Bad Girls of the Bible Part 14

Greedy for a Moment, Dead Forever: Sapphira

Sapphira was very generous with her monetary giving.

Alas, she was also very generous with her momentary fibbing.

Generosity was the hallmark of the first-century church. New converts by the thousands pooled their resources and shared the whole shebang with one another, regardless of station.

Mi casa, su casa.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Acts 2:44-45 The communes of the 1960s had their roots here. Imagine one big, happy family of five thousand or so. It was a unique experience in the history of the church, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a "jump-start" if you will, for the body of Christ.

No one was more philanthropic than a certain fella from Cyprus: Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Acts 4:36-37 Way to go, Joe (better known as Barney to his friends). Barnabas was magnanimous in his giving. Without being required to do so, he sold his field and donated his money-all of it, we presume-so the apostles might divvy up the proceeds among the deserving.

Other landowners in the brand-new congregation couldn't have missed the praise and respect showered on Barnabas for his selfless act. Barnabas was hailed as a hero and the epitome of encouragement, a trailblazer for others to follow.

Even in the most egalitarian of economies, when someone is lauded above his brothers and sisters, the jade-eyed joker is bound to make an appearance. One couple in particular decided to play that ancient game of the Holy Land: "Me, too!"

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. Acts 5:1 The "also" in this pa.s.sage is a dead giveaway-pun intended.

Ananias and Sapphira were clearly well-known among the believers. These two weren't no-names or low-profilers. My sense is, they made sure of that. Perhaps they served in some leaders.h.i.+p capacity for the young church, side by side as husband and wife, or had a thriving business that provided plenty of disposable income to support the cause.

Whatever the scenario, two truths stand out: (1) They were followers of Christ, and (2) they had the means to further his kingdom in a significant way. At first blush Sapphira was a Good Girl, not a Bad one.

But while others were filled with the Holy Spirit, these two were drained of the Spirit's power, emptied by their own jealousy and need for prestige and recognition. By selling their land exactly as Barnabas had, they hoped to get the spotlight off him and on them.

Two thousand years later we foster such poorly motivated giving in the church when we offer bra.s.s plaques mounted on favorite pews or names leaded into stained gla.s.s windows or hymnals with the donor's name printed on the flyleaf. The sales pitch is obvious: Give in a big way so all will know how generous you are.

It reminds me of a church I once visited that for years tolerated a sanctuary decorated with screaming green carpet. It was donated by one person under one condition: The donor got to pick the color. (Why be cleansed by the Spirit when you can be awash in limeade?) The carpet has since been replaced with a lovely shade more conducive to wors.h.i.+p, and I imagine if such an offer is made in years to come, the building committee will wisely raise a red flag...not a green one.

In the last verse and this one, it's clear that the twosome were working in tandem.

With his wife's full knowledge... Acts 5:2 Other translations shed more light on the fullness of her knowledge: "His wife had agreed to this deception" (NLT), and "they agreed to cheat" (CEV). Unlike Adam and Eve, who took turns pinning the blame elsewhere for their deception, these two worked on a full-disclosure basis-but only with each other. As one writer phrased it, "They were agreed with each other, but not with G.o.d."1 The good news is, Sapphira wasn't painted as subservient in any way. The bad news is, she didn't prove to be very responsible either, as we'll see shortly.

...he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Acts 5:2 Wait a minute. What's so bad about keeping some of the money? Wasn't it their money? If I sell a set of tires through Bargain Mart, am I supposed to put every dime in the offering plate?

The issue was honesty, not money. If I sell my tires for a hundred dollars but say I got eighty dollars for them and put that in the plate as if it were the whole amount, quietly pocketing the twenty-dollar difference and taking a bow for being completely altruistic...well, even with my limited math skills, I know that adds up to 100 percent deceit.

The apostle Peter knew it too.

Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?" Acts 5:3 Wait another minute. How did Peter know Ananias had held some of the proceeds back? In today's real-estate world, the selling price is a matter of public record, printed in the newspaper after closing. But in those days, unless the buyer bandied his purchase price about, how could Peter have found out? One commentator surmised, "Through the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, Peter received a prophetic insight enabling him to read the thoughts and intents of Ananias and Sapphira."2 That's certainly within the realm of possibility. Maybe Ananias wore a guilty expression, had clammy hands, or couldn't look Peter in the eye when he handed over the money. Maybe the selling price did get around, such that Peter was expecting to receive a particular sum and was shocked when he didn't.

In this story it isn't the how but the what that matters most, and it's not Peter's actions that are in question but those of our ill-fated couple. What Ananias and Sapphira did was "the first open venture of deliberate wickedness" in the infant church.3 In that sense they were very much like the first couple of the Old Testament, deceived-as Peter pointed out-by the wily serpent once again and quick to lie to cover their sins.

Greed was not their only sin. Nor was it just the ugly fruit of that greed-a false witness. They lacked sufficient faith that G.o.d would provide for their needs and so h.o.a.rded some "just in case." They lacked trust in their brothers and sisters to share fairly and so kept a portion "just in case." They lacked the willingness to live with less and place their hope in a spiritually rich future rather than a financially rich present, so they put some wealth aside "just in case."

(And just in case you haven't noticed, I'm stepping on toes here. They are attached to my own feet. Felt any pressure on yours yet?) Peter made sure their claim to the land was free and clear, with no mortgage to swallow up the proceeds and no moneylender waiting for his due.

"Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal?" Acts 5:4 Ananias's response had to be "yes" and "yes." How low his head must have drooped!

"What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to G.o.d." Acts 5:4 A thousand years earlier David confessed before the Lord, "Against you, you only, have I sinned."4 If Ananias had made such an admission, even at this late hour, he might have been spared.

We'll never know.

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Acts 5:5 Splat! That was that. Notice that Peter didn't strike him dead. We're not even told that G.o.d smote him. Perhaps his own guilt took him out. Whatever the case, Ananias wasn't mostly dead. He was history.

And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Acts 5:5 The bad news got around fast, as it always does, followed closely by a wave of fear. One writer summed up the reaction of the witnesses to this tragedy perfectly: "They knew G.o.d was not to be trifled with."5 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. Acts 5:6 I'm amazed they were willing to touch the body, so great was their apprehension surrounding the man's swift demise. It's certain they wasted no time in putting him in the ground, because the day was still young when the little woman showed up.

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Acts 5:7 Where had she been? we wonder. Shopping? Getting her nails done? How had she missed the news? Wouldn't somebody-a friend, an enemy-have tracked her down to tell her what had happened? Perhaps Peter asked them not to, intending to give her a chance to clear her own name. Or perhaps their fear kept them from seeking her out.

For G.o.d's purposes it was important that she come alone and without forewarning. Just as these two were judged for their sins separately, so will we stand alone before G.o.d someday. No amount of "My husband made me do this" will cut the mustard, dear ones.

When it comes to sin and judgment, G.o.d is exceedingly fair. And frighteningly just, which Sapphira soon discovered.

Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" Acts 5:8 Peter offered her a chance to be saved from certain death. He was neither accusing nor judging her here. Her choice was clear: Tell the truth or tell a lie. He wasn't sealing her doom; he was giving her the freedom to come clean. In the words of one writer, "Repentance was not yet too late-return to reason was not even now impossible."6 As with Eve, all hinged on her answer to one question.

"Yes," she said, "that is the price." Acts 5:8 "Ohhh...!" we groan, knowing the inevitable outcome.

Ananias held the money back as well, but we're not told he lied to Peter outright, as Sapphira did. Why did she sin even more grievously?

"Sapphira's lie began with fear," suggested one writer.7 Maybe it was the fear of not having enough-enough money, enough recognition, or enough of what she might have hoped those things would buy her: love. We h.o.a.rd when we fear loss. We can all live without stuff. None of us can live without love. When we see someone demanding attention, as Sapphira did, it's a sure bet that what's needed isn't wealth, fame, or applause. It's love.

But she knew what she was doing, that she was flirting with disaster. "For the wages of sin is death"8 was not a foreign concept to her. Sapphira chose to sin and flaunted her sin before Peter, before her fellow Christians, and before G.o.d.

Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?" Acts 5:9 She and Ananias had not only agreed to keep some of the money, they must have also agreed that the Holy Spirit, newly abroad in the land, was not powerful enough to know of their deception. As such, they tested G.o.d's strength against their own...and lost. If only they had written this truth on the tablet of their hearts: "Do not be deceived: G.o.d cannot be mocked."9 Sapphira's name was as beautiful as a jewel, but her heart was as hard as a stone. Before long, the rest of her would follow suit. In that, she reminds us of Lot's wife, who also made one wrong move and paid for it with her life.

Peter delivered her sentence like the bang of a gavel.

"Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." Acts 5:9 Even without an electric chair, her punishment was swift. And terrible.

At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Acts 5:10 One might chalk up such a death as a heart attack if it happened once in a blue moon. This occurred twice in one spot, in one day. Two such divine judgments tell the tale. When Peter said it would happen, and "at that moment" it did, a promise from Proverbs must have run through the minds of the onlookers: "the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out."10 Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Acts 5:10 Were there any heirs? Did they use the balance of funds from the land sale to buy a dual grave marker? Did anyone mourn them?

They certainly were remembered, as "partners in business, partners in crime, partners in death."11 Their sad story was recorded in Scripture as a lesson and as a warning.

Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. Acts 5:11 This is the earliest use of the word "church" in the book of Acts. Note the other key word of the sentence: "fear." How I wish that the whole church had been seized with great grace or love or joy. Those things come with the Spirit of the Lord, to be sure. But "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."12 During that season of signs and wonders and miracles, it was necessary for the Lord to strike fear in their hearts, the sort of fear that would ultimately keep them safely in the kingdom.

Fear, when it is justified, is healthy. Fear keeps a toddler from running into the street-the second time. The first time, it's a parent's wrath and promises of hasty punishment if the action is repeated that gets his or her attention.

This toddler of a church in Jerusalem literally had the wrath of G.o.d presented to them through Ananias and Sapphira. We can sympathize with her naivete, identify with her unnecessary h.o.a.rding, and mourn her death. But let's not follow in her footsteps.

Interesting how Sapphira's story still has the power to teach us. I was in the middle of working on this chapter when I stopped at an airport bookstore and spotted a lovely book of quotes. It was a small but splendidly ill.u.s.trated hardcover gift book, which I snapped up with glee. I didn't even look at the price, expecting something in the range of $10. When the clerk rang it up as $5.95, I silently marveled at the bargain and flipped open the cover to see if it was on sale.

No. It was 5.95 in British pounds, but 8.95 in American dollars. Since the British price was in larger type, it was obvious why the clerk had rung it up wrong. Since I'd already paid for it and put away my wallet, our transaction was complete as far as the busy employee was concerned.

Okay, girls. What would you have done?

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

I checked my watch and reminded myself I had only twenty minutes until takeoff.

I reached for my wallet and put it back, remembering I didn't have any more one-dollar bills. And besides, it would involve voiding the previous receipt and starting all over. It could take hours. Well, precious minutes at any rate.

Was I within my rights as a consumer to smile and leave with my accidental bargain?

Yup. Which is exactly what I did, still ticking off perfectly valid reasons why my choice was fair and acceptable.

An old memory verse ran through my head and stopped my heart cold: "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."13 I was not struck dead at the airport. But to think that, knowing and loving Christ as I do, I'd still withhold money, acting as though it's mine to do with as I please when everything I own belongs to him, leaves me shaking my head in disgust.

Instead of a simple bit of business at the register that would have left the clerk grateful for my honesty and me three dollars poorer in cash but much richer in spirit, I carried my shame around with me all weekend. Even the joy of reading the pretty book was diminished every time I opened it and saw the correct price boldly printed inside the slipcover.

Never fear, sisters. I asked G.o.d's forgiveness. Found the receipt. And sent off a check for the difference plus state tax. But how like Sapphira I was, to sidestep the truth and pay for it later.

I did not pay with my life. But to the extent that the Spirit was quenched, an opportunity for demonstrating grace was lost, and the Adversary claimed a small victory-to that degree a tiny bit of my life in Christ was dealt a deathblow. And for that, I mourn.

What Lessons Can We Learn from Sapphira?

Pride and generosity don't mix.

G.o.d delights in seeing us share our time, money, and resources for no reason other than the joy of giving. When our motives are pure, then giving is not only easy, it's downright fun. When we give with an expectation of receiving accolades or seeing our names carved in stone, though, the joy is gone, chased away by fear and a hunger for approval that can never be satisfied.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for G.o.d loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Learn to give when n.o.body's looking.

I have a dear friend who loves to slip a hundred-dollar bill in an envelope and tuck it in someone's Bible when he or she isn't looking, someone for whom it means another week with a roof over the family's head or milk for the children. This is pure giving, without anyone knowing the source, not even the recipient. She just writes, "A gift for you from Jesus" on the envelope. I would never have known if I hadn't caught her in the act and been sworn to silence! Your secret's safe with me, friend.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Matthew 6:3-4 Honesty isn't the best policy; it's the only policy.

Sapphira could have saved her life and learned her lesson, if she'd only reconsidered and told the truth. There might have been a penalty to pay, and she'd still have been a widow-but a living, breathing one. When we have a choice (and we always do), let's tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In the long run it's easier-nothing ugly to cover up or worry about. In the short run it's the right thing to do. Always.

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Psalm 34:13 You pays your money, you makes your choice.

Sapphira made the wrong choice because she was pursuing temporal riches instead of eternal ones. Before we donate our resources, let's figure out what's in it for us. If the answer is nothing, then we can proceed with joy! The wise woman makes giving a priority, knowing that when she goes to glory, it's all left behind anyway. Let's choose carefully those recipients for whom our gifts could mean the difference between a meaningless death versus a meaningful life in Christ.

The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death. Proverbs 11:19

Good Girl Thoughts Worth Considering

1. How does the idea of believers pooling their resources for the common good strike you? Any instances where you've seen it work? How could we as a church be more generous with one another? What steps do you need to take in your own life to move toward a more generous spirit?

2. What are some reasons we donate money, other than a pure desire to do so? Do you see weaknesses in your own life in this area of motivation? How could your heart needs be met in a more G.o.dly fas.h.i.+on, rather than through public recognition of giving? Is there a place for such accolades?

3. Part of Sapphira's problem was a case of "keeping up with the (Barnabas) Joneses." How can we help one another combat that natural-but-not-nice drive to play "me, too" and allow our greed to overcome our desire to do what is right?

4. What excuses do you suppose they gave themselves for their subterfuge? Any of them sound familiar? What are some practical ways you can prevent yourself from falling into an excuse-making mode when the temptation to lie strikes?

5. If they truly needed the money they held back, what options did Ananias and Sapphira have instead of hiding it? Is investing money in a portfolio the same as h.o.a.rding it? Does doing so indicate prudent planning or a lack of faith?

6. Did my story of the price sticker at the airport bring to mind any similar experiences of your own? How did you handle it...or wish you'd handled it? Is something this seemingly insignificant important to G.o.d?

7. Where is grace in this story? Should Sapphira have been given another chance or been told what had happened to her husband before she was asked the fateful question? How do you reconcile Sapphira's story with your understanding of a G.o.d who forgives?

8. What's the most important lesson you've learned from the sad but sinful Sapphira?

7.

KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR

He who has courage and faith

will never perish in misery!