Acts 5

This is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. We probably all know it and shudder because we secretly identify with their actions (and motivations). We suspect we have tried to claim ourselves to be "all in", to be 100% committed to Jesus while we know in out hearts we are holding back some. We may not actually lie like this married couple did. Yet we feel we are not being totally honest. And we wonder what God is thinking about us.

So this story scares us. A man I used to know would like to argue religion and would take the position in arguments that the Bible is not inerrant but is the creation of wily men. About this story he once stated that what really happened was that Peter killed them both, executed them if you will, and then had them buried. This seems very far fetched but it answers the question of why they died so suddenly. His version certainly does not make one feel better.

But it is very amazing "coincidence" that they just happen to have massive heart attacks after being confronted with their lie. Panic must have ensued in their hearts. In some strange way they feared God, hence their willingness to give some money and join the group but somehow they thought they could hide their deceitfulness from God. I hope we do not do that. As Peter told Sapphira, it is better to be open with God. You cannot fool him. But you can trust him.

When I am not totally committed I admit my weakness to God. Why try to fool God? One should trust God to be just and merciful. I also admit my weakness to men who need to know. I pray for God to make up for what I lack.

We sing a new song in our church called "Furious". In the song God's love is described with several adjectives and one of them is furious. Of course there are the more usual adjectives too. The Spanish translation perhaps more literally means "fierce". I like that.

What does it mean that God's love is furious? I think the point is to create dissonance in our minds, to point out that God's love is different than our love. We do not think of our love for our wife or family as furious, do we? God is a passionate God, extremely passionate. His love is holy too. We do well to remember God's love is amazing and vigorous. It is real. When we think of love we think of hearts, flowers, peace, the color red. God's love is that but it's much more too. Can we handle God's love being called furious?

Two other examples of God's furious love are seen in Aachan's sin (Joshua 7) and Uzzah's presumption to touch the ark (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Aachan, like Ananias, thought he could hide his deceitfulness from God. God is loving but he is also holy. He is God. We are made in his image but God is more. We should never take God for granted. When we do take him for granted he will surprise us.