Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Acts 5:1 - 5:6

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Acts 5:1 - 5:6


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

Ananias and Sapphira.

The sin and death of Ananias:

v. 1. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession,

v. 2. and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

v. 3. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

v. 4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

v. 5. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost; and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

v. 6. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

Luke had just narrated an instance of true, charitable selflessness in the conduct of Barnabas of Cyprus. Unfortunately, however, the appreciation and praise accorded to people that have shown real benevolence often prompts hypocrites to make a pretense and show of great love, in order that they may also be given words that sound pleasant to their itching ears. Into the paradise of the early Church there entered the serpent of selfishness and corruption. Luke presents no reflections and affixes no moral, adhering to his practice of simply narrating the facts of history. There was a certain man, a member of the congregation at Jerusalem, by the name of Ananias ("to whom Jehovah has been gracious"). The name of his wife, who also belonged to those that professed Christianity, was Sapphira (sapphire, "the beautiful"). To these two belonged a possession, some property, very likely a piece of improved real estate of some value, Now Ananias as well as his wife were eager to be accounted benefactors of their poorer brethren, and so they sold their property, probably with some ostentation. But their interest in the poor was only sham, and for the good will of God they cared nothing. They set apart, they appropriated for their own benefit, a certain part of the proceeds of the sale. It is expressly stated that Sapphira was fully aware of this arrangement, that it was done with her full knowledge and consent; she was just as guilty as her husband. "If we attempt to analyze the motive of the guilty pair, we shall find that their act was a compromise between two unholy desires. The desire to have the praise of men, such as had been bestowed upon Barnabas and some others, prompted the sale and the gift, while the love of money, which still held too strong a hold on them, prompted the retention of a part while they were pretending to give all. " Their course having been fully decided upon, Ananias took the sum of money which they decided should serve to establish their fame as dispensers of charity, brought it to the meeting-place of the apostles and the congregation, and deposited it in the customary place. The act which the guilty pair was committing was not simply their sin as individuals, but placed the whole church into great danger. For if others should learn of this subterfuge, they would be apt to practice the same hypocrisy. But if integrity and truth should disappear in the congregation, the Church of Christ would lose her brightest ornaments, and pharisaic hypocrisy would be substituted for Christian holiness. "It was, therefore, of vital importance to the Church that the introduction of an evil of such magnitude should meet with an immediate and effectual resistance. " Accordingly, Peter put the heart-searching question to Ananias: How is it that Satan has filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? As the devil is the author of every sin and transgression, so he here also gave the idea of wickedness and deceit into the heart of Ananias. For in pretending a benevolence which he was far from feeling, the man had lied, not so much to men, to Peter, the apostles, and the congregation, but to the Holy Ghost, who spoke and acted through the apostles, who lived and moved in the Christian congregation. He had tempted the Spirit of God, who tests heart and mind, who, as true God, knows the innermost thoughts of every man's heart. And Peter very properly reminded Ananias that the property had been his to keep, if he so chose; there was no compulsory communism in the congregation. And if he had chosen to sell his property and to keep all the money, it was entirely in his own power. It would even have been strictly his own business if he had frankly stated that he was bringing only a part of the proceeds, since he intended to use the rest himself. But his heart had been set upon getting credit for charity and benevolence which he did not possess. "The act of selling their possession for the ostensible purpose of bringing it into the common stock left them no further control over it nor property in it; and their pretense that the money which they brought was the whole produce of the sale was a direct lie in itself, and an attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, under whose influence they pretended to act. This constituted the iniquity of their sin. " Note: The fact that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias, and that he had conceived this thing in his own heart, are placed on a level. The fact that Ananias had yielded to the devil's persuasion and temptation put the responsibility, the blame, upon him. The same holds true of every sinner in every sin which he commits, especially if it is done with such deliberate intent as in this case. Mark also: In lying to the Holy Ghost, Ananias had lied to God Himself, for the Holy Spirit is true God with the Father and the Son. Deceit and hypocrisy of every kind is open before His omniscience, as every one that is guilty of these sins will find out to his great sorrow sooner or later. The sin of Ananias received its condemnation at once, and a punishment which is intended to be a warning for all times. For no sooner had Peter finished his earnest rebuke, no sooner had the guilty man heard these words, than he fell down and breathed forth his soul; he died at once, struck by the wrath of the Holy Ghost. The execution was so obviously an act of God that a great fear fell upon all those that saw the punishment and heard the words by which it was accompanied. When God speaks, the heart of sinful man is filled with awe. And the young men of the congregation, not a special class or separate body, but the younger members of the audience, arose from their places. There was no time either for a lamentation or for an elaborate funeral ceremony, had the people present been so inclined; there was no weeping or delay. Wrapping the dead man up in his own mantle, the young men carried him out and buried him. Such is the end of those that abuse the grace of the Lord. Be not deceived, God is not mocked.