7Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?”
Contrast the behavior of Ananias and Sapphira with the Macedonians the apostle Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 8:3, 5. The Christians there “first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God”—notice the order of priority—then they gave “beyond their ability.” Ananias and Sapphira gave their money—we might say they gave well below their ability—and then their lives were taken from them.
Sacrificial giving for the benefit of the needy became a hallmark of the early church. We can see it clearly in the apostle Paul’s ministry (see Acts 20:33–35, Gal. 2:9–10, 1 Cor. 16:1–4, Rom. 15:25–26). But there was never bold-faced, arm-twisting begging for donations. Nor was it to be an opportunity for ostentatious shows of righteousness (à la the Pharisees’ example in Luke 21:1–6). The Lord knows the heart. In fact, He supernaturally informed Peter of Ananias and Sapphira’s evil intentions.
One can easily imagine how they could sell their property without others knowing for certain how much they sold it for when presenting their benevolence to the apostles. They may have taken the risk, assuming people would simply appreciate their generosity and either not check the sale amount or not care. At the least, the movement of the Spirit seems to have resulted in such love, generosity, and unity that it probably did not cross anyone’s mind that someone would be deceptive about their giving. But Satan, being the master deceiver that he was (John 8:44), sought to infiltrate the pristine inception of the church, which later Scripture refers to as the body of Christ.
The first church at Jerusalem, like local churches today, was not unspoiled or entirely pure-intentioned in benevolence. The story of this husband and wife removed all such naïve notions. Their deception required decisive action, which Peter provided. That the sin of deception was the flashpoint of this issue speaks to the terrible impact deception has on Christian community. Indeed, God takes speaking the truth seriously. David understood this when he wrote, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom” (Ps. 51:6). Inherent to the God of truth is that we, His image-bearers, live transparent lives of truth. In fact, the spiritual armor we need in defense against Satan begins with the belt of truth! (Eph. 6:13–14).
Lord, teach me truth at the deepest level, that I might live and act in integrity.
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