.
Hypocrisy
Ananias and Sapphira were part of a community that highly valued sacrifice and generosity. Barnabas had just set a sacrificial example by selling land and laying the money at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:36-37). Ananias and Sapphira wanted the same admiration without the sacrifice.
By publicly appearing generous while privately holding back, they brought hypocrisy into the fledgling church. This threatened unity and sincerity among the believers. Their hypocrisy had to be purged.
A unique transitional moment
The newborn church was a unique period of transition. The Spirit was manifesting Himself in extraordinary ways. God’s judgment was swift and severe for deception and sin during this crucial, formative time.
While God certainly hates lying and hypocrisy, we should not expect Him to strike people dead every time it occurs today. The unique situation required God to act swiftly and decisively, setting a solemn tone for purity in His infant church.
The expectation of purity
As part of the new covenant inaugurated at Pentecost, God expected full sincerity and purity from His people. Ananias and Sapphira violated that by secretly keeping back for themselves while pretending to give all.
After this incident, “great fear came upon the whole church” (Acts 5:11). God desired that kind of reverence and sincerity among His new covenant people. His harsh judgment promoted that by revealing the seriousness of openness and purity before Him.
Parallels with Achan
There are similarities between God’s judgment on Ananias and Sapphira and His dealing with Achan in Joshua 7. After the destruction of Jericho, Achan secretly kept plunder for himself that was supposed to be devoted to God. As a result, God’s judgment came upon Achan and his family (Joshua 7:20-26).
Like Achan, Ananias and Sapphira’s secret sin brought judgment and death. Both incidents teach that God requires utter sincerity and faithfulness toward Him, especially by His chosen people.
Shock value
The dramatic, severe judgment on Ananias and Sapphira sent shockwaves through the early church. God sometimes uses harsh means to awaken people to their sin and prompt repentance.
Paul says similarly severe punishments happened under Moses so “these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:1-11). The account served as a solemn warning against deception.
Fulfillment of Peter’s word
Peter pronounced God’s judgment on both Ananias and Sapphira before it happened (Acts 5:5, 9-10). This demonstrated Peter’s authority as an apostle through whom God confirmed His word. It provided a powerful testimony of God’s holiness.
God fulfilled Peter’s pronouncement, showing he spoke on God’s behalf and that the Spirit worked powerfully through him. This validated Peter’s spiritual authority in the early church.
Prepared the way for ministry
This account prepared the way for the apostles’ ministry by fostering an atmosphere of purity and genuineness. The people “durst no man join himself to them” but held them in high honor (Acts 5:13). This cleansing paved the way for the Spirit’s continued work.
Rather than hindering the church, God’s firm response advanced its mission. It promoted sanctity and respect for the Spirit, facilitating greater ministry impact.
God values truth
Above all, this incident displays God’s high value on truthfulness and sincerity. He desires “truth in the inward being” (Psalm 51:6). Pretense, deceit and hypocrisy have no place in the church.
God acted decisively to make known that He wants honesty and integrity, not respectable appearances masking greed and lies. He exposed the truth to set the right tone among His people.
In summary, God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead because of the seriousness of their deception, hypocrisy and greed. He acted firmly to instill purity and godly fear in the newborn church. This account displays God’s hatred of pretense and love of sincerity.
Though severe, His judgment had a redemptive purpose – to foster holiness and spiritual power among His people for greater ministry impact. As in other times of transition, God required a higher level of consecration to Himself and His purposes.
This solemn passage reminds us that God still hates lies, greed and hypocrisy. It points us to Christ, who perfectly modeled transparency, sacrifice and sincerity. As His followers, God calls us to the same high standard as we live for Him today.