After an interval of about
three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to
her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said,
"Yes, for so much." But Peter said to her, "How is it that you
have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Hark, the feet of those
that have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you
out." Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men
came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her
husband. And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of
these things.
In a Nutshell
Peter confronted Sapphira. He was serious. She maintained the lie and Peter confronted her directly showing her dead husband to her. She then collapsed and also died.
Questions
What is the fear that came upon the entire church?
This is an awful story about a great fear that came upon the entire church. It is told in two distinct parts.
Ananias and Sapphira had been happy to join this community. But something was wrong. Something was awry in their attitude and then their deceit was uncovered. Ananias dropped dead when Peter confronted him about it. Peter did not ask Ananias for an explanation. We do not even hear if he asked Ananias if it were true. Then, three hours later, Peter confronted Sapphira.
Peter's confrontation with these two was a serious episode in the life of the new community. These two had sold the land, let us say for $180,000 and had given $120,000 to the community. It seems to me that Peter's question went something like this: "Sapphira did you sell the land for $120,000?"
And her answer was: "Yes. That is correct."
By some means Peter knew that they had sold the land for the higher price. This showed deceit. This meant they wanted to buy their way into the community. It showed they wanted to use the Christian community for their own purposes. It showed that they were not truly at the disposal of the Spirit who was building this community. That is why I say this is an awful story. A story we read with awe.
Peter's judgment, as Luke records it, makes for sober reading. It is hard enough for us to read it today; how awful was it to be part of this when it happened? I suspect Peter himself was thunder-struck. This was wilful deceit.
The Holy Spirit had indeed given the apostles a bold spirit. But Ananias and Sapphira were also bold; bold in the wrong way - brazen with their lies. Such an attitude cannot come from God's Spirit. Peter made that plain; this lying, he said, was nothing less than lying to God's Holy Spirit. This lying meant they had no part of the work which God's Spirit was directing.