THE DECEPTION AND DEATH OF ANNANIAS AND SAPPHIRA
Acts 5:1-11
(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, October 11th, 2025)
“George MacDonald wrote, ‘Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look instead of trying to be, what one is not.’ The name that Jesus gave to this practice is “hypocrisy,” which simply means “wearing a mask, playing the actor.” We must not think that failure to reach our ideals is hypocrisy because no believer lives up to all that he or she knows or has in the Lord. Hypocrisy is a deliberate deception, trying to make people think we are more spiritual than we really are.” - Warren Wiersbe
Our selected text gives us a vivid description of blatant hypocrisy and the severe consequences that come as a result. During the infancy of Christ’s Church, many of the Believers sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the Apostles so that they could care for their new brothers and sisters in Christ. Impressed by these acts of benevolence, a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira devised a scheme so that they could receive glory for themselves. Like the others, they sold a “possession”, but they only gave a portion of the proceeds to the Apostles while pretending to give it all.
This devious couple lied and attempted to deceive the members of the Lord’s Church. Their sin was not holding back a portion of the proceeds; their sin was that they professed to give all, while only giving a portion. In their attempt to deceive others and receive the praise of men, they lied to the Holy Spirit. Ananias & Sapphira wanted to be seen as generous, compassionate, selfless and spiritual; when in reality they were greedy, selfish hypocrites. I would like for us to examine this cautionary tale and consider “The Deception And Death Of Annanias And Sapphira”.
This chapter begins with a contrast concerning the benevolence that is seen in the closing verses of the previous chapter. There, Luke introduces us to a man named Barnabas who “having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet” (4:37). Barnabas selflessly gave of his own wealth to help those in need. It was not only Barnabas who possessed this great spirit of benevolence, for we are told that this was the desire of many of the recent converts to Christianity.
Ananias & Sapphira who sought to deceive the brethren and convince them that they were as generous and benevolent as the others. In doing so, they committed the grave sin of lying to the Holy Spirit. Let’s look to verses 1-2 and examine:
THE DECEPTION INVOLVED IN THEIR HYPOCRISY
v1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet.
The actions of Ananias & Sapphira stand in stark contrast to those of Barnabas and many of the other new converts to Christianity. Whereas the others had sold their goods and given the proceeds to the Apostles out of a genuine concern for their new brothers and sisters in Christ, Ananias & Sapphira devised a scheme so that they could receive glory for themselves.
Like the others they did sell a “possession”, but they only gave a portion of the proceeds to the Apostles while pretending to give it all. They lied and attempted to deceive the members of the Lord’s Church. Their actions could have greatly harmed the wonderful unity that was present in the early church.
They were numbered with the church, but they faked their spirituality in an effort to impress others. Their sin was not holding back a portion of the proceeds; their sin was that they professed to give all, while only giving a portion. Ananias & Sapphira wanted to be seen as generous, compassionate, selfless and spiritual; when in reality they were greedy, selfish hypocrites.
- The Apostle Peter confronted their sin in verse 3, notice:
THE CONFRONTATION CONCERNING THEIR HYPOCRISY
v3 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?
Peter points out the fact that Satan was behind their dastardly actions. Just as the Holy Spirit had “filled” the believers and motivated them to exhibit love and compassion for others, Satan had “filled their hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit” and to attempt to deceive others. The term “filled” speaks of taking possession or control. Ananias & Sapphira were tempted with wicked desires and evil thoughts. Rather than resisting this temptation, they gave in to the scheme of the Devil. In doing so, they exhibited one of the most prominent characteristics of Satan. Jesus said to a certain group of Jews in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
We know that Jesus defeated Satan at Calvary, but the Devil continued to oppose Christ and His followers in the early church; it was his desire to hinder the growth of the church from the very beginning. As we will see in the following chapters, he sought to destroy the church from without and from within. His opposition and evil schemes against the followers of Christ continue today and the Bible gives us much information as to how we should resist his attacks.
Paul says in Ephesians 6:11-12: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
The scriptures assure us that one day Satan will be completely overthrown, but this will not occur until Jesus returns to rule & reign and to judge His enemies. He gave John a vison concerning what will take place in that day, John says in Revelation 20:10: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” There is great hope in the reality that one day Satan will no longer have the ability to come against God’s people, but until then we must be vigilant and not allow him to cause us to sin against God.
- Peter makes it clear that Ananias & Sapphira’s sin was lying to God.
v4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
The benevolence of Barnabas and the other members of the Church was prompted by compassion for the brethren; their giving was their own choice, they did it voluntarily. Ananias & Sapphira were under no compulsion to sell their possessions and give the proceeds to the Apostles. They had every right to keep their possessions if they chose to do so. Also, they had every right to sell their possessions and only give a portion of the profit if that was their desire. But in an effort to receive the praise and adoration of their peers, they lied and made it seem that they too were giving all they had.
Ananias may have even gone so far as to promise the Lord that he would give the entire amount to the Apostles; Perhaps he promised God that he was going to give all the proceeds to help others within the church and then when he got the money in his hands he was tempted to renege on his promise and keep a portion for himself. Regardless of the specifics, we know that he lied to God, for Peter boldly declared “You have not lied to men but to God."
This passage makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Father and the Son. In verse 3 Peter said, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” Then, in verse 4 he went on to say, “You have not lied to men but to God." The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; therefore Ananias “lied to God”. Lying to God is a very serious offence and there are severe consequences that come as a result.
You may lie to men and never be found out, but you will never succeed in lying to God. Ray Comfort said, “Hypocrisy may go unnoticed by others, and possibly even by the hypocrite, but God sees all, including the thoughts and intents of our hearts.” It is important for us to remember that God sees all and He knows all. Being the good Father that He is, God judges and disciplines His children when they sin. The story of Annias and Sapphira shows us that sometimes God’s punishment is sudden and severe. Notice if you will:
THE JUDGMENT FOR THEIR HYPOCRISY
v5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last.
God’s punishment of Ananias’ sin may seem extreme, but we must never forget that God is holy, righteous, and just. Furthermore, He reserves the right to judge sin however He chooses. In this instance the death of Ananias & Sapphira was clear evidence to those in the early church that God judges sin and sometimes that judgment is swift and severe! We would do well to remember this truth. God’s judgment is not always immediate, but in His time, He will judge sin!
One reason that God judged Ananias’ sin so harshly and so rapidly was in an effort to preserve the unity and holiness of the Church. As we have seen in the previous chapters, the Holy Spirit was moving in the Church in a mighty way. When God’s people are greedy and deceptive they can hinder the moving of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, when Christians do things that dishonor God they do great harm concerning their testimony for Christ. If the actions of Ananias & Sapphira had gone unpunished, it could have caused great damage to the church, others may have begun to follow their example. God made an example out of Ananias and his wife and many people learned an important lesson from their sin. Verse 11 says:
“So great fear came upon all those who heard these things”
Because of God’s rapid and decisive judgment of the sin of Ananias & Sapphira, many people came to possess a great fear of God. This “fear of God” speaks of a reverential awe of God and also a healthy fear of the chastisement, rebuke and discipline that comes as a result of his displeasure towards sin. God’s response to their sin showed those early Christians that sin will not be tolerated, it will be judged, and that judgment is severe, sometimes even leading to death. This judgment would make others think twice before becoming involved in hypocrisy and other sins.
Immediately upon the death of Ananias, some young men came, wrapped up his body and carried him away to be buried. Immediate burial was a common practice among the Jews; they did not delay in burying their dead because the Jews do not observe the practice of embalming corpses.
v6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
After Ananias’ shocking death, Sapphira arrived some three hours later, not knowing what had happened to her husband. Where was she for that three hours? We are not told, but I cannot help but wonder if she was out spending the profit that they made from the possession that they sold. Regardless, when she arrived, Peter questioned her about their act of deception.
v7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?" She said, "Yes, for so much."
When asked whether she sold had the land for a specific price, Sapphira declared that they had sold the land for a certain amount. Just as her husband had done, she implied that they had given the entirety of the proceeds to the Church. It is important to note that Sapphira was not judged for Ananias’ sin. If she had been honest about what they had done, certainly her life would have been spared. But she continued this act of deception among the brethren, and she lied to God. As a result, she was judged for her own sin. Sapphira received the exact same punishment as her husband.
v9 Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." 9 Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
As soon as Peter uttered these words, Sapphira fell dead, and she too was immediately carried out and buried her beside her husband. Peter pronounced judgement on Ananias & Sapphira and they died as a result of their sin. This illustrates one of the miraculous powers that the Lord’s Apostles possessed. If you will remember, Jesus told His Disciples in John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." This power was specific to the Lord’s Apostles and no one in the church possesses such power today. This swift and severe judgement caused all who heard of it to be astonished and fearful.
v11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
There is no question that God is a God of love, mercy, grace and compassion. But He is also a holy and righteous God who detests sin and will judge it accordingly. Though Peter was the vessel that pronounced judgment on Ananias & Sapphira, ultimately it was God who judged their sin. As a result of His righteous indignation and swift punishment of their sin, all who heard about it knew that sin is a serious thing and they knew that there were severe consequences for disobedience. Because of what they had seen, the people possessed a healthy fear of God.
The story of Ananias & Sapphira is certainly a tragic one, but the judgement of their sin was necessary for the health and growth of Christ’s Church. After this event, the Lord continued to move through the Apostles and the Church continued to gather together in “one accord”.
You are probably asking, “what does this passage have to do with us?” Well, Annias and Sapphira serve as one of the greatest cautionary tales in the New Testament. The lesson that we should take away from Acts 5:1-11 is the same as those people who witnessed this swift and severe judgment of sin. That lesson is that our God does not tolerate lying, hypocrisy, or any other sin in the lives of His people. Though He is gracious, merciful, and long-suffering, we must possess a healthy fear of the Lord.
I pray that you will comprehend the reality that there is a tremendous danger in sinning against your Heavenly Father. May we seek to guard ourselves from those sinful actions that are seen in “The Deception And Death Of Annanias And Sapphira”.
11132025
