Learners

Today’s randomness is a biblical fiction filled with biblical truths taken from Acts 5:1-11, where I look at things through the eyes of the young men in the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira.

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Episode introduction

Again, welcome to the podcast where I share random thoughts through a biblical lens that helps along life’s journey. Today’s randomness is a biblical fiction filled with biblical truths taken from Acts 5:1-11, where I look at things through the eyes of the young men in the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira, and entitled, Learners.   

We were the young men. 

Many were under 30, and none were over 40; however, we are still regarded as “young” in our families. This was especially so because we were learning the Way. 

The Way itself was new, yet it was old. It was from the very foundation of the world. Then, in the fullness of time, that which was from the beginning began with a birth. About 30 years ago, the Author of the Way came into our world.  

Just over a few months ago, He died. But three days later, He rose from the grave! And through His resurrection, he gave all who believed in Him life—a more abundant life. 

And we wanted to learn more. 

We had experienced the power—the power that raised Him from the dead. After waiting over a week where He told us to stay, the sound of a mighty rushing wind filled the house, and in its wake, the Holy Spirit witnessed to masses and empowered us. Three thousand were converted that day, and we continued in the apostle’s teaching and fellowship. 

Persistently we wanted to learn more. 

We prayed again several weeks later. This time for boldness after Peter, John, and the formerly lame man were imprisoned because of his miracle and then released because it couldn’t be denied. Everyone knew it was him, and everyone could see he was healed. Their sentence: the trio threatened to speak no more about the Way. Again, our place was filled with His Presence. Our prayer was answered! 

Still, we wanted to learn more. 

We called our group of young men, Learners. It wasn’t official. We just wanted to emphasize that we wanted to learn: Learn the Way, the community, and be like Him. 

It would be said that, as young men, we should be sensible, submit to the elders, be clothed with humility, and that we were strong and had overcome the wicked one. 

But today, what we learned was unlike any other. 

Attending our standard service to the congregation, we witnessed the unimaginable. In three hours, we buried two people—a husband and his wife—who lied and died.  

There was much more to learn beyond the obvious, as we discovered in the burial’s aftermath. The stark contrasts, the irony, and the emotions of the day. Each played a part and yielded collective awe in all who walked the Way and education in our group that will never be forgotten. After all, we carried out the corpses. Handling those bodies, we learned about the Way of Life through the avenue of death for Ananias and Sapphira.  

If only they had chosen the right path—the straight and narrow one—to walk in the Way. 

Our community was so unique, unlike anything we had ever experienced. We heard it said we were “of one heart and soul” and that none of us claimed that anything belonging to us was our alone (cf. Acts 4:32). 

Yes, the Qumran community, the Essenes, located near the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, renounced the right to private property, established a common fund, and distributed an equal share to each member to meet his needs. However, we functioned differently, though it might look the same to the unlearned eye. We lived by the principle of voluntarily sharing possessions to strengthen the unity and harmony of the community, whereas the Essenes acted in response to a manmade rule of compulsion. We served in God's law of love and practiced common use of our possessions, not common ownership.[1] 

We were learning the wealth of non-possession, the principle of being stewards and not owners. 

As we continued in the Apostle’s doctrine, we heard John say: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:16-18 NASB). 

So, we voluntarily sold possessions, laid the proceeds at the Apostle’s feet, and they distributed according to the needs of others as we walked together along the Way. 

That was the first contrast we learned that day. Though the results of “all things common” mirrored Essene’s manmade rule, we acted out of love rather than compulsion, voluntarily rather than mandatory. 

We acted from our hearts. 

It was a revelation of hearts, not with the Essenes but our own company, where another contrast was revealed. 

We witnessed the second contrast of the day through Barnabas. 

He was a cousin of one in our group, one of the young men, John Mark. Mark’s mother, Mary, would regularly host a gathering in her home, where we had been introduced to Barnabas, although initially, we knew him as Joseph.  It was the Apostles who surnamed him Barnabas because he was an encourager. 

He was a Levite, the only Levite we knew by name,[2] walking in the Way with us.  We watched as Barnabas, the Levite, willingly sold some land and brought the proceeds to the Apostles. The Levite, who was of the family that served the temple, although from Cyprus and not part of the regular order, was now serving the One greater than the temple (cf. Matthew 12:6). 

The contrast between the Law and Grace was personified in the Encourager. The fact that he would move beyond his heritage, despite the depth of the Jewish opposite, reassured us. He had a presence of consultation and was a man we all loved to see. 

Barnabas’s offering was an encouragement of the day that we thought would only continue to grow when Ananias came in to do the same. 

Ananias was a man we had heard of; his name meant “graciously given of the Lord.” He had received many blessings from God and much prosperity.[3] And now, like Barnabas before him, he had sold property and brought the proceeds to the Apostles. 

We had thought, “How could this day get any better?” First Barnabas and now Ananias standing before the Apostles, just as the Encourager. The one heart and soul that described us was growing. Indeed, we saw a Spirit-led unity of purpose, plan, and action. 

But we would learn that outward actions seen as good but void of the right inward motivations would prove deadly. 

And no one in the room that day—not us, the Apostles, or Ananias—knew what would occur in the next few minutes. It would be a contrast, an irony, and an emotional swing that reverberated throughout the Way. 

As Ananias stood before Simon Peter, we were cognizant of his stature, knew why he was there (or so we thought), and didn’t focus on the conversation. We had only noticed the love in Simon’s eyes as Ananias approached, all of us anticipating a Barnabas-like repeat—another cog in the encouragement wheel that was so refreshing. 

We looked pleasingly at one another as Ananias laid the proceeds of his land sale at the apostles’ feet; we thanked the Lord for His goodness and our brother’s obedience.  

In spontaneous unity, we jerked our heads away from one another and back towards Simon when we heard his words: “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3 NASB). 

The loving look on Simon’s face had morphed from love to concern. The look on our faces also morphed—into perplexity—did we hear correctly!?! Ananias…Satan…heart…filled…what are we witnessing? 

Simon’s countenance turned from concern to pragmatic as he explained the principle we all had understood about our giving, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?” 

Our group had discussed that principle amongst ourselves to have a thorough understanding, especially regarding the Essene contrast. Since the inflow of believers at Pentecost, we had also explained it many times as new believers wanted to learn the Way. We had even brought in the voluntary aspect as seen in the Psalms, quoting our father David as we had in our prayer (cf. Acts 4:23-31): “Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power” (Psalms 110:3 NASB). (We had learned early in the Way the need to bring Scripture into our prayers).

How is it that Ananias, the one “gracious[ly] given of the Lord,” had not understood voluntarily and freely giving as part of the Way? 

But it was even more than that: How could he misrepresent the sale price? How could he misrepresent the truth? Truth. Is. The. Way. 

Our perplexity now turned to disbelief, as Simon unbelievably declared to Ananias, “Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:4 NASB). Those words also defined what he had meant earlier about Satan filling Ananias’ heart.  

The manipulator, the liar from the beginning, had murmured a lie that challenged the blaring truth. And Ananias had given ear. He had allowed, for whatever reason, and let the murmurer fill his heart with a lie that, in turn, spilled forth a lie. After all, we had learned from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (cf. Luke 6:45). Ananias had mouthed words that revealed his heart. 

But we hadn’t understood entirely that there were times when words, particularly lies, weren’t made to men but were made to God.  

That was not to say we were in the habit of lying—not since we started walking the Way. However, we had lied in the past, and one would occasionally slip into our current conversation. But if we didn’t rectify it immediately, we did as quickly as possible. Slipped is the keyword; it wasn’t planned or contrived. It simply slipped in via habit and for a variety of reasons. It was a practice while trudging wayward before walking the Way—but we made the conversation right. 

There may have been similarities between the “heart” reasons for our wayward lies and Ananias’ current fabrication. But the Lord had given us new hearts, hearts of flesh he could inscribe rather than hearts of stone that rejected his engraving. The willingness of the Way, the voluntary practice to invite God the Holy Spirit to write the Way on our hearts, made us of one heart and soul (cf. Acts 4:32) even with the various reading levels of all the individuals in the Way.  

We learned that “differences of opinion are inevitable among human personalities and can actually be helpful, if handled well. But spiritual unity is essential—loyalty, commitment, and love for God and his Word. Without spiritual unity, the church could not survive.”[4] 

In having Satan fill his heart, it seemed that Ananias had breached these first two, we reasoned. He had neglected the essentials of spiritual unity, and his lie wasn’t unrehearsed. It was devised. That planning and this situation moved his lie to a deception; it was no longer a conversational error between brothers but a blatant attempt to mislead. It was an attempt that dripped with hypocrisy, pride, and self-exaltation; it was rife with all God hates.[5]  As such, it was a lie that pervaded beyond the apostles and into the presence of God. 

And the God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, would call it out. 

A collective gasp engulfed the room with jaw-dropping wonder as he fell dead when Simon finished speaking. There was no chance for Ananais to respond, no opportunity to possibly correct his lie, no conviction by the Spirit for his sin—just his sin’s judgment. 

And we all feared the power of our God. 

Simon Peter’s eyes, filled with a holy love seasoned with wrath unseen before today, met ours as we glanced up at him, our eyes moving from death to life. We heard the unspoken request. 

Getting up, we gathered tunics and a tablecloth to cover the body. As we wrapped the robust man who had confidently walked in just minutes before, each of us experienced varied feelings consistent with our gifts and callings, yet, the common denominator was sure: “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29 NASB). 

In unity, we lifted the body and carried it out; elders gave us directions. We buried him in silence, each of us lost in our thoughts, hoping never to experience something like this again. 

But that hope was dashed in the space of three hours. 

You hear some unique sounds that are forever etched in your mind—some that you hope you never hear again. That was our conversation and consensus as we returned from burying Ananias; that dead weight dropping to the floor was something we, the young men, didn’t want to hear again. 

And yet, just as we returned to the meeting, the usually busy room was again hushed, and our arrival joined the dreaded sound as we entered. This time it was a woman; we learned later it was Ananias’ wife, now lifelessly heaped at the Apostles’ feet. 

Unlike his conversation with Ananias, Simon Peter’s face was taut, his jaw firm and his eyes piercing. Ananias’ hypocrisy had been unanticipated, something the Way hadn’t experienced thus far. His death was as much of a surprise to Simon Peter as it was to everyone in the room.  He had just spoken the truth by a revelation of the Spirit, and that same Holy Spirit brought an unexpected judgment. It was both sad and yet, somewhat strengthening that our God was always in our midst. 

Whether Peter thought Sapphira was privy to the deceptive plan or not, he never said. We all thought he hoped not. The mercy the Lord had shown him repeatedly, especially seeking him out personally after the resurrection, impacted him greatly. Yet, it wasn’t just Peter whom Sapphira stood before. He was God’s instrument for the Conductor in this orchestra called the Way, and every member had a unique and rightful part to play. None could intentionally be out of tune. 

Thus, he queried Sapphira upon her entrance, asking, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” (Acts 5:8 NASB). She responded with the last words of her life; the last words she heard that followed exposed the couple’s connivance. “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well” (v. 9). 

To not tempt God was a fundamental principle of the Way. Moses shared it with the forefathers in the desert, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah” (Deuteronomy 6:16 NASB). Our Lord Jesus had embedded it in the Way when He was in the desert too. “Jesus said to him [Satan], ‘On the other hand, it is written, “YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST” (Matthew 4:7 NASB). 

Yet, Ananias and Sapphira opted to test: “To test the Holy Spirit is to see how much one can get away with before He judges; it means to presume on Him, to see if He will perform His Word, or to stretch Him to the limits of judgment.”[6] And it cost them so much more than the price of the land they withheld. 

We looked at each other with astonished eyes, not believing another funeral was upon us; we wrapped her body as we had done for her husband, hoisted her on our shoulders, and walked silently to lay her to rest. 

Placing her in the tomb, we stepped back and bowed our heads in both prayer and reflection. We had witnessed the power of God, and the resulting awe would envelop the Way for everyone who heard about this day. 

Raising our heads as one, our eyes met yet again and spoke in unison what we had learned this day: we covenanted never to lose reverence to our awesome God.

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[1] Adapted from Baker's New Testament Commentary, the e-sword edition.
[2] “No other Levite is mentioned by name in the NT,” Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels; Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, edited by James Hastings, D.D. E-Sword edition.
[3] Wilson’s Dictionary of Bible Types, Converted to E-Sword Dictionary by Dyan Largo-Afonso, 25 Feb 2011, Public Domain.
[4] Tyndale House Publishers, ed., Life Application Study Bible, Third edition (Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 2019). Page 1874
[5] “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19 NASB). 
[6] J.F. Walvoord and R.B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of Scriptures, Logos Edition (Wheaton, Ill: Victor Books, n.d.).