Acts 5:9, commentary and pictures

Peter confronted Sapphira when she came in unaware of her husband's death and repeated his lie about the sale price, exposing that she had agreed with Ananias to test the Spirit of the Lord and declaring that the young men who had just buried Ananias were at the door to carry her out, and she at once fell dead and was buried beside him. Their sin was pretending to surrender the whole proceeds of their property while secretly keeping back part for themselves, though their offering was entirely voluntary and a partial gift would have been accepted. To deceive in this way was to lie not to men but to God Himself, who searches the heart and by His Spirit reveals hidden iniquity and will not be mocked. The swift and terrible judgment was a necessary warning at the first fraud in the young church, forever removing that stain of hypocrisy and bringing reverential fear that kept the church comparatively pure. The account stands as a perpetual danger-signal to Christians of every age against covetous hypocrisy and withholding what belongs to God, for though the same sin is now left without the same visible punishment it remains equally heinous and will surely meet the same fate at the final reckoning.

Narrative Setting and Wording

About three hours after Ananias died Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened to him. Peter gave her opportunity to speak the truth about the price received for the property, but she repeated the lie told by her husband.

The words about feet at the door meant the young men who had just buried Ananias were already standing at the entrance waiting. Peter announced that as they had carried out her husband so they would carry her out dead, and she at once fell down dead and was then buried beside him.

The swift deaths afterward increased the fear and hatred of the Jewish leaders toward the apostles. In council the priests and rulers fixed upon the apostles the charge of having murdered the couple. They joined to it a charge of insurrection and conspiracy to deprive the priests of authority and put them to death. They hoped by that accusation to excite the mob to seize the disciples and deal with them as the mob had dealt with Jesus. They did so because they feared that if those weary of their arbitrary rule accepted the preaching of Jesus as Messiah, the anger of the whole people would turn against them and they would be made to answer for the murder of Christ.

Nature of Joint Deception

Sapphira knowingly joined Ananias in an agreed test of the Spirit of the Lord, and their very agreement together in falsehood and prevarication was that tempting. They concealed part of the sale money while pretending to give the whole amount, repeating the same lie about the price when confronted. Their deliberate agreement was to deceive God by withholding part of what was pledged, and Peter's question exposed their fraud as tempting the Spirit. That hidden fraud was detected and would not be mocked, bringing sudden judgment and warning the church against covetousness, hypocrisy, pretense, and robbing God.

Their deceit lay in presenting part as if it were the whole proceeds of land or possessions sold, giving the impression of a stated sale price and full surrender when they had received much more and secretly kept back a large share. They professed to consecrate everything while dissembling and concealing the true value, claiming to give the full amount while making it appear they had given all. Their giving was wholly voluntary with no compulsion, and a partial gift would have been accepted, yet they promised to give for Christ's cause and then withheld. To so deceive about the price brought in part to the apostles was to lie not to men but to God.

The root was cherished selfishness and covetousness felt under the conviction and softening grace of gospel preaching when they pledged, then questioned and drawn back from when the heavenly influence lifted. Ashamed to have brethren know their selfish souls grudged what was solemnly dedicated, they talked it over and deliberately chose deception. They professed godliness while secretly cherishing iniquity, pretending to make an entire sacrifice for God when covetously withholding a portion for themselves. By that choice they opened a door by which Satan entered and gained control of their minds, and their lie to the Holy Spirit was prompted by Satan. Covetousness so cherished into desire to keep back part of what was promised leads to fraud and hypocrisy and lying to the Holy Spirit.

They wanted the high esteem given to generous believers and to draw support from the common fund, while unwilling to give all to God. They kept back part while presenting the rest as though it were the whole gift, hoping to appear generous and self-denying and desiring commendation as liberal and self-denying. They sacrificed truth to gain favor and a reputation for devotion, misrepresenting the truth to gain favor and reputation. The Holy Spirit read their deception, exposing their underhand dealing and selfish meanness to be put away from character.

Judgment Declared and Executed

Peter's word to Sapphira that the men who had buried her husband were at the door and would carry her out was a foretelling of her own death and removal from the assembly. The sentence fell at once, without delay, as stern and sudden divine judgment, swift and terrible in its execution. She immediately fell down dead before them.

The stroke came as a severe warning made at the first instance of fraud and dishonesty among the believers. It was fearful retributive justice, set forth as an example necessary to guard the rapidly increasing young church from demoralization. By that death God forever rid the church of this foul blot upon its purity. In removing Ananias and Sapphira He took away a stain of hypocrisy from among His people.

The event brought great fear upon the church and upon all who heard of it. That fear was reverential, producing greater caution and more thorough examination of motives among the new believers. It became a terror to hypocrites and evildoers, so that they could not long remain in connection with those who in habit and disposition were constant representatives of Christ. While trials and persecution continued, only those willing to forsake all for the sake of truth desired to become disciples, and by this sifting the church was kept comparatively pure.

What Verse Reveals About God

To pretend to lay the whole price at the apostles' feet while secretly keeping back part was to lie not to men but to God, to lie to the Holy Spirit and to tempt His Spirit, to deceive God and act a falsehood before Him who knows the truth of every heart. The joint agreement itself was that testing, for Ananias and Sapphira deliberately conspired to misrepresent the sale and the gift as entire surrender when they had received much more and withheld a large share. That deceit, prompted by Satan, marks all who are not wholly devoted to God yet claim to serve Christ.

God searches the heart, so motives, purposes, and concealed selfish and unjust actions cannot be hidden from Him, and He detects hidden sin of the heart and will not be mocked. The Spirit of truth revealed their real character and hidden iniquity to the apostles, the Holy Spirit read their deception, and Jesus exposed it and directed how to deal with it. Even what men think the brethren will never know, as in withholding a portion of what God claims in tithing while each is left to be his own assessor to give as he purposes in his heart, stands open before Him.

A pledge of lands, money, or support for God's work is a vow to God, not merely a promise to people, and God requires faithfulness in its performance. To use the pledged amount for oneself is sacrilege and fraud against God, and the vow remains binding even where no human court enforces it, with guilt resting in proportion to similar offenses. Pretending to fulfill it while keeping back the consecrated portion is itself tempting the Spirit of the Lord.

God did not accept their gift, any more than He accepts offerings withheld through selfishness. The small, unwilling gifts of those who indulge themselves while robbing Him and withholding what is due are of the same kind, and such false offering to gratify self and rob God while pretending to fulfill His requirements is no more accepted now than then. Their punishment stands as a marked warning of His abhorrence of deception in gifts and offerings and of offense against His sacred claims.

He is the same God in the gospel that He was in the time of ancient Israel, and ministering angels take note of neglect of duty. Lying is not a slight evil but an enormity, proved by His immediately striking Ananias and his wife dead for this sin, and their sin stands with Achan's as bringing God's wrath upon His people. Therefore those in high positions of trust and all who carry responsibility as faithful stewards must maintain strict integrity in every transaction, exemplify the mind of Christ, not permit known sin to be passed over as small and unimportant, guard righteousness and judgment, give youth a right impression of what constitutes sin and uncleanness, and diligently separate sin from the camp, since transgressing any one commandment fails profession and charges one as a transgressor of the whole law; and fathers are to treat a child's falsehood with that seriousness, praying with the child and impressing the enormity of lying rather than excusing it.

Warning and Present Application

The case stands as a marked, perpetual danger-signal and lesson not only to the early church but to Christians of every age and to all future generations professing to follow Christ, teaching the whole world how seriously God regards dishonest practices in gifts and offerings and His abhorrence of offense against His sacred claims. It was left as a perpetual warning because the hearts of men are continually inclined to the same sin, with God searching the heart so that motives and purposes cannot be hidden, and with the vow consecrated to God remaining sacredly binding. Though the same sin continues, such signal punishment is not repeated, for men are left to the general principles of God's administration.

It warns believers to guard against covetousness cherished into fraud and hypocrisy, against avaricious hypocrisy and dissembling, pretense, and robbing God to gratify self. In particular it warns against withholding from God's treasury the means entrusted for advancing His work, including tithe and vowed offerings, while pretending to fulfill His requirements, and against pretending to serve God while withholding money entrusted for His work. Selfishness can harden the heart to withhold what belongs to God, and pretending to fulfill the vow while keeping back the consecrated portion is fraud against God. Such false offering is no more accepted now than then.

The same displeasure condemns present underhand dealing in the Lord's work when dealings are done in a deceptive way, not straightforward but oppressive and unjust, using lawyers to take advantage, exacting exorbitant price, conniving fraud, hindering the triumph of truth, and diverting God's means into a wrong channel, for which God will just as surely punish the actors with His judgment. It condemns secretly taking money or goods to make up what one believes is inadequate pay, for men must not decide for themselves that dishonesty is justified, since that brings serious evil. It rests with the same weight on those who selfishly enter the health-food work while giving customers the impression the profits aid benevolent enterprises when in reality they are used for personal interests, and on institutions claiming to serve God that misrepresent truth to gain favor or reputation and bear the mark of that dishonesty. It applies also to schemes that dismiss the Holy Spirit and impose human control over minds and consciences, which dishonor God like strange fire and cannot take the Spirit's place.

Though the same visible punishment does not now follow, the sin remains equally heinous and will be judged, for a pledge to support God's work is a vow to God and not merely a promise to people, and using pledged funds for oneself is sacrilege. No one can defraud God and prosper, and those who deceive in this way lose both the life that now is and the life to come, with ministering angels taking note of neglect of duty and the Lord requiring strict integrity from stewards in trust. An unrepentant sinner's influence corrupts others, and all who deceive so today will surely meet the same fate in the day of final reckoning just as surely as Ananias and Sapphira were punished.

Their presence shows that false, unworthy brethren can be joined to the disciples from the beginning. With Simon Magus, Demas, and Judas Iscariot they prove that true and false believers were mingled from the start and will be found in the church till the close of time. Therefore the world has no right to doubt the truth of Christianity because of unworthy members, and Christians should not become disheartened because of false brethren. Christ does not want to lose one soul but bears long with perverse human nature and bids His people bear with it as He has borne.