TEXT: Acts 5:1-11

SUBJECT: Women of the New Testament #12: Sapphira

Our study brings us tonight to the twelfth character in our Women of the New Testament, and also its most regrettable, Sapphira.

Sapphira and her husband are among the New Testament's most maligned persons. They are put alongside Judas and Demas as the worst hypocrites in the early church. That they "lied to the Holy Spirit" and were felled for their transgression cannot be doubted. But that they were frauds, entering the assembly by deceit, remains unlikely. We would be wise--I think--to trust the judgment of the early Christians and accept them as believers, albeit less than perfect.

There are many good things to say about the wife of Aninias. She was courageous. She and her husband were among the first to confess Christ, the first to be baptized, and the first to openly attach themselves to His Church. These public acts called for no little bravery. Just weeks before, Jesus had been slain by the rulers of Jerusalem--and these men were still in power. In the preceding chapter, Peter and John were imprisoned and severely threatened. In the chapter that follows, Stephen is arrested and then stoned. Saul is still "breathing out slaughter against the disciples of the Lord". Herod will shortly get into the act by beheading James. Finally, the Imperial Government will soon lend its forces to persecution. Thus, it was mighty dangerous to be a Christian in those days. Yet Sapphira braved the danger and made the saving confession: "Jesus is Lord".

Sapphira was also a faithful church member. Acts 2:42 applies to her as well as to anyone else. She "continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, and in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer". She listened to the sermons carefully; enjoyed fellowship; took the Lord's Supper with gratitude; and never missed the prayer meeting. She was a woman you could count on. If the church doors were open, Sapphira was there.

She also had gifts. And it would seem, miraculous ones. The Spirit of Pentecost fell on "sons and daughters"; and gave gifts to His "menservants and His maidservants". Sapphira was clearly among the latter. Thus she was a gifted woman, quite possibly able to speak in tongues, to prophesy or to discern a spirit. With these gifts, Sapphira was able to encourage herself and edify her church.

Sapphira was charitable and generous. Just verses before, we find "Neither did anyone say that any of the things that he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common". Even in our present text, her generosity (thought tinted with pride and deceit) shines through. When Christians are too quick to judge Ananias and his wife, I always say, "You go sell your property, give most of it to the Lord's poor people, and then level your criticism against the ancient couple". We cannot excuse their hypocrisy and vainglory. But neither may we deny their generosity.

Finally, Sapphira was a good wife--or so it would seem. Ananias concocted the idea of selling their land and giving most of the proceeds to the church. This was commendable. But alas! He didn't stop there. He went on to claim that his offering was the full price. And this, of course, was a lie, and a terrible one: "You have not lied to man, but to God". For his offense, Ananias was struck dead.

Now, Sapphira was in on it all along. Whether she approved of her husband's plan or just agreed to lie along with him is unknown. But she knew the true price they had received for the land. When asked about it, she told gave her husband's amount. This was understandable. If she hadn't, she would have:

Sapphira, therefore, might well have justified her lie as "the wifely thing to do". And how can we criticize her for being loyal to her husband? Yet we needn't look far to find God's assessment:

"Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband

are at the door, and they will carry you out.

Then immediately, she fell down at his feet

and yielded up the ghost".

Thus, Sapphira is dead for putting her husband ahead of God. Like Adam and Eve in reverse, Sapphira chose to honor her spouse instead of her God, and so, like her first parents, "died in that very day".

From her life, I want to stress two main points; one briefly and the other at some length.

The first is this: God wants the wife to be loyal to her husband. This includes honoring him, obeying him, loving him, and as much as possible, overlooking his faults. These are the adornments of the godly wife. These are the things are "very precious in the sight of God" and the things that cause your husband to "rise up and call you blessed". They make you his "crown" and keep you from becoming the "rottenness in his bones".

Happy is the man who finds such a wife.

"Her price is above rubies".

But the second--and more to the point--is this: You cannot honor or help your husband by sinning. That was Sapphira's deadly error.

You cannot honor him by sinning because his job is to sanctify you. But by sinning (even with his approval or instigation) you are heaping dishonor on him. God and other people will think ill of him because of you.

You cannot help him by sinning, either. Paul dealt with this long ago: "Let us do evil that good may come" some said. But he called it "slander" and about such people he said, "their damnation is just".

Yet some wives believe the slander. They honestly think that they can help their husbands by sinning. Here are some examples:

Well, Sapphira thought she could honor and help Ananias by lying for him. Did she? No, but greatly contributed trouble. When he first asked her to go along with the lie, she might have stopped him with a meek, but firm, refusal. "I won't expose you--she might have said--but if asked, "I'll have to tell the truth".

This would have surely saved her. And who knows? Maybe her husband as well. Thus the lesson from Sapphira's life is simple: honor your husband by doing what's right.