Behold

A Behold picture book

Almost Everything

The Annises gave almost everything. They said it was everything.

  1. At the Hope Street church, everyone shared. Nobody said, "This is mine." People who owned houses or land sold them. They gave the money to the leaders, and the leaders gave it to anyone who needed it.

  2. A man named Barney sold his field. He brought the money and gave it to the leaders.

  3. Mr. and Mrs. Annis sold their land too. But they kept some of the money for themselves. Mrs. Annis knew. Mr. Annis brought the rest to church. "Here," he said. Everyone thought it was all of it.

  4. But Pete, the leader, knew. "Why did you lie?" he asked. "The land was yours. The money was yours, too. You didn't lie to people. You lied to God."

  5. When Mr. Annis heard this, he fell down dead. Everyone who heard about it was very afraid. Some young men carried him out and buried him.

  6. About three hours later, Mrs. Annis came in. She didn't know what had happened. Pete asked her, "Tell me. Is this the price you sold the land for?" "Yes," she said. "That's it."

  7. "Why did you two agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?" said Pete. "Listen. The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out, too."

  8. Right away, she fell down dead at Pete's feet. The young men carried her out and buried her next to her husband. And the whole church was very, very afraid.

The End.

The source, revealed

The Fine Print

Acts 4:32–5:11

Read it yourself

Where it's from

Acts 5, in the New Testament. It happens in the very first church, soon after Jesus went back to heaven.

Who's who

In our story In the Bible
Hope Street church The first church, in Jerusalem
Pete The apostle Peter
Barney Barnabas
Mr. Annis Ananias
Mrs. Annis Sapphira

What the text says

  • Plain words: Peter said: The land and the money were yours. You lied to God.

  • KJV (Acts 5:4): "Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and 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."

  • Plain words: When he heard this, he fell down dead.

  • KJV (Acts 5:5): "And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things."

  • Plain words: She fell down dead too, and the whole church was afraid.

  • KJV (Acts 5:10-11): "Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost … And great fear came upon all the church"

What we kept

  • The first believers share everything; landowners sell and bring the money to the apostles.
  • Barnabas sells a field and brings the money.
  • Ananias and Sapphira sell land, keep part, and bring the rest. She knew.
  • Peter: the land and money were theirs; they lied to God.
  • Ananias falls dead; young men bury him; great fear.
  • About three hours later, Sapphira comes, not knowing. Peter asks about the price. She says yes.
  • Peter: you agreed to test the Spirit of the Lord; the men who buried your husband are at the door.
  • She falls dead and is buried by her husband. Great fear on the whole church.

What we changed

  • Names, and today's world.
  • We left out Peter's question "why hath Satan filled thine heart" (Acts 5:3).

Look closely

Peter says they didn't have to give anything at all (5:4). The problem was the lie. And Sapphira got one chance to tell the truth (5:8).

How it's usually taught

Many teachers say it shows that God takes honesty very seriously, especially in his church, and that pretending to be more generous than you are is lying to God. Some say it was a one-time warning at the start of the church, to protect it while it was new. The text doesn't say God killed them; it says they fell down and died.

What the story doesn't say

Nobody tells them they'll die if they lie. Nobody warns Sapphira that her husband is dead. There is no chance to say sorry. The story ends with fear, and calls that the result.

Talk about it

  1. Was it wrong for the Annises to lie? (It's okay to say yes!)
  2. What would be a fair punishment for that lie?
  3. Pete didn't tell Mrs. Annis her husband had died before asking her. Was that fair?
  4. The story ends with everyone afraid. Is fear a good reason to be honest?
  5. Do you believe this is good advice?

One last question

If a church today did this to a family who lied about a donation, what would you think of that church?

Read Acts 4:32–5:11 yourself