And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Acts 5:11

When I was in elementary school, my mom used to take me to Westdale pharmacy in West Columbia. It was a mom and pop pharmacy where everyone knew your name, and the community visited there quite often. They sold everything from shoe inserts to different kinds of medicines. They had most anything you might need.

One day I went to the pharmacy with my mom and got back in the car after picking up her prescriptions. I sat in the front seat, and as she turned on the car, she looked down at my hands and said, “What is that?” I GOT CAUGHT! While mom was picking up her prescriptions, I was lifting (STEALING) erasers for my pencils for school. LIFTING. I was a thief. A criminal! She said, “Tommy, that is stealing. You can’t do that. I want you to go back into that store and tell the pharmacist that you took some erasers from him without paying for them, put them back in the box where they belong, and apologize.

I will never forget the feeling I had when she caught me. I would have gotten away with it if I only would have put those erasers in my pocket. But I didn’t. And she caught me. I was embarrassed and felt even worse because I had to apologize—what a great lesson for me. No, the lesson was not to put the erasers in my pockets. The lesson was not to be dishonest.

Some stories in the Bible cause us to think a little harder than others. Today, we look at one about honesty and fear.

Great fear fell on the community

Luke introduces us to Ananias and Sapphira (5:1) and their scheme to keep back part of the proceeds from a sale of their property that they pledged to the Christian community. So Ananias sells the property, takes a portion of the proceeds to the Apostle Peter, and Peter then rightly accuses Ananias of having a heart filled with Satan and his influence. Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit and kept some of the proceeds from the sold land. 

Ananias, in essence, embezzled what he pledged. He got caught. You can imagine the feeling Ananias must have felt when confronted. It’s the same feeling a person has when they look into their rearview mirror only to see flashing blue lights from a Highway Patrolman.

Peter laid out his case, and Ananias had no response. Immediately, “when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last” (5:5).

Great fear fell on the Church

Three hours later, his wife, Sapphira, came to Peter. He asked her about the price of the land sold. She lied and was complicit in the embezzlement scheme. Peter then questioned her about why they agreed together to test the Holy Spirit. When I think about this, I have to ask myself if I take God seriously enough. I know that I’m a pastor, but even pastors can have times in their lives when they question their commitment to the Lord. 

“Immediately, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last” (5:10). The punishment for Ananias and Sapphira both was death. Does it seem harsh? Yes. Am I in a position to determine whether God’s discipline is too severe? No. So I’m left with questions.

Great fear fell on me

Why did God issue such harsh judgment against Ananias and Sapphira? I firmly believe that he wanted to get everyone’s attention and remind them that their decision to follow Christ was a very serious thing. A commitment to Christ is a responsibility we should never take lightly. As a result of Sapphira’s death, great fear came upon the whole church and all who heard of them.

When Ananias and Sapphira died, was this a good evangelistic strategy? Did this help the church bring others into the church? I would have to say it probably took the community some time to understand the gravity of everything. The death of this couple was more about the church than the community.

God tried to let the community of believers see that following Christ is very serious. It is a lifetime commitment, and those who love Jesus should not take it lightly. It is not joining a social club or fraternity. It is serious.

So how did I feel when I was caught with the erasers? I was embarrassed. It was a small thing, but it was literally about who I was. I was a thief and a liar. Fast forward many years later. Now I am much more serious about things, and Christ changed my life. When He did, He expected me to take our relationship seriously. It is a constant battle every day. But I am encouraged by this great hope found in 2 Corinthians.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).