You did not lie to us but to God!
Ananias and his wife Sapphira were living in a time when all assets were pooled, and people were cared for from the common till.
They’d sold their property and brough some of the money in for the common good, but they’d also kept some of it back for themselves. When asked about the transaction and their contribution, Ananias responded that he’d sold the land and donated all the money. But it’s the lie that caused the trouble. Peter, who’d collected their money exclaimed that they’d lied not to Peter or the community, but to God. At that, Ananias dropped dead. His wife, not knowing what had happened to Ananias came before Peter and retold the same false story, that all of the money had been given. She too was chastised, and dropped dead.
Other than a few cloistered communities, I’m not sure this form of common property is something that has survived human greed or modern capitalism. Ananias and his wife were some of the first testers of this. I don’t know if their lie came from shame, fear, or greed. But whatever it was, has been the undoing of our world’s care of each other.
I am not suggesting that we should be living in a socialist society, with all assets pooled. But I do think that we should consider the motives of Ananias, and more importantly, ourselves. What makes us revert to the toddler response of “mine”?
I suppose my driving motive is one of scarcity. I can’t give more, because I don’t want to be without. Maybe being more generous with myself, it’s a sense of the potential I might need more resources and if I give them away, I won’t have them. What if my sick loved one needs something costly?
Perhaps God doesn’t need a common till. God isn’t asking me to give away all of my assets. But I do believe God is asking us all to share as much as we possibly can, because there are others who live with real scarcity, rather than my imagined scarcity. Or there are those who currently need something costly, as opposed to my potential needs. This morning, I’m thinking about what God seeks when it comes to the resources of our time, talent and treasure. God wants us to care for our neighbors, and to share generously. I don’t believe God wants me to share beyond what I reasonably can, but I do believe I’m called to ruthlessly examine what I share and why, and be honest with myself. More important, be honest with God. Sometimes, I don’t share because I’m scared of scarcity. That’s way better to admit than to suggest I’ve shared all I can. The only way to know the difference is to think and pray.
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