Peter observes that they are not being entirely honest and have kept part of the profit for themselves, instead of giving all they had, like they are implying. He confronts Ananias,asking, "Why hath Satan filled thing heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained,was it not thine own? 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." (3,4). After Peter's confrontation, Ananias, overcome by the guilt and fear of his actions, dies. His wife, Sapphira, is also confronted by Peter, and shortly after, also dies out of fear and shame.
So....what exactly is this story trying to teach us here? Seems kind of intense, right? Here's some thoughts after reading:
- God cares about the condition of our hearts
- God wants all of our heart, wants us to willingly come to Him
- Ananias and Sapphira's shame/fear caused them to "give up the ghost"
- Our shame/fear cut us off from God
Bottom line, God loves us all individually. He gave His only perfect Son so that all of us can live with Him again, He gave us our bodies, our spirits, our families- everything we have is because of Him. The only thing He cannot take by force and that He does not already own is our hearts. So all He asks in return for all He does is that we love him with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. And even then, that is for our own good, so that we qualify for eternal life and are prepared to live joyfully in this life and in the next. Everything He does is to help us progress and to be the happiest we can be.
So why was Ananias and Sapphira's offering not enough? Why did Peter chew them out for holding on to some of the extra profit? It was because their hearts were not completely dedicated to God- their hearts were not willing to give him everything they had. Christ tells us: "And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." (3 Nephi 9:9,20) It wasn't about the money they were withholding- it was the fact that they were not willing to give God all of their hearts.
There are so many other examples in the scriptures that illustrate this concept: Cain's offering not being what God instructed and also being evil because of the condition of his heart, the pharisees not giving as much as the widow and her two mites because they were not giving all they had, the rich young ruler who could not part with his possessions when asking what more he could do, etc.
Also, I found it interesting that once confronted with their decision, both Ananias and his wife, Sapphira "gave up the ghost." (Acts 5:5, 10). It doesn't say that God struck them down or punished them for their behavior- they both forfeited the will to live. Whether it was because of overwhelming shame or fear of what would happen to them, it doesn't specify in the chapter- but I feel the point of including their deaths shows us what will happen spiritually to each of us when we choose not to give all of our hearts to God. When we choose to give into shame or fear over what we've done, we distance ourselves from God, intentionally or unintentionally. When we choose not to give all we have to him, we intentionally cut ourselves off from his presence, spiritually dying as we withhold parts of ourselves from him.
So where are you holding back? What parts of your heart are you not giving to God right now? The wonderful thing is, once we recognize we are with holding, we have the capacity to change, no matter how hard it is. I know that God loves you and is so proud of all you are doing. I know He loves each of us and that everything He does is to help us here in mortality, and especially in the life to come. I hope you have a great week!
Emily
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