Sapphira

Extraordinary Women of the Bible

Women in The Early Years of the Church

Sapphira

 

Sapphira: Money became her God.

Key Scripture: Acts 5:1-11.

Her Name Means: "Jewel" "Beautiful."

Her Character: Sapphira and her husband were fearless—and foolish.

Pre-Story: In the early Christian church in Jerusalem, the believers were so close they sold their excess land or possessions and donated the money so no one would go hungry. This story exposes the ugly secret of two hearts.

Her Story: Ananias and Sapphira were professed Christians who had turned from Judaism and had associated themselves with the newly-formed Christian community. They were members of the early church, the first body of people to worship the risen Christ.

In the first century, Christians willingly shared their resources, encouraged by believers such as Barnabas, who "sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet" (Acts 4:37), a public expression of devotion to God.

Barnabas had sold all his land and surrendered all the money it brought, to Peter, the representative and spokesman of the Twelve and leader in the Early Church. When the leaders heaped praise on Barnabas for his sacrifice, Sapphira and her hubby, Ananias, decided to earn a few accolades of their own. They "also sold a piece of property" (Acts 5:1) and put their profits "at the apostles' feet"  (Acts 5:2), with one little difference: Ananias secretly pocketed some of the proceeds "with his wife's full knowledge" (Acts 5:2).

They were under no obligation to sell their property to support the young church. But once they chose to lay the proceeds at the apostles' feet, Ananias and Sapphira openly gave that land to God.

Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:3-4). Ananias, on hearing this, immediately fell down dead.

A few hours later, Ananias' wife Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her if the amount they donated was the full price of the land. "Yes, that is the price," she lied. Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." (Acts 5:9). Just like her husband, she instantly fell down dead.

Had Ananias and Sapphira brought nothing to Peter there would not have been any blame. Their deceit came in trying to represent themselves as completely sacrificial as Barnabas, but in the attempt they acted a lie.

The sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira are among the scariest events in the Bible, a terrifying reminder that God will not be mocked.

Her Place in God's Divine Plan: God’s reasons for bringing about the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira involve His abhorrence of sin, the hypocrisy and the lesson for the rest of the church, both then and now. While their penalties seem extreme to us today, God judged them guilty of sins so serious they threatened the very existence of the early Church.

Lesson We Can Learn from Her Legacy: Sapphira's shocking tale should strike fear in our hearts. These two shocking deaths served as an example to the church that God hates hypocrisy. It also let believers and unbelievers know, in an unmistakable way, that God protects the holiness of his church.

Ironically, Ananias' name means "Jehovah has been gracious." God had favored Ananias and Sapphira with wealth, but they responded to his gift by cheating. God demands total honesty from his followers. Deceit and lying are to be deplored in the lives of those who are not the Lord’s.

Genealogy: The Bible gives us no record of Sapphira, nor of her husband.