A juicy steak. A bag of potato chips. Chocolate candy bars. A jar of peanut butter.

After eating nothing but fruit for a few months, the mere mention of such foods would make most Americans salivate. On the TV show Lost, the survivors have to make do for months with a steady diet of fruit and water.

Hurley’s secret

One survivor, however, doesn’t seem to lose any weight. Hurley, the one in charge of the camp’s food, doesn’t seem to lose a pound. His secret is finally revealed. Hurley had discovered a large stockpile of food. While he gave small portions to the camp, he kept the giant portion for himself, safely hidden in the jungle.

Tormented by the guilt of keeping this secret from his new friends, Hurley eventually confesses his secret. He then provides the camp with the best and happiest feast they’ve enjoyed in a long, long time.

Ananias & Sapphira’s secret

The Bible tells us about a man and his wife in the early Christian church who kept an awful secret from the disciples (Acts 4:32–5:11). Ananias and Sapphira had been blessed with land—a very valuable commodity in short supply for followers of the Way. The early Christians were able to survive because people shared possessions with one another.

Ananias and Sapphira shared some of their possessions with the disciples. Like Hurley, however, they kept a portion for themselves while leading everyone to believe that they had shared everything they had.

Their secret greed controlled them to the point that they lied to God in front of Peter. No confession came from Ananias and Sapphira when Peter gave them every opportunity to do so. Their secret greed not only controlled them but also condemned them forever.

Joseph’s secret

Secret greed competes with faith for control of our hearts. Hurley overcame his secret greed by confessing his secret to his friends. Just before we learn about Ananias and Sapphira’s greed, we learn of Joseph from Cyprus who overcame his greed and became known for his generosity. “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36).

Joseph’s heart wasn’t controlled by secret greed. It was controlled by grace to give a generous gift to his fellow believers. The verse preceding our introduction to Joseph reveals the cause of his generosity: “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all” (v. 33).