“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 rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed 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.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
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.”
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 in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Then Simon answered, ‘Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.’“
Acts 8:9-24
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NOVEMBER 14, 2024
What a striking passage this is. I encourage you to scroll back up and reread it.
There’s a persuasive sorcerer holding sway over this city because people believe he is from God—primarily because he himself boasts and brags about being so great.
But now Philip is here (fleeing for his life), taking the time to proclaim the good news of the Messiah, and to heal the lame and sick. (I’ll be honest: those are probably not on my to-do list if I am helping my family run for their lives!)
Simon is impressed! He wants to be part of this too!
But even though the text says that Simon believed and was baptized here’s what Peter said when Simon asked to receive the Holy Spirit:
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 in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.
Friends, there’s an invitation for us in this passage, too. It seems that Simon genuinely believed and was baptized. But he had not fully repented, not fully turned from his lifestyle of using power, wealth, and ego-driven personality to lead the people towards his own gain.
For Peter, there was no “ends justify the means.” He did not consider that partnering with Simon would create more safety for them (recall that their lives were in danger) or even increase distribution of their gospel message.
No. In this wild, unprecedented moment of danger for the Jesus followers—and a mind-blowing time when even Samaritans and (as we shall soon see) Gentiles were being included in the family of God, it was more important than ever that no one with greatness-driven motives was given access to the sheep.
May we have ears to hear, and may we hear.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What do you notice in Simon’s story?
- In what ways does it ring true to our situations still today?
- How do we respond to people who believe the good news, yet continue to center or benefit themselves and not the kingdom of Jesus?
Church Reading Plan: Amos 3; Psalm 146-147