Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. – Acts 5:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 9, 2017): Acts 5

I love to read Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels. I think what I like the most is that there is a clear differentiation between good and evil. This distinction has to exist in all stories; it is what heightens the tension at the climax of the tale. But in a King or Koontz thriller the difference between good and evil somehow seems more apparent than it is in other novels that I might read – maybe because both authors often write about a spiritual good and evil that goes beyond our human natures.

In real life, good and evil are not quite that clear. Often we only recognize the good when it is compared with the evil, and only really see evil when it is compared with the good. We have a remarkable ability at self-deception that can sometimes even cause us to declare what is good, evil, and what is evil, good.

This verse serves as a connector between two short biblical stories. It is unfortunate that we have decided to place a dividing line, in the form of a chapter break, between the stories because the stories are meant to be read together. The first story illustrates how the early church decided to share everything together. As an example of this selfless sharing, we are introduced to a man who will become one of the key figures in the early church – Barnabas, the son of encouragement. His real name is Joseph, and we are not told where his nickname came from, but all through the story of the early church, Barnabas is described as a man who lives up to the meaning of his name; he is all of the encouragement that his name implies him to be. There is no doubt that Barnabas received praise from a grateful church for his decision to sell his land and give the proceeds to the fledgling Christian community.

Which leads us to the second story, one that is intended to stand in contrast to the story of Barnabas’s sacrifice. In this story, the main characters are Ananias and Sapphira.  Like Barnabas, they also sold a piece of land. Unlike Barnabas, they wanted to gain the glory without at least as much of the sacrifice. Ananias and Sapphira lied to make their gift sound like it was the same as Barnabas’s. And that was the problem. In contrast with the story of Barnabas, the lie makes all the difference. The two stories highlight the good in the one and the evil in the other. If they had have been honest, there was nothing wrong with the gift of Ananias and Sapphira. But the lie that they told made all of the difference, and highlighted how unlike Barnabas they really were.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Acts 6