April 15 is tax day in the United States, when payments are due the government. A few days past now, it was no holiday—more a day of stress and running around for those who waited until the last minute to get checks in the mail. I finished my taxes weeks ago, experiencing the pain but avoiding the rush.

A number of people lie about their financial situation in order to pay fewer taxes. Cheaters get caught every year, but I have a feeling a good chunk get off scot-free. It’s tempting to fudge the numbers.

A couple in Jerusalem fudged the numbers and got caught. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and gave the proceeds to the growing church. Only they lied about the full amount. While they claimed to donate all the profits, they actually kept some back. They hoped for the accolades of the crowd while enjoying some jangle in their pockets.

Peter confronted Ananias, How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.

Then, in a twist no one saw coming, Ananias died on the spot. A few hours later Sapphira joined him. Church members took notice.

I’ve never seen such action in our era, a person falling dead because of lying to God. That moment in time and place marked a special movement of the Holy Spirit. His presence filled the atmosphere of the church, and to walk in and tell a brazen lie mocked the Lord. Satan actually entered the house of God, and the Holy Spirit acted accordingly.

When I posture and profess how good I am, I sometimes sense the Lord asking, are you telling the whole story? When that nudge comes, it’s best to answer honestly, even if the conversation is just between me and the Lord. Because one never knows how the Holy Spirit may respond to deception, but for sure it never gets ignored.

Acts 5 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Olga DeLawrence