Part 5 (1/2)

Ananias-his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him-sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.

-ACTS 5:12 (MSG)

The couple sat at the kitchen table and stared at the check for fifteen thousand dollars. The silence was a respite. The last half hour had been twelve rounds of verbal jabs and uppercuts. She blamed him for the idea. ”You just had to give the money away.”

He snapped back, ”You didn't complain when everyone clapped for you at church, now did you?”

”Who would have thought that piece of dirt would bring this kind of price?”

Ananias hadn't expected to get fifteen thousand dollars. Ten thousand at best. Eight thousand at least. But fifteen thousand for an undeveloped acre off a one-lane road south of Jerusalem? He had inherited the property from his Uncle Ernie, who had left this note with the will: ”Hang on to the land, Andy. You never know. If the road expands from one lane to four, you've got a nest egg.”

So Ananias had taken the advice, locked the deed in a safe, and never thought about it until Sapphira, his wife, got wind of a generous deed done by Barnabas.

”He sold his beachfront condo and gave the money to the church.”

”You're kidding. The condo in Jaffa?”

”That's what I heard.”

”Whoa, that's prime real estate.”

Ananias knew Barnabas from Rotary. Of course, everyone knew Barnabas. The guy had more friends than the temple had priests. Ananias couldn't help but notice the tone people used when discussing Barnabas's gift. Respect. Appreciation. It would be nice to be thought of that way.

So he mentioned the acre to Sapphira. ”We're never going to build on it. I'm sure we can get eight thousand dollars. Let's give the money to the church.”

”All of it?”

”Why not?”

They would have been better off just doing it, just keeping their mouths shut and giving the gift. They didn't need to tell a soul. But Ananias never excelled at mouth management.

During the next Sunday's wors.h.i.+p service, the apostle Peter opened the floor for testimonials and prayer requests. Ananias popped up and took his place at the front.

”Sapphira and I've been blessed beyond words since coming here to the Jerusalem church. We want to say thank you. We are selling an acre, and we pledge to give every mite to the Widows' Fund.”

The congregation, several thousand members strong, broke into applause. Ananias gestured for Sapphira to wave . . . she did. She stood and turned a full circle and blew a kiss toward Ananias. He returned the gesture and then saluted Peter. But Peter was not smiling. Ananias chose not to think much of it and stepped back to his seat. Later that night he called a real-estate agent and listed the property. He fell asleep with the thought of a foyer named after him.

Uncle Ernie's hunch about road expansion was spot-on. Two land developers wanted the property. Neither winced at the ten-thousand-dollar price tag. By the time the bidding was finished, the couple had a check for fifteen thousand.

So they sat at their kitchen table in silence. Sapphira stirred her coffee. Ananias stared at the check. It was Sapphira who first suggested the plan.

”What if we tell them we sold the property for just ten thousand dollars?”

”What?”

”Who has to know?”

Ananias thought for a moment. ”Yeah, we'll just let everyone think we closed at ten thousand. That way we get credit for the gift and a little cash for something special.”

She smiled. ”Like a five-thousand-dollar down payment on a Jaffa condo?”

”No harm in that.”

”No harm at all.”

And so on the following Sunday, Ananias stood in front of the church again. He waved a check and announced, ”We sold the property for ten thousand dollars!” and he placed the check in the offering basket. He basked in the applause and signaled for Sapphira to stand. She did.

They thought their cover-up was a success.

On Sunday afternoon the apostles called Ananias to a meeting.

”They surely want to thank us,” he told Sapphira as he tightened his necktie. ”Probably wondering if we'd be self-conscious at a recognition banquet.”

”I'd be okay with one,” she a.s.sured him.

He smiled and walked out the door, never thinking he wouldn't return.

According to Luke the meeting lasted only long enough for Peter to ask four questions and render a single verdict.

Question 1: ”Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” (Acts 5:3). So much for the cover-up. Luke's phrase for keep back means ”misappropriate.” The apostles sniffed out the couple's scheme for what it was: financial fraud.

Question 2: ”While it remained, was it not your own?” (v. 4). No one forced the couple to sell the property. They acted of their own accord and free will.

Question 3: ”After it was sold, was it not in your own control?” (v. 4). At any point the couple could have changed their minds or altered their contribution. The sin was not in keeping a portion of the proceeds but in pretending they gave it all. They wanted the appearance of sacrifice without the sacrifice.

Question 4: ”Why have you conceived this thing in your heart?” (v. 4). This deceitful act was not an impulsive stumble but a calculated, premeditated swindle. Ananias had every intention of misleading the church. Did he not realize he was lying to G.o.d?

Peter made it clear with this verdict: ”'You have not lied to men but to G.o.d.' Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last” (vv. 45).

The body of Ananias was wrapped and buried before Sapphira had any clue what had happened. When she came to meet with Peter, she expected a word of appreciation. Peter gave her a chance to come clean.