Ananias and Sapphira: A story about how we show up

Scripture references:

Acts 5:1-11   

What I want to explore

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is often reduced to money. Many say it is about giving in church or withholding financial offerings. I no longer see it that way. When a Bible story is taken at face value the tone shifts. Something becomes lost. I have reached a point where I believe the Bible only makes sense when I read it as a personal letter addressed to me. Every chapter. Every word. Every character.

For a long time, I used to skip parts that mentioned men or fathers or sons. I used to think those parts were not about me. I struggled to decide which scriptures belonged to me or which ones belonged to someone else. Who is meant to do that allocation anyway? Eventually I understood that the whole story speaks to the individual. Everything is inside us. Every character is a part of us. Every place is a landscape of the inner life. The Bible is not a history book for me. It is a book of allegories that describe the soul.

So, when I read Acts 5, I do not picture two people who lived on earth. I see two energies within one person. I see two ways of showing up. I see the danger of withholding yourself from your own life.

Re-reading the story

Ananias presents something and says it is the whole thing. He is asked a simple question. Is this all? He says yes. Something within him collapses. Sapphira arrives later. She is asked the same question. She gives the same answer. She also collapses.

If this story were truly about money the behaviour around it feels strange. No one goes to look for her. No one checks on her. No one speaks gently. The people simply wait for her to arrive then announce her fate. That tone does not sound like the tone I hear in Jesus. So, I do not accept the idea that this is about financial offerings or church order.

I see something else.

The inner meaning

Ananias and Sapphira represent two sides of the self. Two ways we show up. Two ways we give our energy. When we give halfway. When we hold back affection. When we withdraw accountability. When we ration kindness. When we choose to offer only the part that feels safe. We think we are doing it to others. We think we are making a statement about who deserves our effort. Yet we are doing it to ourselves.

• Half effort kills something inside.

• Half-truth weakens the spirit.

• Half presence drains life.

The story says they fell because they lied. What if that lie is the lie we tell ourselves each time we say I have given my all while we know we have held something back. Not out of fear. Not out of wisdom. But out of self-protection that no longer protects.

Inside every person there is a masculine energy and a feminine energy. Both are affected when one part of us refuses to show up fully. When Ananias falls Sapphira also falls. That is the message. Withholding in one area impacts every other part of the self.

A metaphysical parallel

Look at Song of Songs. Many ask if it is for married people or single people. I see it as a story of desire. A story of the inner lover. When you create your world, you must love what you are creating. You must pour affection into your vision. The creation story itself says God looked at what was made and saw that it was good. Creation is always linked to love and attention. Nothing grows in neglect.

So, if Ananias and Sapphira both collapse the moment they present a half offering then maybe the message is simple. Nothing survives on half attention. Nothing thrives on half effort. Nothing grows from a divided heart.

What this means for my life

This story reminds me to:

• show up fully in my work

• pour myself into my healing

• give my best energy to relationships

• practice kindness without rationing it

• honour my vision with full attention

• refuse to live a half life

Every time I withhold effort, I am withholding life from myself. Every time I offer a partial version of myself, I weaken the part of me that is meant to flourish.

A question to my readers

What do you think this story means for you?

Where have you been showing up with half your heart?

What part of your life needs a full offering?

Share your thoughts. I want to hear how this lands for you.