The scene in Jerusalem in the days and weeks immediately following the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and the conversion of thousands must have been wild. People who had come from all over Europe, Asia, and Africa for the Feast of Pentecost were now staying longer than anticipated. There was likely a housing shortage and - without question - a financial crisis as the visitors stayed around to learn of the new faith in which they had trusted the eternal destinies.

To alleviate the monetary crunch, many of the new believers sold land and property and donated the proceeds to the apostles. This is first documented in Acts 4:32-37 when Joseph (aka Barnabas) sold some real estate and gave the profits to the church. His behavior was note-worthy enough to be recorded by Luke. Then follows the familiar story of the status-seeking couple Ananias and Sapphira:

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.
But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’
And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?’ And she said, ‘Yes, that was the price.’
Then Peter said to her, ‘Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.’
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

This is a curious thing: Peter asks the wife about the amount and she, perhaps fearful that she might betray or dishonor her husband - whom she still believed to be alive - stuck with the original story even though she knew it was a lie.

In short, she submitted to her husband.

What else could she be expected to do? It would be Peter, after all, who some years later would command wives:

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. - 1 Pet 3:1-2

“Without a word,” Peter says. The word for “submit” in this passage (forgive me the word study) is hupotasso, the definition of which includes (among other things) “to submit to one’s control, to yield to one’s admonition or advice, to obey, be subject.” Clearly this is what Sapphira was doing. Why the harsh response to her?

Well, it would appear that there are at least two reasons. The first goes back to the sin of Achan in Josh 7:1-26. His sin defiled the entire nation at the beginning of their conquest of the promised land and he and his family paid dearly for it. Luke seems to be deliberately connecting Achan and Ananias in this regard, thus stressing the importance of purity and holiness in the church.

Second, and more to the point, Sapphira could not hide her sin behind the veil of obedience to her husband. Her offense was not merely against Peter, the now-recognized leader of the church. As the NIV Application Commentary says,

When we lie to the church, we lie to the Holy Spirit. We see the developing theology of the church here. In 5:11 we find the first of twenty-three times that the word ekklesia appears in Acts. Saul/Paul finds out later that when he persecuted the church, he was persecuting Jesus (9:4). Later he expresses the treasured teaching that the church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:12; 5:23). - emphases mine

To lie to the leaders of a church - including my own, local church - is to lie to the Holy Spirit; to persecute a church - a true church - is to persecute Christ. Sapphira had responsibilities that superceded her duties to her husband and her responsibility to obey the Scriptures regarding submitting to him. Her duty to God came first, not her less-important duty to her husband.

To me, this could have been parallel to Abigail’s disobedience to her husband in 1 Sam 25:1-42 rather than to Achan’s sin. Sapphira should have followed Abby’s example and “betrayed” her husband by telling the truth. She didn’t, however, and died because of it.

There are, then, limits to a wife’s submission to her husband. Sometimes exceptions to the rule are obvious; sometimes they are not as clear. As a husband, I would do well to ask myself why my wife is not submitting in such situations. As a wife, she would do well do ask herself to whom she owes greater allegiance.

For both of us, we must know the Scriptures well enough to understand the hierarchy of responsibilities and dutes we have. And we must pray for wisdom to know which to obey when there is a conflict between two of them.


2 Cor 1.13