Acts 8:18–19

Something was passed on, and it was visible even to the eye of unconverted Simon. He could not see the inward communication of the Spirit of holiness, nor could Peter impart it. Simon had no wish to give sanctification to whomever he pleased. But he did want to hand on the gift of miracle, and he offered money to buy the power.

There was certainly something to be "seen." But that does not change the truth: the Spirit Himself was being given inwardly. It was not merely "gifts," still less only what men call the miraculous gifts of the Spirit… But why should God not give the Spirit this way if He pleased? It is for Him to judge His own best methods. At Pentecost God gave the Spirit without the laying on of hands. Now He was pleased to honour the apostles as the channel.

There had been religious rivalry between Jerusalem and Samaria… So the Samaritans received the Spirit only when Peter and John came down and laid hands on them. That formally tied the apostles and the church in Jerusalem to these new believers in Samaria. The oneness of the church was preserved.

When the Holy Spirit was given, the line was drawn between what was real and what was not. Not everyone baptized proves to be real, but the Spirit is only given to those who are. So at Samaria the baptized Simon was left without the Holy Spirit… He would never have said, "Give me also this power," if he already had it. Nor did he understand it, as his offer of money proves.

The sorcerer looked on in amazement, watching the apostles' power displayed in giving the Holy Spirit. He knew well how people regarded anyone who claimed supernatural powers. He knew, too, what profit he had made by dazzling the crowds with his sorceries. If only he could have the power Peter and John had shown, what money he would make! … The power to give the Spirit was what he wanted, not the blessing of receiving it. For that he did not care.

The unhappy man has given us a new word; but sadly, how many of those who call others guilty of "simony" have been openly guilty of the same sin themselves!

He betrayed his complete ignorance of God. God has revealed Himself as a giver, for it is more blessed to give than to receive. He has given His Son, and in Him eternal life to us. The Spirit too is His gift, resting on the work of Jesus. But of all this Simon knew nothing. It was power that had attracted him, and power was what he craved. He was after making himself great, not the glory of God.

As I see it, the Spirit of God here lays bare the source of Simon's faith: it was merely natural, unlike the faith of others. And so it is with all faith founded on "evidences," which the mind weighs and accepts on that basis. It may not be insincere at all. Those who believe this way may be the quickest to fight for their creed if needed. But there is no life, and no repentance, no link with Christ formed by the Holy Spirit through receiving the word.

This is the third recorded outbreak of evil inside the circle of those who had been baptized. First Ananias. Second, the complaint about the neglected widows. Third, Simon the sorcerer. In each case, notice, money was involved. In this third case we see Satan beginning to turn the pure faith of Christ into a money-making religion. In Samaria it was only a trickle, running through one man. It soon swelled into a flood.

It is a mistake to suppose that Simon wanted the gift for himself. He wished to buy the power of conferring the Holy Spirit upon others. It is very possible, however, that he may not have received the outward gift even for himself. He was certainly not sealed with the Holy Spirit, and that sealing, as we have seen, implies the new birth beforehand.

It must have been a great blow to Simon. He had once dominated the people of Samaria by his supernatural doings. Now he found a crowd holding a power that made his own dark acts look like nothing. They had the gift of the Holy Spirit, and he had been left out. He wanted to buy not only the Spirit for himself but also the power to pass Him on to others by the laying on of his hands. He no doubt felt that if such a power could be his, any money spent buying it would prove a very profitable investment.

Then we find Simon struck. What amazed him was not that one person had miraculous power, but that others received it when the apostles laid hands on them. At once, with the instinct of the flesh, he sees a good opportunity for himself. He judges other people's hearts by his own, and offers money as the way to get the power he wants. But this exposes the man. How often our words show where we are! How constantly, too, where we least think they do!

He betrayed his utter ignorance of God. God has revealed Himself as a giver, for it is more blessed to give than to receive. He has given His Son, and in Him eternal life to us. The Spirit too is His gift, founded on the work of Jesus. But of all this Simon knew nothing. It was power that had attracted him, and for power he craved. It was self-advancement he sought, not the divine glory.

Simon saw, in fact, a means of self-exaltation, and perhaps of gain as well. He certainly offered them money for it. What an insult to God! What is bought with money may naturally be sold for money. But this divine gift — was it to be a matter of trade among men?

But why should not God give the Spirit in this way if He pleased? It is for Him to judge His own best methods. God, who gave the Spirit at Pentecost without the laying on of hands, was pleased now to honour the apostles as the channel. It is a question of His wisdom as well as His sovereignty. For mere bishops to imitate the form without the power has no basis in truth, and is real presumption.

Baptism is an admirable sign where there is life and faith; without these, it is a most solemn aggravation of man's natural guilt and ruin. It is to perish with a Saviour in sight... But no heart visited by grace could have thought of offering money to get the power of giving the Holy Spirit. Simon stood self-convicted as a total stranger to God and His grace... Outward nearness to grace is of all things the most fatal to the man who is not subject to the truth of God.

This is the third time evil has risen up among those who had been baptised. First, Ananias. Second, the murmuring over the neglected widows. Third, Simon the sorcerer. In each case, notice, money was involved. In this third case we see the beginning of Satan's effort to turn the pure faith of Christ into a money-making religion. In Samaria it was only a trickling stream, flowing through one man. It soon grew into a flood.