"He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception." Acts 5:2
Collusion - there is it in black and white (well, purple & white)! Ananias & Sapphira had a secret agreement to defraud the apostles. Their deceit made the headlines, "Great fear gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened." Acts 5:11, just like it does today. I'm sure you can think of a few notorious individuals who have made the paper by defrauding people who trusted them. I don't know about you, but I am pretty quick to wag an accusing finger in their direction. And I certainly don't count my sins to be as grievous as theirs.
In fact, we don't have to dig too deeply to understand the message this story has for us. It seems so straightforward and obvious, I wondered how our author could write more than a few lines about it: 'Be honest. Don't lie. And if you do and are given the opportunity to come clean, admit to it and ask for forgiveness.' That's fairly obvious, right. So what more is there?
Thankfully, Liz Curtis Higgs saw more to this story and presented a much more relatable scenario in the fictional story of Aidan & Sofia. They are a hardworking, generous couple that have waited a long time and have done a lot of good to earn a place among the "altruistic elite". And when tragedy strikes and their dreams seem to vanish, who among us wouldn't have taken advantage when good luck swings back in their direction? That story made me squirm a little! Have you ever found yourself with a similar decision? Your situation may not have involved a million dollar check, but perhaps you have withheld a 'little something' for yourself or your family after promising to help others?
I even found myself asking, "Is this the same as saying 'I don't have any money on me' (though I probably have some change or a dollar to two) when confronted by can shakers, pan handlers, and red-pot bell rings?" A few years ago, I changed my response to "no thank you" or "not today" if I had the cash, but didn't want to give. Why in the world did I feel the need to lie about not having money? To make me look good, 'I would give if I could, but I can't'? To avoid the stares & grumbling after walking by without dropping some cold, hard cash in the collection? Whatever drove me to lie, I decided to change my response regardless of how it made me look to them, because how I look to God is more important.
Although the Biblical story comes in snippets throughout the chapter, I find it best to read the whole thing at once. For a complete picture, read Acts 4:32 - 5:11. In these few verses we see a whole host of sins and the immediate and fatal result. While this seems extreme to us, we still have to ask ourselves: what does this mean for me? How can the deaths of Ananias & Sapphira (of Aiden & Sofia) inform how I live my daily life?
Think in ink as you read and share your thoughts on Sapphira's story in the comments. Would you have done things differently if you were Sapphira or Sofia? What is the most important lesson you learned? Will it change how you live in a small or big way?
I'd love to read your response to the questions above or how you handled a similar situation in your life. Click here to go to the blog to leave a comment.
Your Partner in Ministry,
Shelly
warrior
"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." Proverbs 16:24
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