Several young men hauled the body outside of town and buried the unfortunate man. The impromptu grave digging arose because the recently deceased lied to Peter and the burgeoning church and most regrettably, the Holy Spirit.

After the men completed their grisly task, they traipsed back to the gathering place of the Jesus followers, only to find a second dead body requiring removal. Another lap to the cemetery.

We’re told that as a result of the dramatic deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

I wonder how those on the burial detail processed the action? What did they whisper as they carried bodies through the streets? What did they say to the curious who asked what was going on? How did they represent the movement of God in their midst?

I’d love to understand their thinking. It’s one thing to hear a sermon—it’s much more powerful to participate in one. Certainly, it was an afternoon none ever forgot.

Do you think this group of young men ever lied to the Holy Spirit? I imagine they approached the Lord with a reverence matched by few others, and instructed those around them to do the same, until the end of their days.

Acts 5 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Dane Deaner