Hypocrisy: The Story Of Ananias And Sapphira

This particular pericope is one that would be considered very controversial and indeed raises a few theological questions for theological scholars. What exactly was Ananias and Sapphira’s wrong course of action? Did they both die as a severe and harsh consequence of God’s punishment of their sin? Aside from these contentious questions, it is suggested by many scholarly interpreters that the themes and purpose of this text that are most prevalent and apparent is the concept of lying, the significance of community within the church body, and to demonstrate ways in which God would want us as Christians, to deal with sin, especially when it occurs amongst our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The above-mentioned questions as well as major …show more content…
The literary and historical context can be seen and understood through the previous chapter, Acts 4 in which there is an account of the eminent liberality and sincerity of early Christians, in being willing to give up their property in order to provide for the poor. This chapter illustrates the story of Barnabas and the nature of hypocrisy and the negative effect it can have in the corruption of the church. Very similar to this is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Jeremy Hutton suggested that Luke wished to make and draw the point that lying in the church is equivalent to lying to the Holy Spirit. He also suggests that the language of this passage indicates that Luke is “nostalgically reflecting on the golden age of the early church in which there was not a needy person among them”. The principle of community ownership of property is important to take into consideration, seeing as that Barnabas represents the symbol of virtue. Ananias and Sapphira on the other hand however, purposefully withheld some of the proceeds from the sale of their property for their own gain, costing them their lives. In Acts 5:4, Peter questions Ananias by saying, “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.” In this verse, …show more content…
One parallel that can be seen in this story of Ananias and Sapphira is in the Old Testament book of Joshua 7, in which Achan kept the soils gained in battle for himself rather than turning them over to the Lord. The only difference is that unlike Ananias and Sapphira, Achan confessed of his sin, but yet despite this, he, along with his entire family, was stoned to death for the way that he deceived God. The action of the guilty couple is often seen as an agreement to tempt the Spirit or to test God. The testing of God has an Old Testament background, which occurs in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20, when the Israelites tempted God in the desert wilderness. The similar concept depicted in Acts 5:1-11 can be seen also in Luke 12:13-21 in the parable of the rich fool who was overconfident and greedy with his