Monday 3, August 2026

Have you ever read the epitaphs inscribed on gravestones or in churches? Some are truly interesting. Here in Geneva, one famous epitaph honours a prostitute, recognising her contributions to Swiss society. I kid you not. The information about her was accurate, and left me thinking about my own epitaph. For our life writes the true epitaph, whether or not folks choose to use it. Now that we’re thinking of epitaphs, can you imagine what would be said of Ananias and Sapphira? Something to reflect on as we consider Today’s Holy Nougat.

Have you ever read the epitaphs inscribed on gravestones or in churches? Some are truly interesting. Here in Geneva, one famous epitaph honours a prostitute, recognising her contributions to Swiss society. I kid you not. The information about her was accurate, and left me thinking about my own epitaph. For our life writes the true epitaph, whether or not folks choose to use it. Now that we’re thinking of epitaphs, can you imagine what would be said of Ananias and Sapphira? Something to reflect on as we consider Today’s Holy Nougat.

Acts 5:10 CEVDCI

[10] At once she fell at Peter’s feet and died. When the young men came back in, they found Sapphira lying there dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

The Epitaph

An epitaph offers an abbreviated summary of a loved one’s life. In Roman times, tombstone epitaphs included details of civic and military service, family/social connections, and tributes. On the other hand, Greek epitaphs were renowned for their brevity. Throughout history, the content of epitaphs has included warnings, praise, important aspects of a person’s contribution to humanity, or simply a notation of their relationship with the bereaved. Some included curses and warnings for potential grave robbers, providing insights on social issues in the time of the deceased. Others have been written to mock or discredit the deceased, such as that placed above Y’shua’s cross … ‘King of the Jews’.

Point to Ponder

Would you write your own epitaph, like Shakespeare and Thomas Jefferson did? If so, what would you inscribe?

Digging Deeper

We recall that the Jews were not happy with the INRI inscription placed above the cross by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iodaeorum. They were not prepared to recognise Him as their king or Messiah. Yet, in the most profound sense, that was His identity.

Operatively, we have not seen/read an actual epitaph about Ananias and Sapphira. But Luke’s inclusion of their story carries its own warning that could be seen as an epitaph. What would their epitaph say, I wonder?

‘Here lie the bodies of Ananias and Sapphira. United in dishonesty, United in death’. Or perhaps

‘A word to the wise is sufficient. They died because they lied to God’

‘Ananias and Sapphira. Gained the world, but lost their souls’.

‘Ananias and Sapphira. Misguided faith. Unwavering love’.

Maybe you have another to suggest. Whatever the epitaph we would write for those two, may we be reminded that ours is being written by our lifestyle. Thankfully, these days, most epitaphs are standard and brief. Many of us might be embarrassed to think of what others would say.

Beyond the human epitaph, however, is the one that completes the entry in the Lamb’s Book of Life (see Revelation 13:8; 20:15; and 21:27). It is the entry that matters to believers. Although not an epitaph in the purest sense, that’s where the real record of our lives counts. For, as Y’shua notes in Matthew 25, that’s where sheep and goats, wheat and tares are sorted. It is our devotion to God that makes the decision, not connections or relationships to others. May it be that our names are there at the appointed time.

Self-Check

What would we need to do to ensure that the record of our epitaph is suited for the Lamb’s Book of Life?

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May all we seek be found in Christ