David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 5:1-11

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. ⁶ The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you^[a] sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” ⁹ But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” ¹⁰ Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Some time ago I visited with a man who began our conversation by offering to pray. It was an eloquent, insightful, and thoughtful prayer; high on humility and without pretense in language. I was deeply touched. By the end of our conversation, however, something changed. I detected a subtle shift in tone. It seemed that he was almost trying to impress me, offering an almost-false modesty. While he had nothing to gain, and I was comfortable enough to point out his schmoozing, it indicated to me the possibility of a dangerous presence. It might be that the man I met was neither humble nor sincere. I’ll certainly give him the benefit of the doubt, but I’ll keep my eyes open.

The encounter between Ananias and Sapphira and Peter recorded here is less ambiguous. There was duplicity, conspiring, deception, and lying – all uncovered and confronted by Peter, and punished by God. Decisive. Immediate. Definitive. Done. Both husband and wife lay dead. This was a serious breech of trust, gravely dangerous to the newly-forming church. Their behavior clearly did not reflect the character of God, nor build up the body of Christ.

Schmoozing means to talk intimately or to gossip. The word is used of politicians working the room, or hobnobbing with power brokers. On the face of it, the experience is very good. Those who are schmoozed feel as though they are in the know, privileged, and trusted. But a schmoozer is always seeking something for himself or her cause. Things are not what they seem.

All this goes to the core of the Christian faith: grace and truth come together in Christ. Grace and truth are essential to true Christian faith. The grace of God and the ability to embrace the truth about us in our brokenness complement each other. We are broken sinners in need of a savior: that’s truth. Jesus is the Savior of the world graciously redeeming us and giving us the gift of abundant eternal life. The greatest danger of schmoozing is that we might think we can schmooze God! It’s a subtle temptation to be sure. But it is, without a doubt, the worst sort of self-deception.

There seems to be little gospel hope in these verses. Both Ananias and Sapphira die. Luke tells us, “Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.” But fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. And lest we think we can glad-hand ourselves into the graces of God, we have this example. Humility and repentant hearts are the first steps to faith. Thank God for his grace in Jesus Christ!

His followers do best as they display these twin characteristics in their daily lives. Is there a call to repentance that you need to embrace today? Be careful not to presume that there is not.