Now 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, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." – Acts 8:9-10What was it like to be Simon? He was a famous magician, the celebrity in Samaria. It is interesting – when I try to think of a modern day equivalent, I come up with people like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Our culture views them highly – not as a divine power, but as exceptional producers, directors, makers of magic on the screen. They too have amazed all the people with their magic. They too enchant the rich and poor, the high and low – in Greek, the micros and the megas.
They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But 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. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. – Acts 8:11-13
But Simon, like Spielberg and Lucas, and like a famous wizard of a land called Oz, was a “humbug” magician. Their power, compared to the real power of God, is quickly seen as vastly inferior. None of Lucas’ and Spielberg’s miracles are real. We don’t really know how it was that Simon was able to entrance the people of Samaria, but these verses make it clear that whatever Simon was doing was small potatoes compared to what Philip was doing. It is interesting that the same Greek word for word “amazed” is used in verse 9 to say that the people were amazed by Simon’s magic, in verse 11 to say that the people had been amazed by Simon for a long time, but now in verse 13, that Simon himself was amazed, by the vastly superior signs and miracles done by Philip.
It says that when the people heard Philip’s message and saw his signs – miraculous evidences to the truth of his message provided by God – they were baptized. They, at least on some level, were responding to his message. And among them was none other than Simon himself! It says Simon “believed and was baptized.” What exactly did Simon believe? It’s not clear from this passage alone, but later verses will give us a good idea.
No doubt Simon, when confronted with what Philip was doing, realized that Philip had a power far greater than his. It was good that Philip realized this, but there was more for him to realize, and later verses imply that he missed something vastly more important.
Have you ever tried to point something out to an infant? You can use your hand to point to something, say a rainbow, but will the child look at the rainbow? No. She will look at your finger. There is evidence here that Simon missed the rainbow, and looked at the finger.
This can happen any time that anything other than the gospel is used to try to draw people to Christ. This is not necessarily bad – there was nothing wrong with Philip’s miracles. And there is nothing wrong with us using Christian movies, or music concerts, or anything else to draw people. And when God gives us sweet, wonderful fellowship with one another and others see it, and realize the emptiness their lives, and want that fellowship, this doesn’t mean that there was something wrong with the fellowship.
With the two student groups visiting us this past month, I was reminded of the unique kind of fellowship one can have in a student group. You are with one another all the time. Your schedule is so much more flexible than it is later in “real life.” You can meet neat, dynamic people that you just want to be with. You may find people treating you as “cool” when you have never experienced that before. If you are a guy, you may find yourself becoming attracted to one of the girls in the group, or if you are a girl, to one of the guys. These things are not bad. But they are not Christ. It is another example of looking at the finger instead of the rainbow.
You cannot see a rainbow on a cloudless day. There needs to be rain, clouds, some degree of darkness. There is also sun, but it shines through the darkness. We cannot see Christ until we see the darkness in ourselves. We need to understand our sinfulness, its depths, the punishment it rightly deserves, and its total incompatibility with God and with heaven. We need to see our absolute inability to do anything about it. Then we can see the rainbow.
The problem with Simon, and with so many students on campus, and indeed with so many people in this world, is that they look for "fingers." And it doesn’t help that there are those who call themselves Christian, on TV and elsewhere, who teach about fingers instead of the rainbow. Topics like “the power of positive thinking” are almost obliterating any view of the rainbow. With a finger as special as this, who needs a rainbow?
Rainbows are always far off. Despite all the legends and stories about leprechauns, you cannot walk to the end of a rainbow. If there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, you will never get it. Rainbows look like they kind of aren’t there. And they kind of aren’t. Our view of a rainbow is misty, hazy. And the image of a man crucified on a cross, dying, saying, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” doesn’t seem to relate to us. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” is not something we would be likely to say if we first saw Him. I think we would be more like, “Is that Him?” “Are you sure?” Isaiah 53:2 says “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him.”
Sometimes people have all the appearances of following Christ – they are well “churched.” They know how to talk “the talk.” They go to church. You can hang out with them for a long time before you ever figure out (if ever) that like Simon they “follow” but they are not followers of Christ.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed 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. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. – Acts 8:14-17
View this through Simon’s eyes. Simon saw other Samaritans now with the power that Philip had. And he, Philip, still didn’t have it. Why couldn’t he have it as well? “Hey, I’m a rich celebrity,” he may have thought. “I’ll even pay you for your trouble.”
Now before we go on, I want to focus on some of the implications of this passage. This passage makes some people uncomfortable. Does it teach, as some entire denominations teach, that there is a second baptism, a baptism of the Holy Spirit, separate from salvation? Well, I think it depends on what you mean by a second baptism, a baptism of the Holy Spirit. If you mean that they didn’t have the Holy Spirit at all prior to this point but were true believers, saved by faith in Jesus, you run up against Romans 8.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. – Romans 8:5-9
If these Samaritans were true believers, and I think the passage implies that they were, then they already had the Spirit living in them.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. – Eph. 1:13-14
We were sealed with the Spirit at the point of salvation, the point of becoming believers.
So what happened here? Does it indeed mean that we all will have a second “baptism” in which we will experience manifestations of the Spirit’s power from then on? I don’t think this passage implies this either, because this runs afoul of Ephesians 5.
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Eph. 5:15-20
The Greek tense here is literally “keep on being filled with the Spirit.” So we need to keep on seeking to be Spirit-filled. It is not “once filled, always filled.”
So what I think was happening here was that God purposely waited to have these Samaritan believers “explode” with the Spirit’s power until John and Peter came. Why would God do this? Here are my thoughts on this.
Recall that the Samaritans were “quasi” Jews. The Jews in Jerusalem didn’t like them at all, and even avoided their cities. It follows that the Samaritans didn’t think much of the Jerusalem Jews either. Having the outward manifestations of the Spirit wait until John and Peter laid hands on them united these two groups in Christ. Don’t underestimate how powerful, even how shocking this is. Imagine the leaders of Israel and Iran singing songs of praise to God together, both redeemed by Christ, and you get an idea of the shock. It was important for the Samaritans to see they were part of the same body of Christ as the Jerusalem believers. And it was equally important for the Jerusalem church to see that the Samaritan believers were part of the same body of Christ as they were.
I think that when one tries to use this passage to argue that it is normative for all believers to have a second baptism, a baptism of the Spirit that is achieved through the laying of hands, it is a misapplication of this verse. This verse is not a “how to.” It is a part of the chronicle of the history of the early church. If you look in the New Testament letters for normative instructions about how to be have someone pray for you so that you can be filled with the Spirit, you won’t find it. And it is not even consistent with what we have already read in Acts. There were multiple occasions where people prayed and then the Spirit “came down,” involving the same believers. Look at Acts 2 and Acts 4.
This does not mean we should not ask God to fill and refill us with the power of the Holy Spirit. And it does not mean we should not lay hands on one another as a part of this prayer. We can and should do these things. And we do do these things.
We should not worry about whether we have the Holy Spirit, but we should continue to pray to be filled with the Spirit.
Continuing on with the passage:
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." – Acts 8:18-19
And so we see that is exactly what Simon did. Actually it doesn’t come out and say that he wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit himself, necessarily. What it does say is that he wanted to be able to lay hands on others so that they would have the Spirit. And he offered them money. He may have thought this was only fair, since he probably planned to be making money on this himself. For the right fee, he would pass on the Spirit to anyone who would pay the price.
How offensive was the offer of money? It is not offensive to offer money when you want information or special attention at a hotel. According to all the cop TV shows, it is not offensive to offer informants money. Is this really such a big deal? Let’s find out.
Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."- Acts 8:20-23
Yes, it is a big deal. The money, though, is not the greatest problem. It reveals the greatest problem – his heart is not right before God. Literally, his heart is not straight – it is crooked.
How does the money offer reveal this problem? It shows that he doesn’t understand anything. Apparently he thinks that the apostles and Philip are just greater magicians than he is. Somehow he has entirely missed looking out the window at the rainbow. He is impressed with fingers.
Part of me thinks Peter’s reply is a bit harsh, but Peter no doubt is spirit-filled when he says this. It reminds me of the debacle of Ananias and Saphira. Peter says that his heart is wicked, that he is full of bitterness, and that he is still a slave to sin. In other words, he doesn’t sound saved at all. Salvation does not come without seeing the “rainbow.”
I can see an echo of themes related again and again in the Bible. The idea of purchasing power from God, or righteousness, or forgiveness of sins, is abhorrent to God because it completely defames God’s name. Forgiveness is a gift to us, unspeakably costly to Him. It is proof of God’s love and goodness. If forgiveness can be purchased, it means God is “in it for the money,” like a businessman who thinks everything has a price, and this is blaspheming God’s character.
Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." – Acts 8:24
Here you see yet more proof that Simon really has no relationship to God himself. Rather than praying to God himself, he asks Peter to do it for him. He is most likely not a Christian. There is significant early church writing (Justin Martyr, Irenaeous, Jerome) that states that he eventually become a heretic.
So even though Simon “believed,” (vs. 13), he did not become a believer. There are other examples of this.
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs He was doing and believed in His name. But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man. – John 2:23-25
Here we have people who “believe” in something about Jesus, but Jesus would not entrust Himself to them.
While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." – Luke 8:4-8
Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. – Luke 8:13
Notice that they receive the word with joy at first. But at the time of testing they fall away. It seems that Simon fits into this category.
Belief without repentance is a false faith, a faith that does not save.
In Acts 8:23, Peter tells Simon he is full of bitterness. James talks about bitterness as well.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. – James 3:13-18
Bitter envy and selfish ambition. This describes Simon pretty well. Simon was no longer the town celebrity. He was now taking second place – his followers had left him for Jesus. And when the apostles started laying hands on people and the Holy Spirit fell on those who were being prayed for, the outward manifestation (we aren’t told what this was, but it may have been speaking in tongues, or prophesying, or praising God, or speaking the words of God boldly) impressed Simon immensely. And it reminded him of his own inability to do things like this. This made Simon bitter. He wanted to be the celebrity, looked up to by all the people again. He was consumed with “bitter envy and selfish ambition.”
The James passage says this is of the devil. And it is. More than anything else, this is the heart of Satan’s sin against the Lord. Satan too was powerful, looked up to, in heaven. He too harbored “bitter envy and selfish ambition.” He apparently did not like God’s plan to make Jesus the servant of all by coming to earth as a mere human and laying down his very life for the sheep. That is not something an ambitious person does.
And it has been Satan’s main tool. Bitter envy and selfish ambition were at the heart of his temptation to Adam and Eve. “Come on, don’t you want to be like God? Do you want to settle for not knowing all there is to know? To learn about good and evil? Don’t settle for this. Eat the fruit!”
Simon was the poster boy for bitter envy and selfish ambition. Watching God at work saving lives for eternity, he was mostly just thinking about himself, his popularity, and his “career.” He saw nothing wrong with bribing the apostles so that they would help him to have their power. In fact, we have a word in the English language based on this passage: simony. It means the buying or selling of ecclesiastical pardons or offices.
Bitter envy and selfish ambition are some of Satan’s favorite temptations. I encourage you to search your heart and see if you are allowing Satan to affect your thoughts in this way. If so, repent of it and ask God to protect you from these thoughts.
Bitter envy and selfish ambition are incompatible with the Christian life.
Here is the final verse from today's passage:
When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages. – Acts 8:25
This experience made Peter and John "on fire" for spreading the gospel throughout Samaria. The unity of the Spirit was having a spectacular effect. May it have a similar effect on us!
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