PHILIP WENT DOWN to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Original Meaning
WITH ACTS 6 a new phase began in the history of the church as God prepared her to take the gospel to the whole world. Stephen’s ministry prepared the church theologically by freeing Christianity from the Jerusalem temple. His death and the persecution that followed propelled witnessing Christians out of Jerusalem. The present chapter contains two key steps in this direction—the conversion of Samaritans and of an Ethiopian. Chapter 9 records the conversion of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles; chapters 10–11 record the conversion of Gentiles in Caesarea and Antioch. Then in chapter 13 a full-blown Gentile mission begins with the commissioning of Paul and Barnabas. In chapter 15 a major theological breakthrough occurs as the church agrees that Gentiles do not need to become Jews first before they become Christians. In other words, each chapter records an exciting new phase in the program of fulfilling the Great Commission.
Samaritans Receive the Spirit (8:5–17)
AMONG THE SCATTERED witnesses from Jerusalem was Philip, who went to Samaria and “proclaimed the Christ there” (v. 5); we are not told which city. There is no unanimity among scholars about the origins of the Samaritans, but they seem to have been descendants of Jews of the northern kingdom who intermarried with foreign people. They were not regarded as Gentiles by the Jews, but as part of “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”1 Their religion was based on the Pentateuch, though their Pentateuch was different in a few places to the one we are familiar with. They were awaiting a future deliverer (taʾeb or restorer) in keeping with the promise of Deuteronomy 18:15–19 about the coming of a prophet like Moses (cf. the Samaritan woman in John 4, who referred to the hope of the coming Messiah, John 4:25). Philip seems to have built on this hope when he preached the Messiah there. It was a bold step he took since bad feelings existed between Jews and Samaritans.
We see here again how ministering in the miraculous opened the door for the hearing of the gospel. Verse 6 establishes a direct link between the miracles and the fact that the Samaritans “all paid close attention to what [Philip] said.” Signs served to enhance the preaching of the word as the more important element in evangelism.2 This verse contains one of thirteen occurrences of the word semeion in Acts, usually translated “miraculous signs.” This is a good word to use for miracles since it means “an event which is regarded as having some special meaning.”3
Philip “preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (v. 12). “Preached good news” translates the single word euangelizo. The two expressions “the kingdom of God” and “the name of Jesus” (or expressions similar to them) are used often in Acts4 as a summary of the gospel. “Great joy” resulted from Philip’s ministry (v. 8), though we are not told the exact reason for the joy. Was it the result of conversion or of so many people being healed? I am reminded of my trips to the north of Sri Lanka, where the security forces (consisting primarily of people of my race) are at war with rebels from the Tamil race who live there. I am supposedly in enemy territory, but for me and, I believe, for my Tamil brothers and sisters too, there is great joy. In a joyfully powerful way, ministry in “enemy territory” demonstrates the power of the gospel to break down human barriers.
Luke then introduces Simon the sorcerer, a man who performed great works through his magic and had a big following (vv. 9–11).5 He was amazed by what he saw in Philip’s ministry, and he too “believed and was baptized” (v. 13). As the story proceeds, however, it becomes apparent that his belief was superficial. This is one place in the Bible where the meaning of “believe” falls short of saving faith (cf. James 2:19–20). Not all who profess faith in Christ are true believers. Some are so attracted to something they see in the church, which does not come to the heart of the gospel, that they are blinded from truly understanding the gospel.
Peter and John are sent from Jerusalem to check out what has happened in Samaria (v. 14). It is a situation where a second generation leader is doing the work that Jesus and the apostles have been doing, and the role of the apostles shifts from initiation to verification.6 When the apostles arrive, they pray “for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus” (vv. 15–16). After their prayer, the Spirit descends on the Samaritans (v. 17).
We are not told how Peter and John knew that the Holy Spirit had come on the Samaritans. There must have been some external manifestation, such as speaking in tongues, that gave unmistakable evidence. This passage has been a storm center in Bible study for a long time. Is the pattern of a baptism with the Holy Spirit subsequent to conversion something always followed by God, or is this a special situation here? We will examine this shortly.
Regardless of what biblical theology we derive about the reception of the Holy Spirit, this section contains another important truth: It is providential that through the ministry of leaders from the Jerusalem church the Samaritans received the Spirit. It helped maintain the unity of the early church. Animosity toward Jerusalem among the Samaritans had deep historical roots. They were refused a share in rebuilding the Jerusalem temple (see Ezra 3:7–4:5), so they erected a rival temple on their hill, Gerizim. The Judean ruler John Hyrancus destroyed this temple and conquered Samaria in the second century B.C. When the Romans conquered Palestine in 63 B.C. they liberated Samaria from Judean control.7 The importance of this issue to Samaritans becomes clear in that the first thing the Samaritan woman talked about when she realized that Jesus was “a prophet” was the temple issue (John 4:19–20).
With such a background it was appropriate for the Jerusalem leaders to have a big part in blessing the new Samaritan Christians. It helped them begin their life as Christians with an attitude of warm love toward their traditional enemies. Perhaps somewhere in this process, they repented of their attitudes of animosity toward Jerusalem.8 For the Jerusalem Christians too, it was important that the authenticating sign of the conversion of the Samaritans took place when the apostles were there and through their mediation. Accepting Samaritans to their fold also involved some major attitude shifts on their part. Therefore, clear evidence that God was in these events was necessary.
Simon’s Misplaced Religion (8:18–24)
SIMON IS ATTRACTED by what happened through laying on of hands by the apostles (v. 18a). He is not interested in his own receiving the Spirit; what he wants was the ability to lay hands on people with similar results (v. 19). His offer of money for this ability (v. 18b) evokes a strong response from Peter (v. 20). Peter’s point is that this is a gift that God gives sovereignly; we human beings cannot manipulate him into giving us what we desire. That is what happens in Simon’s magic kingdom, not in God’s righteous kingdom.
Peter tells Simon that he has “no part or share in this ministry, because [his] heart is not right before God” (v. 21). The word translated “ministry” is logos and thus may mean gospel (lit., “word”). Peter is likely saying that Simon has no share “in the blessings of the gospel.”9 This and the verses that follow show that Peter views Simon as still being unregenerate.10 The important thing, says Peter, is to have one’s heart right before God. Without that there is no point of even talking about abilities.
After calling Simon to repent (v. 22), Peter explains his condition to him: “For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin” (v. 23). The word “bitterness” (lit., “gall of bitterness”) comes from Deuteronomy 29:18, where the influence of those who led the Israelites to follow other gods is described as a “root among you that produces such bitter poison.” Hebrews 12:15 warns, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Peter may be referring to the potential that Simon has of causing much damage to the church—which (according to tradition) is what happened. If so, Peter’s statement reflects his desire to rid the church of this evil influence. The Greek can also mean that Simon is filled with a bitter poison—the idea communicated by the NIV rendering.11
Simon is a good example of misplaced religion. He believed and was baptized, but it was obviously an inadequate belief. He sought God’s power without any apparent interest in developing a relationship with God. In verse 24 he gives Peter an inadequate reason to pray for him. He does not express a desire to be right with God; rather, he wants Peter to “pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me” (v. 24). That is, he wants freedom from punishment rather than the true freedom that God gives.
The Apostles Evangelize in Samaria (8:25)
THE STORY ENDS with Peter and John “preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages” on their return journey to Jerusalem (v. 25). The lead taken by the junior person Philip is followed by the senior leaders. It is heartening to see the same John, who had earlier asked Jesus whether to call down fire on some Samaritan villages (Luke 9:51–55), now preaching the gospel to them.
Bridging Contexts
SECOND-GENERATION LEADERS. UP to 6:6 the original apostles play the prominent role in Luke’s record of the life of the church. But at 6:7 the emphasis shifts to a second generation of leaders, like Stephen, Philip, and Paul. Chapter 9 describes the conversion of Paul, whose ministry dominates the rest of Acts. In fact from now on, except for the pioneering work by Peter in the home of Cornelius, these newer leaders are the standard-bearers of the advance of the kingdom. As we noted above, they become the initiators while the apostles become verifiers. In a beautiful sequence Peter and John follow the lead given by Philip and preach the gospel in many Samaritan cities (8:25).
We can detect a certain hesitancy to change among the older established leaders, which is natural. Thus, when there is an evangelistic harvest in Samaria by Philip, Peter and John are sent to check things out. Peter later resists the message to go to the home of Cornelius (10:9–23). When Paul tries to join the Christians in Jerusalem, he is accepted only after Barnabas intervenes before the apostles on his behalf (9:26–27). When the gospel is preached later in Antioch among Gentiles, the Jerusalem authorities send Barnabas to check out what has happened (11:19–24).
The good thing is that in each of these four instances of groundbreaking changes within the church, the apostles accept the changes after giving them due consideration. Our passion for obedience to God and his ways should make us careful about naively accepting every change that comes along without examining them. But it is our passion for obedience that also enables us to accept the changes even though we may sometimes be uncomfortable with them. In this way we not only encourage healthy change and growth in the church, we also help develop new and creative leadership. The abiding principle we learn from this is that good leaders are open to change that comes from younger creative people and, after giving it proper thought, encourage such change and even learn from it.
Knowing that the Holy Spirit has been received. What has been called the Samaritan Pentecost clearly involved the reception of the Spirit at some time subsequent to the Samaritans’ conversion (vv. 15–17). The question of whether this is a pattern for all Christians is an issue on which there is no unanimity in the church. We have grappled with this problem in the first study in this commentary (see 1:1–8); thus, we will not go through the points here again.
Let me summarize by saying that those who believe that the baptism with the Spirit is generally an experience subsequent to conversion see this passage as buttressing their view. Those who hold that the baptism with the Spirit takes place at conversion hold that this was a special circumstance because it was the Samaritans who were involved. Since they were not considered full Jews, unmistakable evidence of their acceptance into the messianic community was needed. Hence, they were given a recognizable, subjective experience when Peter and John placed their hands on them (v. 17), which confirmed to the Jewish Christians that Samaritans were also now included among the new people of God. In other words, the Samaritan Pentecost should not be considered normative as the way of receiving the baptism with the Spirit.
I am reluctant to come down one way or the other on this issue, since both views have sound arguments. But at least this passage shows that a felt experience of the Spirit (vv. 17–18) is common, if not the norm, for Christians. This is sometimes overlooked by those who hold that baptism with the Spirit is an initiatory fact that takes place at conversion. This may be a result of their overly rational approach to conversion and saving faith. There was tangible evidence that the Samaritans had indeed been saved. Paul says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:16). Some confine this entirely to witness through Scripture. But even the witness through Scripture has a subjective element that convinces readers that the passage speaks to them. We can say that the Bible presents, as a norm for Christian experience, the possibility of having some sound evidence and assurance that we have received the Spirit.
The importance of unity in the body of Christ. We noted above that the involvement of Peter and John with the Samaritans helped maintain the unity of the church. We do not have here a case of centralized control from the Jerusalem church. Centralized control is a phenomenon that does not seem to appear in Acts, though it was found in the later church through centers like Rome and Constantinople. The unity of the whole body of Christ is important to God. When the book of Ephesians waxes eloquent on the beauty of the unity of the body of Christ, it is talking about the church universal, not the local church situation. It is important that Christians affirm this unity rather than retain the fiercely independent spirit so common today.
Miraculous but wrong. Simon represents a person who had miraculous powers but was dangerously wrong in what he did. He must have done many things for people that appeared to have helped them temporarily. This is why he had such a big following. The Bible predicts that this phenomenon of wonder-working false messiahs will become more and more prominent as the end draws near (Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9). This section of Acts therefore warns us that the presence of wonder-working power does not mean that the power wielded is God’s power. Peter is forthright in his denunciation of Simon, though subsequent history does not seem to indicate that he ever repented of his sins and came to God.
Money and power. Peter’s strong response to Simon’s attempt to buy power with money should make us sit up and take note, for it is a serious issue. This can be a dangerous trap both for Christian ministers and for persons who come to them with requests. Thus, it must be dealt with forcefully. (1) It is dangerous for the minister because all of us are vulnerable to temptation in the area of money.12 After Elisha refused to take a gift from Namaan, his servant Gehazi tried to exploit Namaan’s gratitude in order to make some money. Elisha pronounced a judgment on him that resulted in his getting the same leprous condition Namaan had (2 Kings 5:15–27).
(2) The practice of giving gifts for divine favors is dangerous to the givers because it can detract them from the most important thing in life—to have their hearts right before God (v. 21). The word “simony” has entered the English language through this incident; it refers “to the attempt to secure ecclesiastical office or privilege through monetary means.”13 When money and power combine, there are many pitfalls that can cause great damage in the lives of individuals and in the church as a whole.
Contemporary Significance
ENCOURAGING SECOND-GENERATION LEADERS. The example of Peter and John in not only accepting but also learning from and following the lead given by Philip is a challenge to all leaders today. There is a lot of talk today about passing the baton to a new generation of leaders. Pioneer leaders are sometimes reluctant to do this. Actually, passing the baton is not something that happens when a leader comes close to retirement age. It is the result of an attitude that is cultivated early in one’s leadership—the willingness to learn, especially from younger creative people.
After giving new ideas and trailblazing efforts due consideration, those that are valid should not only be approved but also encouraged. Sometimes we as older leaders ignore or delay looking at new efforts. We may be busy with existing programs, we find the new effort too different from what we are used to, or we feel threatened by the drive of the young initiators. The result is that creative leaders lose their motivation, become angry rebels, or just leave.
True, we should not naively accept every new idea that comes along. Examining a new work, as Peter and John do in this story, is important. This ensures that errors are avoided and helps bring the benefit of mature wisdom to the young person’s plan. Such analysis also can become a source of encouragement to the young person. If we simply hand over responsibility to younger leaders and do not offer our assistance, they may soon be discouraged for they will face problems along the way that could have been eased by the input of mature people.
Many groups flounder after their first-generation leadership ages because they have not cultivated creative younger leadership. They have depended so much on the pioneer leaders and their creative energies that they have not prepared for the next stage of the movement. Younger leaders should do their pioneering while benefiting from the wisdom and encouragement of the older leaders. In the early church the pioneer leaders regarded innovative advances from a new generation of leaders as important. Therefore, not only did they encourage them, they also learned from them and followed the lead they gave.
Knowing that we have received the Holy Spirit. We said that some want to confine the “witness of the Spirit” regarding our salvation entirely to the work of the Spirit in and through Scripture. The primacy of Scripture is a needed emphasis especially because there has been so much abuse of the experiential aspects of the Christian life. People have used certain experiences as a norm and insisted that those who have not had such experiences are either not saved or are missing out on a basic aspect of Christianity. We must not insist on experiences that the Bible does not insist on. Moreover, sometimes people have claimed that dubious experiences are genuine without looking for other biblical criteria for true conversion. The Bible is always the ground on which we stand. Every decision we make and attitude we have must be in harmony with Scripture.
Yet the Bible does speak of a warm spiritual experience of God as a norm for the Christian life. If we downplay the subjective aspects of Christian assurance, we become unbiblical. Unfortunately, this is what many biblical studies on the doctrine of assurance do. They focus on what the Bible describes as being steps to salvation and assure all who have followed those steps that they are saved. They leave out the biblical teaching of the evidence of salvation through experience. We need to recover biblical balance in our thinking regarding the evidential value of Christian experience.14
Fostering unity in the church universal. Unity of the body of Christ is important to God, and we should be looking at ways to foster this unity. While it is true that we live in a global village, there is much animosity between the peoples of different nations and groups—north verses south, rich versus poor, Western versus non-Western, American versus British, black versus white, Jew versus Arab, one ethnic group versus another ethnic group, hierarchical versus egalitarian; these are all divisions we face in the world, and they have entered into the life of the church as well. A person may aggravate the problem by denying that there is a problem, which sends a message to the other party that this person is insensitive to their feelings.
In such an environment we must constantly be aware that people have been hurt or have feelings of animosity acquired from their upbringing. Huge cultural differences do not solve the problem. We must be aware of these differences, especially if we are from a group that has been viewed as powerful (e.g., rich, white, educated, male, Western, or majority). One way in which unity can be encouraged is by missionary exchange. When the Samaritans were blessed by the Jerusalem leaders, they would have automatically felt good about the church in Jerusalem.
Missionary exchange works out of the belief that each group has something to contribute to the other. Peter and John obviously learned something new from their Samaritan visit, for they preached in Samaritan villages on their way back. We are all servants of one another. The model of the patronizing missionary should never have existed, and it certainly should not be tolerated today. In our study of the Antioch church, we will see how this unity is fostered by that church’s helping with the needs in the Jerusalem church (11:28–30).
Opposing false miracle workers. With the current interest in spirituality within and without the church, people like Simon, who had power to help people, will likely gain respect in society at large. It is easy for Christians to fall into the trap of following society here. Many people with dynamic and magnetic personalities attract those who are looking for stability and security in a confused world. William Willimon writes of how Christians all too often resort to “mushy affirmations of popular practices” with statements like, “Even though I disagree with some of Simon’s techniques, he does draw a lot of people and he does do a lot of good.”15 Most often we stay away from committing ourselves in public about these things.
But the danger of their influence is real. It is amazing to see the things that Christians will resort to when they are desperate. If they see no answer to an urgent prayer request, they may go to another “source” for help because many tell them that this source is good for that particular problem. Jesus said that even the elect will be deceived by miracle-working false christs (Matt. 24:24). Such people may not realize that in doing so, they are opening themselves to the terrible wrath of God. Consequently, we must expose these powers for who they are—surely an unpopular thing to do in this pluralistic age.
I once spoke to a “Christian” devotee of the popular guru Satya Sai Bäba, shortly after our Youth for Christ magazine had run an article exposing Sai Bäba. He told me that, given the many evidences of this man’s power, we may have done a foolish and risky thing by publishing this article. It would have been safer for us to remain silent rather than commit ourselves in this manner. Sri Lanka’s most famous painter testifies to the tranquillity and freedom from materialism and immorality that came to him as a result of an encounter with Sai Bäba. All this seems wholesome in our depraved society, and thus it attracts people looking for a moral alternative to the vice around us. This is all the more reason why we should guide people by telling what God thinks about these supposedly “holy people.”
Sensitive people often realize after a time that all is not as beautiful as it seems with the person to whom they are devoted. Some see him paying special attention to the rich, who reward him handsomely for his services. Some see actions of his that are not in keeping with his claims. This may begin a process that results in their liberation from the spell of the “holy person’s” hold over their lives.16
Traps relating to money and power. The influence of the methods of magic on people is so strong that they are willing to give substantial gifts to holy men and women who will pray for them. These gifts spoil the minister and are of no help to the giver; they must be resolutely rejected. By not rejecting such gifts many ministers today have compromised their ministries through opulent lifestyles. Moreover, there is the danger of viewing as more important those who have a lot of money and of neglecting the poor who, according to the Bible, should be objects of special concern. We may also soft-pedal our moral teaching to avoid embarrassing a donor.
Giving money can spoil the giver too. By giving big gifts, the rich may think they have fulfilled their religious obligations and can now live any way they want. I see this happening a lot today. People who live dishonest and immoral lives are often generous when it comes to giving to religious causes. They apparently think that they can compensate for their sin by giving gifts to religious activities. We would help them more by refusing their gifts and by using the opportunity instead to tell them what is most important in life.
It is sad that simony is taking place in the church today too—people using money to buy influence. I have heard of candidates for a bishopric who spend a significant amount of money on their campaigns. They give gifts to people and arrange holidays and sumptuous meals for them. Peter would strongly condemn all of this; as we noted above, verse 23 suggests that his strong words to Simon are aimed at ridding the church of his evil influence.
But we avoid acting like Peter because we are afraid of the consequences of opposing powerful people or of disturbing the peace of the church. Thus, we allow people who practice simony to be elected to office in the church. We also allow those whose hearts are not right with God to endow the church with their wealth without ever confronting them about their spiritual poverty. These are serious cancers that can bring speedy death to the church. May we pray earnestly over these abuses of money and power and rise up to pay the price of seeking to purify the church of them.