Commentary - Acts 8:4-25

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, Luke shows us the second phase of the Great Commission in action. Christ had told the disciples they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem has been well and truly witnessed to, and the resulting persecution now becomes the engine for the next stage. The devil, as is his custom, overplays his hand. By scattering the church, he succeeds only in scattering the seed of the gospel.

Philip, one of the seven deacons, goes to Samaria and we see a great harvest. This is a significant breakthrough, as the Samaritans were despised by the Jews. The gospel is shown to be more powerful than centuries of ethnic hostility. This true spiritual power is contrasted with the counterfeit power of a local magician, Simon. The narrative provides a classic case study in true versus false conversion, the nature of apostolic authority, and the unpardonable sin of thinking that the grace of God is a commodity to be bought and sold. The passage concludes with the apostles from Jerusalem, Peter and John, giving their official sanction to this new work, thereby ensuring the unity of the church across ethnic lines.

Outline

Commentary

Acts 8:4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word.

The "therefore" links us back to the great persecution that arose over Stephen. The saints in Jerusalem were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. But notice what they did. They did not flee in order to hide. They fled in order to preach. The persecution that was intended to silence the church became God's megaphone. This is a foundational principle of kingdom advancement. Our sovereign God uses the very opposition of His enemies to accomplish His purposes. The devil meant it for evil, but God meant it for the evangelization of Samaria. Every Christian who was scattered became a missionary. This was not a special task force; this was the ordinary church, displaced and on the move, doing what Christians do, which is talk about Jesus.

Acts 8:5-8 Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them. And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was doing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Philip, one of the men chosen to serve tables, shows us that serving the needs of the widows does not preclude a man from being a powerful evangelist. He goes to Samaria, a place a respectable Jew would normally avoid. And what does he preach? He preached Christ to them. The central message is always the person and work of the Lord Jesus. The response was remarkable. The crowds listened with "one accord," a phrase Luke uses to describe the unity of the Spirit. This attention was commanded not just by the words, but by the accompanying signs. The gospel is a message of power. Unclean spirits were cast out, and the paralyzed and lame were healed. This was a direct assault on the kingdom of darkness. The result of this gospel invasion was not somber reflection, but "great joy in that city." Where the king is proclaimed and His power demonstrated, joy is the inevitable result.

Acts 8:9-11 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astounding the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astounded them with his magic arts.

Before Philip arrived, Samaria had its own spiritual authority, a man named Simon. He was a sorcerer, a magician. He was not a mere illusionist; he was trafficking in demonic power. His entire platform was self-promotion, "claiming to be someone great." And the people were completely taken in. From the least to the greatest, they were under his spell, even giving him a blasphemous title: "the Great Power of God." When the truth is absent, a lie will fill the vacuum. Man is a worshiping creature, and if he is not worshiping the true God, he will worship a man who has mastered some dark arts. Simon's influence was built on long-term deception, on keeping the people "astounded."

Acts 8:12-13 But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly astounded.

Here is the great collision. The counterfeit power of Simon meets the true power of the gospel. The message of Philip was twofold: the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. This is the announcement of a new king and a new government. The name of Jesus is the authority by which this kingdom operates. When the people heard and believed this, they were baptized, publicly identifying with this new king. And then we have this fascinating and cautionary note: "Even Simon himself believed." On the surface, it looks like a great victory. The local sorcerer has converted. He is baptized and becomes part of Philip's entourage. But Luke gives us a clue as to the nature of Simon's "faith." He was constantly astounded as he "observed signs and great miracles." He was a connoisseur of power, and he had just witnessed a display that dwarfed his own. He was attracted to the power, not the person. His was a faith of astonishment, not of repentance and submission.

Acts 8:14-17 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

The church in Jerusalem maintained apostolic oversight. When they heard of the Samaritan revival, they sent their chief men, Peter and John, to inspect the work. What they found was genuine faith. The Samaritans had received the word and been baptized. However, in a unique moment in redemptive history, the gift of the Holy Spirit had been withheld. This was not because their conversion was deficient, but for a strategic, covenantal purpose. God wanted to ensure that the Samaritan believers were visibly and undeniably united to the mother church in Jerusalem. By having the Spirit bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, God prevented a "Samaritan denomination" from splitting off. It was a powerful, visible demonstration that there is one body, one Spirit, one Lord. This is a descriptive passage, not a prescriptive one. It describes what God did then to solve a particular problem, not what we should expect in every conversion now.

Acts 8:18-21 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit had been bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you supposed you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.”

Simon's true heart is now revealed. He sees the external manifestation of the Spirit's arrival, and his old instincts kick in. To him, this is a new and more potent form of magic. He wants to add this trick to his bag. So he offers them money. He wants to purchase the authority to dispense the Holy Spirit. This is the sin that would forever after bear his name: simony. He saw spiritual authority as a commodity. Peter's response is one of the most severe rebukes in the New Testament. "May your silver perish with you!" This is a curse. Peter is not wishing him a bad day; he is pronouncing ultimate judgment. The reason is foundational: "you supposed you could obtain the gift of God with money!" The gifts of God, chief among them the Holy Spirit, are of grace. They cannot be bought, earned, or manipulated. Peter then declares that Simon has "no part or portion" in this ministry. His heart is not right with God. His earlier "belief" was entirely superficial.

Acts 8:22-23 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray earnestly to the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of unrighteousness.”

Despite the severity of the rebuke, Peter still calls Simon to repent. True repentance is the only way back. He must repent of "this wickedness." And notice the gravity of it. Peter says to pray that "if possible" the intention of his heart might be forgiven. This is not to cast doubt on God's ability to forgive, but rather to impress upon Simon the heinous nature of his sin. He had come perilously close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Peter's final diagnosis is stark. Simon is "in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of unrighteousness." This is the state of a lost man. He is poisoned by bitterness and shackled by sin. Far from being a new believer, he is an unregenerate man who needs to be saved.

Acts 8:24 But Simon answered and said, “Pray earnestly to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Simon's response is the final proof of his unregenerate heart. He does not repent. He does not cry out for mercy for his wicked heart. Instead, he displays a superstitious fear of the consequences. "Pray for me," he says, "so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." He is afraid of the curse, not sorry for the sin that prompted it. He still sees Peter as a spiritual broker, a man with a connection to a higher power who can ward off evil for him. This is not repentance; it is a desperate attempt at self-preservation. It is the sorrow of the world that leads to death.

Acts 8:25 So, when they had solemnly bore witness and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

Having dealt with this internal threat, Peter and John completed their mission. They bore witness, they preached the word, and they confirmed the work. The incident with Simon did not derail the mission. On their way back to Jerusalem, they continued to evangelize, taking the gospel to many other Samaritan villages. The kingdom had come to Samaria, and it was there to stay. The power of the gospel is greater than the persecution of its enemies and greater than the corruption of its false friends.