Justice and Mercy

Joshua didn't understand. Why was his sister Kallai refusing to talk anymore? It had started a little over a week ago, and she wouldn't give any explanation, verbal or otherwise, for her incredibly sudden and mysterious decision.

At first, he had feared that perhaps God had made her a mute...but she had nodded when he asked if she was still able to talk. Apparently she was simply too scared or determined to do so.

He watched as she went about her chores, slowly letting the frustration build up inside of him. Finally, after what seemed hours, he could stand it no more. "After all..." he thought, "I've given her a week to explain or work through this nonsense!"

He waited until Kallai had started to put something in the back room...then he took his chance. He let himself fall backwards, as noisily as possible, and pretended to have spasms. Now to close his eyes. His acting skills were one of his best qualities, and he knew that he could get her to talk this way.

Sure enough, he could hear her sharp gasp as the sound of her running brought her to his side. He felt her hand on his shoulder...which only encouraged him to make the spasms seem worse. Now to start the moaning.

He could feel the panic building in his sister. He started to feel guilty...after all she was only thirteen years old...a good five years younger than him. But he'd taken the act this far, he had to see it through. After all, it was for her own good.

And then, it happened. "Josh, please be alright! Jesus, please don't kill him too!!!" She screamed out through a fit of tears.

Joshua couldn't take it anymore. He stopped the act and sat up, which only strengthened the outburst caused by his sister. He put his hands over hers, apologizing. "I'm so sorry Kallai. I'm so sorry, I was just trying to get you to talk...I wasn't thinking. I'm alright, really I am. But please don't blame Jesus for killing people, he doesn't do that."

As it dawned on Kallai what Joshua had done...she stormed out of the house...tears still streaming down her face.

Joshua just bowed his head in shame, and started praying for forgiveness.

Three hours passed before Kallai came back in the house. Joshua looked for signs of anger or hardness, but instead she came right up to him and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you, but I didn't want to lie. And you were wrong earlier, Jesus does kill people." As she finished speaking she looked down at the floor.

Determined to get to the bottom of his sister's fears and misunderstandings, Joshua spoke up, "I'm glad you don't want to be a liar Kallai, but not speaking to anyone isn't the way to do that. And papa says that Jesus is the Messiah, and a healer that loves people...not one that kills them. Please tell me who is lying to you about him."

Getting very frustrated, Kallai raised her voice, "NOBODY LIED TO ME! I SAW IT HAPPEN, ASK PAPA!!!" She was shaking with fear from the words that she spoke...as if she was about to be killed for saying it. Joshua was quite disturbed now, but decided to leave his sister alone for awhile. He'd wait for their father to get to home from the market. Papa would be able to explain everything to him. So he went outside to watch the roads...hoping that his dad wouldn't take too long.

It was almost dark when Ezra got home, but not so dark that he didn't see Joshua running out to meet him. As he lowered his bags to embrace his son he felt that something was amiss. Sighing inwardly, fearing the worst, Ezra asked his son, "What's on your mind my son?"

Without skipping a beat, Joshua replied, "Remember how we haven't been able to get Kallai to talk...I got her to do it today...but all she said is that Jesus kills people. Then she said to ask you about it. I think she's going crazy!"

Ezra stood petrified in his place. He now knew exactly what had been bothering Kallai...it was the same thing that he'd been struggling with for a week himself. How stupid could he be to not realize that's what was wrong with Kallai?

"Son, I didn't tell you that much about our visit with Peter and the apostles at Solomon's Colonnade did I?"

"No father, just that there was no doubt in your mind that the apostles were truly who they claimed to be, and that the words they spoke were true as well." Said Joshua.

"There's something I left out because I needed time to understand it. But, in my foolishness and fear, I completely forgot that Kallai had witnessed the event as well."


He could recall the entire scene as if it was a part of the scriptures. Who knew, perhaps one day one of the apostles or scribes would record it for the church....


While the believers had been in a time of fellowship, a man entered named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”

As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some of the young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”

“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”

And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”

Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.




After retelling the story to Joshua, Ezra fell silent. He knew that even now Joshua must be struggling with what had been bothering him. If God would kill those with lying hearts, even those that seemed in other ways to be faithful...then why hadn't he been killed where he stood as well? He waited until Joshua finally walked back inside of the house, then Ezra decided to take it up to the Lord in prayer.



"You know why I'm scared Lord. I can't remember the last time I made it through a day without telling some sort of lie or another. I can't even remember when it started. The worst part is I had some part of myself convinced that is wasn't truly wrong...after all, I would use it to make what you've done in my life seem even more incredible. I would use my skill with words to prevent fights, to protect secrets, to try to make things better. However, as time has gone on I find that each lie built on the next lie. Sometimes I feel that all I know how to do is to lie. And yet, how can I serve you...the creator of Truth, even if my heart is passionate and loving...if I let the Father of lies lead me astray? Why Ananias and Sapphira? I'm far worse than they were. I haven't even offered you land or money...I honestly just don't understand anything that happened...what if I wer...."

Ezra

Ezra could hear the inner voice of Truth calling out to him.

"I'm here Lord."

"I'm not the Lord Ezra, but I do serve Him...." Said Peter chuckling.

Ezra turned quickly at the sound of Peter's voice. Sure enough, the apostle was walking down the path towards him. Already within speaking distance.

"Brother Peter! It's truly a pleasure to see you, but what are you doing here? And into the evening at that?

You know why he's here Ezra.

Ezra tried to shake the voice from his head. He knew that if Peter realized what kind of man he was...that he too, just like Ananias and Sapphira, would fall to the ground...dead.

"Christ sent me to you my brother. He came to me last night in a vision and told me that I was to ask you to repeat your question. That's all I know. That's all I needed to know."

Sweat poured down Ezra's brow. His first instinct had been to lie, again. To simply explain that he had no idea what Peter was talking about. Or perhaps ask a completely different question, yes that wou..."

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.

Realizing that He couldn't escape God's calling, Ezra closed his eyes, knowing that this was the end, and poured out his fears, confessions, and his inner heart to the apostle.

When Ezra finished he opened his eyes and looked at Peter. "This is it. Is this what Ananias felt?" He thought.

However, Peter, instead of pronouncing his death sentence, simply gazed at him with what appeared to be a look of complete understanding and compassion. Then he spoke as only one with true authority could speak.

"The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought of as eminent disciples, when they were not true disciples at all. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may forego their worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. They were covetous of the wealth of the world, and distrustful of God and his providence. They thought they might serve both God and their sinful desires.

They thought to deceive the apostles of Christ. And regardless of what Satan might have suggested, he could not have filled the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira with this wickedness had they not also been consenting. Their falsehood was an attempt to deceive the Spirit of truth, who so manifestly spoke and acted through us, His apostles. The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavoring to impose upon us with an awful lie, from a desire to make a vain show, joined with covetousness. But when we think we can cheat God, we end up fatally cheating our own souls instead.

It saddens me to see those whose relationship should lead one another to that which is good, hardening one another in that which is evil!

And this punishment which was an act of judgment upon the two of them...it appears to also have been an act of mercy to many others, including yourself. You've shared how this, God's act, caused you to start strictly examining yourself. You've been honest in prayer, and you've started to dread your own hypocrisy, covetousness, and vain-glory. Admittedly, right now some of those wise decisions are based on your fear of the Lord, which is wise. But I hope one day that those decisions will come from your love of Him, not from a fear of death. Who knows? Perhaps God will use his judgment to remind many others of this same truth for many years to come....

Perhaps God's act of judgment, which He has every right to make, may even help to prevent the increase of false teachers. Christ is calling us to learn how hateful falsehood is to the God of truth, and not only shun a direct lie, but all advantages from the use of doubtful expressions, and double meaning in our speech. So you see, you do deserve death...as we all have and do. But just as God showed his justice upon Ananias, Sapphira and even upon His own son, our Lord, Jesus...He has chosen to show His Mercy upon you and me. You don't have to live a slave to your sin any longer! You've been made new brother Ezra. You've been forgiven."


Ezra started to understand, but felt that there was still something that he needed to get out in the open...a thought, a question, that still plagued him. Deciding that he'd already gotten this far, he spoke again, "Please don't misunderstand me brother Peter, you've helped me to understand something that was weighing heavily upon me. However I must ask, why didn't God show both of them that Mercy as well?"

Peter shook his head. "It's not for us to know why God does what He does Ezra. But I will say this: We don't know what lifestyle Ananias and Sapphira were living, how many chances God gave to them, whether or not they would ever have learned from their mistakes, or even what lead them to do what they did in the first place. What we do know is that God is just and God is merciful. Don't question His decisions. When you feel like doing that remember what Job learned in that same process. That's all we need to know. Trust Him, Live for Him, Die for Him. But above all, learn to love Him with all that you are."

Ezra started to feel at peace. Peter had known exactly what he had needed to hear. Or perhaps it wasn't Peter that had known....

He looked towards the heavens for a few minutes silently asking God, asked Christ, why he was being given this chance after all of the mistakes he'd made. Regardless, he was truly grateful and found himself thanking God with a sincere and repentant heart. And as he turned to thank the apostle, Peter, for coming to share with him, he realized that Peter was nowhere to be seen...leaving just as suddenly as he'd arrived. How could he explain this to his two children now, how could he make them understand? Then he heard the inner voice again.

My ways are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts.

For I so loved the world that I gave My one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

He'd been given another chance. This time he'd get it right. "I think I get it Lord, you can use me despite myself...not because of myself. Praise be to you Lord, praise be to Jesus!"

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.