Ananias and Sapphira
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Ananias (
/ˌænəˈnaɪ.əs/) and his wife Sapphira ( /sæˈfaɪərə/) were, according to the Acts of the Apostles, members of the Early Christian church in Jerusalem.
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[edit] Story summary
Acts chapter 4:31 closes by stating that the first followers of Jesus did not consider their possessions to be their own, but they had all things in common to use what they had on behalf of those in want. Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a plot of land and donated the profit to the apostles.
As told at the beginning of Acts chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira, following Barnabas' example but not willing to give all, also sold their land but withheld a portion of the sales. Ananias presented his donation to Peter claiming that it was the entire amount. Peter replied, "Why is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?" Peter pointed out that Ananias was in control of the money and could give or keep it as he saw fit, but that he had withheld it from Peter and lied about it, and stated that Ananias had not only lied to Peter, but also to God. Ananias died on the spot and was carried out. As a result, everyone who heard the incident feared the Lord. Three hours after Ananias' death his wife told the same lie and also fell dead.
[edit] Who killed Ananias and Sapphira?
[edit] Biblical interpretation
God says of Himself, when referring to the fact that His withheld wrath spared the remnant of Israel, "For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed [by wrath]"[Malachi 3:6a]. Although the God of Israel, the I AM, has shown the fullness of His mercy through the death of His Son Jesus in our place, we must not think He has ceased or suspended His attribute of wrath. It is completely possible for the I AM Who talked about treading the winepress of the fury of His wrath in Isaiah 63 and Joel 3:13, to be the same God which fulfilled those same scriptures in Revelation 14:19 and Revelation 19:15. Jesus is the one in Isaiah 63 and Revelation, and therefore it is no stretch to say that the I AM killed Ananias and Sapphira.
Some scholars see in it a retelling of the story of Achan in Joshua 7.[1]
[edit] Extrabiblical interpretation
It has been argued that the underlying story is of a trial in which the couple were accused, given a chance to account for themselves, found guilty and then put to death.[2] This would be consistent with parallels between the organisation of the Nazorean Jews and that of the Essenes who exacted similar harsh punishments for infractions of their rules.[3]
The fourth century archbishop John Chrysostom alludes to and then dismisses the idea that Peter could so be held responsible for the couple's death. [4]
[edit] Why were Ananias and Sapphira killed?
Jesus teaches to forsake all for the Gospel, to give away an item if one has a duplicate, to trust His Father in Heaven to meet personal needs rather than worry, and to not take even so much as a walking stick or bag of money when going out to preach the good news of His coming. Jesus also teaches that it is more difficult for a rich man to enter heaven than a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
With these things in mind, it appears that the early church was following the teachings of Jesus by giving all in order to care for the poor, of whom James says, "Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"[James 2:5] and that, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."[James 1:27]. It must be kept in mind that Ananias and Sapphira were not giving their riches to the apostles, but laying the money at the feet of the apostles to be given to the poor. Therefore, Ananias and Sapphira were stealing from the poor by lying and withholding the money.
It can be assumed because of their desire to be recognized in the community, they sold the property and then lied to receive a name of being selfless and a follower of Jesus' teachings. Instead, they fell dead, exposed as ones who did not follow Jesus' teachings, but worried about themselves and kept some of the money. Peter implies in the text that Ananias could've given the money only partially, but it was lying to God that sealed his sentence[Acts 5:4].
In addition, the phrase "laying at the apostle's feet" could be a reference to the sacrifice of anointment that Mary of Bethany made to Jesus, breaking her priceless box open and pouring the contents on the feet and head of Jesus[Luke 7:38][Matthew 26:7][Mark 14:3], anointing Him for burial. Her box and perfume was likely her life savings or her means of living, with some speculating that it may even have been her dowry. Barnabas probably mimicked the woman, and because his sacrifice was mentioned in Acts, it can be assumed that it was a story many told in the early church. It could be that the fame of Barnabas' sacrifice caused Ananias and Sapphira to want the same fame without the cost.
[edit] References
- ^ Wickstrom, Mark (2008), The Gospel of Grace. Beaver's Pond Press. pp 49-50
- ^ Cresswell P A (2010)"Jesus the terrorist". O Books, pp 384-388.
- ^ Cresswell P A op cit,pp 77-80.
- ^ Chrysostom John "Homily 3 on Galatians".
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.- Acts 4 at WikiSource
- Acts 5 at WikiSource
- King James Version Bible Commentary. 1831 pages. Thomas Nelson Publishing: 2005. ISBN 1-4185-0340-1.
