《The Biblical Illustrator – Acts (Ch.5~7)》(A Compilation)
05 Chapter 5
Verses 1-11
Acts 5:1-11
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.
Ananias and Sapphira
The word Ananias means “grace of God”; and the word Sapphira signifies just “a sapphire,” the familiar jewel of brilliance andbeauty. We should suppose these two people had an unusually bright prospect in the outset. Somebody there was who loved them enough to give them very fine names when they were little. Ananias lied; then it was that “the grace of God” went out of him for ever. Sapphira lied; when a woman loses the truth, it is as if the last light went out of a sapphire. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Ananias and Sapphira
Hitherto all has been progress and triumph. Faith has become enthusiasm. Earth caught the colouring, yea, the very life of heaven. Private ownership was swallowed up by social beneficence, and little restrictions and classifications were swept away by a generosity akin to the love of God. Now we come upon another aspect of affairs. We find a twist in the golden thread. The whole thing must come to a stop until this be rectified. Think of the Church standing still, though glowing with the enthusiasm of love, until judgment be satisfied! Why not treat the offence as a trifling one? Why not pass it over without notice? Because the Church is called unto holiness, and sin must ever bring down the anger and judgment of God. From the conduct of these people we see--
I. The vital difference between the spirit and the fashion of Christianity. We might say between a principle and a mere rule. Ananias tried to be a Christian from the outside. He put the hands of the clock to the right time, but left the mainspring broken and the pendulum still
1. We may imitate Christ, and yet not know Him after the spirit.
2. We may mingle with Christians, and yet know nothing of the spiritual power of Christianity. The incident says, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
II. The fatal temptation to give the part as the whole. Observe not the part instead of the whole: not to give the part distinctly and avowedly as the part; but to give it as if it were really all. This is illustrated--
1. In speaking half-heartedly as if sincerely.
2. In giving a small contribution as if it exhausted our resources. “I cannot afford more,” is the chief lie of the Church.
3. In concealing our convictions by using words with various meanings.
4. In having outward associations which do not express the whole tendency andtrust of the heart.
5. In modifying vows according to changes in circumstances--young man dedicating himself to the ministry: young tradesman vowing to consecrate his property: young Christian vowing to offer a solemn testimony for Christ.
III. The concealed sin as well as the public iniquity will be followed by the judgment of God. “Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?”
1. There isvet to be a reading of hearts.
2. Not only what we have done, but what we have left undone is to be judged.
3. Sins which apparently do no harm to society are to be punished. The voice of the judgment is, “The wages of sin is death.”
Application--
1. The Church is to be holy.
2. Though hand join in hand the wicked shall not go unpunished.
3. Discipline is of greater consequence than numbers.
4. The Christian power which heals one man destroys another. Contrast the cripple with Ananias. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Ananias and Sapphira
The apostolic Church had been welded into a remarkable unity of experience and purpose. All hours and places seemed filled with the presence of God. Men had forgotten their selfishness, and lived for each other and their Lord. Pentecost and millennium were apparently but a little way and a short time apart; and then suddenly, like lightning from a clear sky, came the crime of Ananias and Sapphira. The Church was the Church militant, and not triumphant, after all. The Judas among the apostles had, and was to continue to have, his descendants. The Church in the world was to be crippled and compromised by the world in the Church. The transaction was typical and the narrative suggestive. Notice, then--
I. The character of the sin. It was not simple falsehood. Misrepresentation, deceit, lying, in the ordinary affairs of life, are evils of incalculable magnitude; but this sin was the attempt to deceive and defraud God. In the fervour of their new-born faith and experience, men were parting with their property, and consecrating the price of it to Christ and His Church. Ananias and Sapphira had seen enough of the new religion to wish to be numbered among its followers; so they plotted to buy discipleship at a cheaper rate than their neighbours. In this they thought that they were measuring their business capacity against the business ignorance of Peter; in fact, they were trying to deceive the eyes that look through eternity. Many a man since has ventured upon the same experiment, In every community there are some who are convinced of the worth of religion, and outwardly unite with the Church. Neither their conduct nor their neglect is such as to subject them to discipline; and yet they are far from having made a complete surrender of themselves to God. Their religious life is a compromise. The bulk of their time and energy is devoted to self and the world; the dust and sweepings are offered to God. Fingers that glisten with diamonds drop dimes into the contribution-box. Luxuries are cheerfully paid for; but poverty and prudence are urged as excuses for mere pittances towards the cause of God. Ananias in broadcloth and Sapphira in silk Sit in the churches every sabbath, trying to cheapen the bargain with God, and cheating as well, by offering less than complete surrender.
II. The origin of the sin. In general it was due to an evil heart, but its specific root was the love of money.
1. Ananias and Sapphira, while they were not averse to the reputation of having made great sacrifices for the gospel, could not give up the pleasure of feeling that they had property; and so, as avaricious people, they “kept back part of the price.”
2. Perhaps they desired to have the means of purchasing more luxuries than were enjoyed by those who “had all things in common”; and so, as selfish people, they “kept back part of the price.”
3. Not impossibly, they were uncertain as to the permanence of this new faith, whose collapse would leave them without means of support; and so, as prudent people, they “kept back part of the price.” In our day, when men are called to choose between piety and property, there are many who prevaricate, and end with a compromise. The great aggressive enterprises of the Church are crippled for lack of financial support, and yet a very considerable portion of the wealth of Christian lands is in the hands of professed disciples. They are prodigal in their prayers and hymns and exhortations, but close-handed with their money. Like the tree in the ancient legend, which uttered a moan and bled whenever a twig was broken off, they writhe when forced to give for the glory of God and the salvation of men. The old poison of avarice is still in the veins of the Church; and Christ is dishonoured, and thousands perish, because so many, who call themselves His followers, “keep back part of the price.”
III. The discovery of the sin. It seemed unlikely that the transaction would be made public. The land was probably sold to some one outside the company. Ananias and Sapphira would not circulate the story of what they had done. But there was an uncalculated factor in the equation. It affected the kingdom of God, as well as the real estate market. It was fair dealing as between man and man; as between man and God it was fraud, and so it was sure to be discovered. It is a truth which men are slow to learn, that there is a Divine detective system in the universe. It is easy to deceive the world. Men may consider us generous, when in reality we are pinched in our charities; they may call us self-sacrificing, when in fact self-pleasing is the sovereign motive of our lives; they may esteem us devout, when we are cold and formal: but what is our trickery worth, so long as there is One that knows us altogether? Dionysius constructed a prison, so that he could hear all that was said by the prisoners, and so made them self-accusers in the day of their trial. To God this world is one vast whispering-gallery, and every sin which men commit reports itself to Him. What a wonderful day that will be when the secrets of all hearts are made known! Men ought always to live as in the light of the Great White Throne.
IV. The punishment of the sin.
1. It was startling and severe. One moment Ananias and Sapphira stood before the apostle in the flush of life and health, with the lie upon their lips; She next they were in eternity, beginning the experience of its unchanging awards. The penalty might be judged extreme for a single sin: but
2. It was anticipative and representative. The judgment continues to be executed. Men now who attempt to defraud God are not beaten down as with a lightning-stroke; but, all the same, they die spiritually. (Monday Club Sermons.)
Deception exposed and punished
I. Impious deception.
1. The possession devoted. “Ananias with Sapphira his wife sold a possession” (Acts 4:34; Acts 5:1; Leviticus 27:28; Ecclesiastes 5:4).
2. The part kept back (Malachi 3:8; Joshua 7:11; John 12:6; 1Timothy 6:10).
3. Counterfeit benevolence. Lessons:
II. Immediate detection.
1. The source of the sin (Acts 5:3; John 13:27; Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7).
2. The inexcusableness of the sin (Acts 5:4; Leviticus 1:3; Exodus 25:2; 2Corinthians 9:7).
3. The nature of the sin. Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God (Psalms 51:4; Genesis 39:9; Luke 15:21). Lessons:
III. Instant death.
1. Ananias.
2. Sapphira.
3. The great fear (Psalms 111:10; Matthew 10:28; Philippians 2:12). Lessons:
Ananias and Sapphira
I. The sin. It was of no common magnitude. If we consider the circumstances we shall find--
1. That this falsehood was an imposition on the society with which Ananias was himself connected.
2. That it was designed to defraud the apostles and the whole Church.
3. That he could plead no appearance of external temptation.
4. That his purpose was veiled under the pretence of religious principles.
5. That his sin was deliberately and presumptuously directed against tim Holy Spirit of God.
II. The punishment.
1. It was death.
2. It was inflicted without warning.
3. It immediately followed the presumptuous transgression.
4. It produced great fear upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard of it.
III. Reflections.
1. That men may enjoy high advantages, may make a fair profession of religion, and may obtain admission to its most sacred external privileges, and yet may remain slaves to vicious dispositions, and strangers to the fear of God. Other examples we have in Cain, Esau, and Judas.
2. That men may travel far in the journey of lifE before they meet with those peculiar circumstances which are fitted to discover and display their true characters. So it was with Balaam, Hazael, and Judas.
3. How corrupting, enslaving, debasing is the spirit of avarice (Proverbs 21:26; 1Timothy 6:9-10).
4. The encroaching nature of sinful principles and dispositions. Covetousness led to deliberate, aggravated falsehood and fraud, and to impiety so presumptuous as to provoke the immediate judgment of God. One transgression of the Divine law renders others in some degree necessary, and at the same time renders the mind blind to the sad consequences that must result from them.
5. The odious nature and pernicious tendency of the vices of lying, fraud, and hypocrisy (Proverbs 6:16; Proverbs 6:19; Habakkuk 2:9; Jeremiah 22:13; Malachi 1:14).
Conclusion: The fearful punishment of these two false disciples leads to the consideration of--
1. The omniscience of God. No human eye saw Cain murder his brother. Gehazi flattered himself that he was perfectly secure from detection. Ananias and Sapphira had no doubt prepared their plan with all possible secrecy; but they all forgot that “all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
2. How tremendous is the power of God over His creatures! He can bestow life, and He can withdraw it at His pleasure (Deuteronomy 32:39). (H. Thomson, D. D.)
Ananias and Sapphira
The sin and punishment of this pair of hypocrites present the first trace of a shade on the bright form of the young Church. As in Eden the enemy could not assert his evil sway in his proper form, so in his efforts in theChurch he assumed a guise suited to effect his purpose--the guise of goodness. K foe within is more to be dreaded than a foe without. But no sooner did evil reveal itself within the Christian circle than the Spirit detected and judged it. The word “but” put the conduct of Ananias and his wife in sharp contrast with that ofBarnabas. Matthew Henry calls it the “melancholy but.” We pass suddenly from the warm sunshine of the “son of consolation” to the gloom of hypocrisy and fraud. Evil is often a close neighbour to good. “The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” How near to each other are chaff and wheat! but the chaff is not wheat, and is finally separated from it. Teaching by opposites is an impressive method of instruction.
I. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira. “Lying unto the Holy Ghost.” In verses 3 and 4 the personality and deity of the Spirit are asserted in an incidental way. Peter varies the charge of lying to the Spirit in the third verse to lying to God in the fourth. It is noteworthy that a similar exchange of expression occurs in Psalms 78:36 --“lied unto Him,” and verse 41, “tempted God.” Numbers 14:1-45. clearly show that the righteous judgment which Israel’s “lying” to God and “tempting” Him provoked was quite analogous to this of Ananias and Sapphira. Their case was aggravated far beyond that of Simon Magus or of Elymas. It resembles more closely that of Nadab and Abihu, of Achan and of Gehazi (Leviticus 10:1-20.; Joshua 7:1-26.; 2Kings 5:20-27), but was more criminal, because committed against greater light and intensified by a more preferred hypocrisy. Let us note some of its aggravations.
1. Their act was gratuitous.
2. It was marked by covetousness.
3. Unbelief also entered into their guilt.
4. The sin was preconcerted. They “agreed together” to deceive the Church and the Spirit in the Church. The plan was concocted deliberately and dispassionately.
5. The devil’s agency in the sin. The question “why” implies that resistance to Satan’s influence had been possible. Ananias is addressed, not as a helpless creature whom the enemy had made his tool, but as one who had made him his partner and abettor. “Filled thine heart” means something more than to suggest or to encourage; it means affections engrossed and will dominated.
II. Their punishment. It was instantaneous. As their sin challenged both the omniscience and justice of God, He at once vindicated the holiness and majesty of His character.But why were these persons so swiftly and severely judged? Have not men lied to God since? Let these points be noted--
1. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was peculiarly heinous and odious.
2. At their death “great fear came upon all.” To produce this was doubtless one of the objects intended. It was important also as a permanent testimony against similar offences in every age of the Church.
3. This judgment connects with God’s dispensational ways. At the opening of an economy a standard is established designed to characterise the entire period. At the beginning any gross departure is immediately punished. The first sabbath-breaker, the trespass of Nadab and Abihu at the first founding of the priesthood, and that of Achan at the first entrance into Canaan, were punished with death. Such inflictions are at the start the exhibition of God’s thoughts as to what the economy should be. Nothing false, hypocritical, or presumptuous is to be tolerated in it.
III. The lessons.
1. The Divine abhorrence of prevarication. If falsehood kindle among men the deepest resentment, what must be God’s feelings toward the hypocrite?
2. The certainty of the exposure of hypocrisy. All that is required is some pressure. “Be sure your sin will find you out”
3. Religious enthusiasm without grace is dangerous. People run fearful risks when they profess more than their spiritual strength can carry. In times of great religious excitement men pledge themselves to what they cannot fulfil. Or remarkable experiences are claimed; then trials are encountered, and failure succeeds. Pride forbids the acknowledgment of failure; professions are as loud as ever. And for all this there is no basis in fact--it is a mere mask to hide the true state of the heart. How much safer andnobler is the honest confession of a breakdown than such loud and hollow protestations! (W. G. Moorehead, D. D.)