Ananias and Sapphira — Church Fakers Who Dropped Dead

This article is taken from Ray Comfort’s upcoming book, Idiotic Things People Did in the Bible. Please subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter to be the first to receive its release date!

Acts 5:1–5:

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession… and he kept back part of the proceeds… Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last.”

What they did:

They pretended to donate all their money to the church but secretly held some back to look more generous than they were.

Why it was idiotic:

They didn’t have to give anything. But they lied to God to appear holy—and were struck dead for it.

A Synopsis of What Happened:

Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sold a piece of property, pretending to give the full proceeds to the apostles for the early Church, but secretly kept back part of the money. Ananias brought a portion to Peter, claiming it was the full amount. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, confronted him, saying he had lied not to men but to God. Immediately, Ananias fell dead, and young men carried his body out and buried him.

“Ananias and Sapphira wore the mask of generosity—but God saw right through them. Their lifeless bodies remind us that the sin of hypocrisy is deadly serious.”

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About three hours later, Sapphira arrived, unaware of what had happened. Peter asked her if they had sold the land for the amount Ananias claimed. She lied and confirmed it. Peter rebuked her for conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord, and she also fell dead at his feet. The young men returned, found her dead, and buried her beside her husband. This event caused great fear to seize the entire church and all who heard about it.

***

There are few things in life as self-delusional as hypocrisy. It’s pretending to be something we’re not. Ironically, it’s often evident to everyone except the person playing the hypocrite. That’s why we should avoid hypocrisy like the plague.

Ananias and Sapphira wore the mask of generosity—but God saw right through them. Their lifeless bodies remind us that the sin of hypocrisy is deadly serious.

It’s well-said that when we read God’s Word, we should let it read us. In other words, we should allow it to act as a mirror and reflect what we are in truth. One portion of Scripture that does this masterfully is Psalm 139. This Psalm prods the conscience. If we allow it to, it will protect us by cultivating a tender conscience toward God. It can save us from following in the footsteps of this deceitful couple who thought they could outwit God.

Let’s now turn the mirror upon ourselves and look closely at what we see:

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1–4)

The psalm begins with a most beneficial revelation. It establishes the fact that nothing is hidden from the eyes of the God who gave us life. We have not had one thought in our entire lives that God hasn’t seen. He not only sees our thoughts—He understands the motive behind them. He is the searcher of the thoughts and intents of the heart:

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

What were Ananias and Sapphira thinking as they conspired together to lie through their crooked teeth? Perhaps it was dressed up to sound noble. Maybe Ananias said, “This is more than I thought we’d get from the sale. Let’s think about this for a moment before we do anything rash. We’ve worked hard all our lives, and we’ve had tough financial times. God has certainly blessed us with this sale. It really isn’t anybody’s business what we do with our money.” Perhaps Sapphira smiled and said, “Let’s give part of it to the Church and keep what’s rightfully ours. We’ll just say it’s the whole amount, so we don’t look bad.”

Scripture gives us insight into the unseen world:

“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?’” (Acts 5:3)

Ananias cracked open the door to Satan with an evil thought—and the Father of Lies pushed a little until he was invited in. Satan then filled his heart.

Dear Christian, slam that door shut and lock it when the enemy whispers to you about any of your “rights.” You gave them up at the cross when you surrendered. You, in essence, said, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Guard your heart with great diligence from the love of money by clothing yourself in contentment.

Look at Paul’s admonition to Timothy:

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:6–10)

How different things would’ve been if Ananias and Sapphira had embraced the Scriptures—if they had meditated on and memorized this Psalm. How different the outcome would’ve been if they had prayed this prayer instead of opening the door to Satan:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

Those last words should be at the forefront of every Christian’s mind: “Lead me in the way everlasting.” The issue here is eternal salvation. If we follow sin, it will lead us to death and damnation. If we follow the Good Shepherd, He will lead us to everlasting life. May that reality remain fixed in our thoughts.

After God struck down Ananias and Sapphira, Scripture says:

“So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.” (Acts 5:11)

That healthy fear of God should’ve been present before the incident. We look back on what happened, and that should guide every thought that enters our mind.

This article is taken from Ray Comfort’s upcoming book, Idiotic Things People Did in the Bible. Please subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter to be the first to receive its release date!