The Tragic Deaths (Murders) of Ananias and Sapphira

Was the Murder of Ananias and Sapphira a Righteous Kill, or Were Their Deaths a Misuse of Power by Peter?

Peter was the one disciple that Jesus said upon him would He build His church, the rock.  Without question, Peter was such a great figure in the early Christian church that it more or less stood on his shoulders and got its start, partly as a result of the great and noble character of Peter, at least the better part of his character.  People were raised from the dead and healed by the actions of God through Peter.  Was God acting through Peter in the resulting deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, though?  In those early days of the Christian church, the economic system of the disciples of Jesus more closely resembled Communism than Capitalism.  In other words, you put in all that you had and it was divided up among all, according to the ones in control, which were the disciples.  

Peter was the Czar Immaculate, the healer, and the one who brought back the dead.  Yet, as I remember, he was also the only disciple who betrayed Christ, and he actually did it three times.  So, there are a number of factors that weigh heavily on his poor judgment.  As we all are not yet made perfect, we do the best that we can with what mental powers and physical responsibilities we have.  Peter was the one disciple that the early church depended upon, so the other disciples voiced no opinion whatsoever against the actions he personally took with Ananias and Sapphira, if there was any dissent among them.  After all, they did not want to end up dead too, since Peter alone had immense powers to heal and now to take life as he saw fit.  The New Testament states that great fear came upon all the church, not exactly as it had been in the divine peaceful presence of Jesus.    

But was it Peter´s vengeance or was it God´s judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira for holding back a part of the money they received for the sale of their possession, maybe land?  Possibly they lied about it, or at least concealed the whole truth.  Was that such a great sin to keep back a part of the proceeds?  It was their possession, their own individual property, and they did not actually have to give all to the church, unless they had each one agreed and swore a death oath, which could have been likely.  Maybe Peter only reminded them of their oath that they had taken before God, and their own conscience had actually killed them and not Peter.  I might again point to the faulty character of Peter and not the poor contributors, Ananias and Sapphira, who gave to the communal cause of the disciples.  After all, they did not want to remain penniless.  Who would?  

It was a faulty economic system in the first place, and Communism has proven to have killed hundreds of millions just in the last century alone.  It is a system that mostly benefits those who administer the proceeds.  I don´t even think that the early economic system of the early church was a pure Communist system, as they contributed what they had of their own free will, and were not completely coerced and forced, as in Socialism and Communism.  They had all agreed to have their possessions in common.  They were not coerced, except maybe by Peter. 

In Galatians 2:11-21, Paul confronted Peter as being a hypocrite, presenting one side to the Gentile believers and another to his Jewish friends, thus undermining the teachings of Jesus.  Even Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, was one of the most murderous Jewish leaders against the Christians, dragging them out of their homes and consenting unto their deaths.  After his conversion, Paul presented the best understanding of Christian principles of anyone.  

Peter got very angry quickly and acted out his vengeance, as in the Garden of Gethsemane, John 18:10, drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of the high priest´s servant.  Doesn´t that seem a bit irrational and destined to make the situation much worse for Jesus?  Nevertheless, he went everywhere with Jesus and learned first hand the teachings of the Master, experiencing the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Peter was still a little too human sometimes, like every disciple, as well as every Christian even today, like we all are. 

Let us look at the examples that Jesus Christ gave, as to how to conduct our affairs and the good character that we should all possess.  Jesus gave us the parable of the tares.  We are to let the tares remain until the harvest.  Do not take the lives of those among you who are less than perfect.  We are to love one another.  There have been too many mistakes and too many lives taken from those that did not meet the standards of the established Christian Church.  Millions have been killed in the name of Jesus Christ, all because the church thought it beneficial and for the good of the whole church.  Not exactly what I would call Christian.  Peter´s character is not in the true form of what the character of Jesus Christ is, far from it.  We should always use the examples that Jesus gave us and not the leaders of the church.  Peter might have been the rock that the church was built upon, but the true spirit of the church is and always will be Jesus Christ.

Yet another example of poor character and being confused about what spirit the disciples were a part of is when James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who had rejected Christ, and He rebuked them.  So, no I don´t personally think that Jesus would have ever killed, brought about death spiritually, or caused the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira.

Luke 9:54 - 9:56

54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Luke-9-54_9-56/        

Matthew 13:29

“But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.”

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Matthew-13-29/

Acts 4:32

“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.” 

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Acts-4-32/

Acts 5:1 - 5:10

1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 

7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Acts-5-1_5-10/

I offer this commentary on Peter and the other two Christians, Ananias and Sapphira, because I am saved from Hell,  a fate worse than death, by the mercy of Jesus Christ, and am not worthy to unloose the latchet of Peter´s sandals.  Yet, I am still able to try and discern character and recognize sin as I seem to understand it, but only through the lens that Jesus Christ has given me to vaguely peer through.   

June 28, 2023

Cliff Rhodes Christian Ministry