But a certain man, by name Simon, had been before in the city, using magic arts, and astonishing the nation of Samaria, saying that himself was some great one.
Acts 8 brings the gospel to Samaria, and there it meets a rival: a man who had held the city under his influence for a long time. Two questions follow — what power was Simon using, and what happens to it when the good news about Christ arrives?
The verse names Simon's trade before anything else. One writer sums up who he was and how he built his hold on the people.
Who was that sorcerer? His name was Simon, and people usually call him Magus. That title points to his profession — a magician or sorcerer. By his magical arts he had bewitched the people, and had established himself in their eyes as a marvel. He gave himself out for some great one.
He was not the only one. The New Testament names others who practiced the same arts.
In the New Testament, besides the slave girl who had a spirit of divination, we read of others. Simon used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria for a long time (Acts 8:9-11). Elymas the sorcerer, a Jew met in Cyprus, perverted the right ways of the Lord (Acts 13:6, 8). Sorcery ranks with the grossest of sins.
The wording is careful. He said he was somebody great, but he never said what made him great. The vagueness did his work for him.
He had dazzled them with wonder-working. He was content to drop a mysterious hint about its source: some greatness in himself beyond nature. That left their imaginations to go further than his cautious claim. For them he came to be "the power of God which is called great"; but before the true power of God all this collapsed.
Commentators do not treat Simon's hold as mere showmanship. They see him as an agent, and the city as ground the enemy already held.
The power over unclean spirits stands out here. In this and in other ways, Samaria appears to be largely under the power of the enemy, despite its professed worship of the true God. The truth had begun to work among them. That may well have stirred up special resistance from one who knew its power. Simon the sorcerer had been his special agent, sent to distract the Samaritans and turn their minds away from the truth.
Philip also worked wonders in that city. The difference between the two men lay in who they put forward.
To those captivated by Simon, Philip preached — not himself, however, but Christ. How different he must have appeared to them all from the sorcerer. Both did wonders. Simon exalted himself, and accepted the crowd's flattery. Philip preached Another, and enlisted the converts as disciples of Christ. He sank himself, his glory, his greatness, in the excellency of the One whom he preached.
A hold built over years came to an end. Commentators point to the message itself as the thing that broke it.
Simon's sorcery and falsehoods did great damage, leading on to his own blasphemous claims. We are told here that he misled everyone around him, small and great. What use are rank or education to guard from error? Yet all of it vanished like smoke before the light of the gospel. "The kingdom of God" and "the name of Jesus" wiped out the Samaritan's empty tricks and shameless frauds.
Philip came with the gospel of Christ, and that broke this man's spell. Nothing else can deliver people from slavery to Satan, whatever form that slavery takes.
Verse 13 says Simon believed and was baptized. Commentators read that response in the light of what impressed him.
Alas! it was the miracles and signs that struck him, not the word of God. Faith founded on miracles is worth very little. The Lord, when He was here, would not entrust Himself to such faith (John 2:23-25). Miracles may arrest and convince the mind. They may confirm faith where it already exists. But the word of God alone can lay bare the heart and conscience. This the unhappy Simon never knew.
- Claim — Simon's trade was sorcery. He hinted at some greatness in himself and let the crowd's imagination supply the rest.
- Capture — The hint worked on everyone, small and great; rank and education guarded no one from the error.
- Contrast — Philip did wonders too, but he preached Another. Simon exalted himself and took the applause.
- Collapse — Years of influence vanished like smoke before the light of the gospel. Nothing else sets people free from such bondage.
- Caution — The signs amazed Simon, but the word never searched him. Faith resting on miracles alone never reaches the conscience.
To whom they had all given heed, from small to great, saying, This is the power of God which is called great.
A whole city, from the lowest to the highest, had settled on one verdict about one man: he was God's power in person. The verse shows what a crowd will believe when a show of power comes without the truth of God.
The crowd's words are more than praise. One commentator points to a single word in them, and to what the oldest manuscripts say about it:
The oldest manuscripts keep the word "called"; the less reliable copies leave it out. The copyists probably did not see why it mattered and thought someone had simply added it. The word expresses the outrageous assumption of the impostor.
Behind the crowd's verdict lay a deliberate substitute for the truth:
The enemy seemed to be in possession like a flood. But the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him in the preaching of Philip, backed by the signs Philip did in front of their eyes. … Satan had sought to blot out the truth and set up a rival in sorcery. Sorcery is always ready to seduce, interest, and alarm those who do not know the true God. … The energy of the Spirit was at work in Samaria through a free herald of the gospel. This came after Jerusalem had refused the testimony with hatred to the point of death.
Nobody was exempt — not the educated, not the leading citizens. And one thing broke the whole system:
Simon's sorcery and falsehoods did great damage, and they led to his own blasphemous claims about himself. We are told here that he misled everyone around him, small and great. What use are rank or education in guarding a person from error? Yet it all vanished like smoke before the light of the gospel. "The kingdom of God" and "the name of Jesus" destroyed the empty trickery and shameless frauds of the Samaritan.
Why would a man work to gather a title like this? One writer names two motives, and the only thing that can break such a hold:
Self-exaltation and personal gain were his objects, as with every other misleader, ancient and modern. … Philip's coming with the gospel of Christ broke this man's spell. There is indeed nothing else that can deliver people from slavery to Satan, whatever form that slavery may take.
Set the crowd's great man beside the One Philip preached, and the contrast is total:
Pride and self-exaltation have always been the marks of man. So people have become easy prey for Satan, whose thoughts and desires have always been set against God and His Christ. What a contrast we see in the blessed Man whom Philip preached! … Here was a blessed Man whose ways were exactly opposite to those of every other man.
Loud claims to power should make a reader cautious. One writer holds the crowd's cry up as a mirror for today:
The Lord hates pretension to power in a day such as the present. The display of merely human power which we see on all sides is nothing like the power of the Spirit. Those who make loud claims that the power of God is with them resemble the crowds who followed Simon Magus, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great." They also resemble Laodicea, which says, "I am rich," not knowing that she is "wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."
- Claimed power. The crowd's title carried Simon's own outrageous assumption. The word "called" marks it as a claim, not a fact.
- Borrowed power. Satan set up sorcery as a rival to the truth. It seduces, interests and alarms people who do not know the true God.
- Unquestioned power. Simon misled everyone, small and great. Rank and education guard nobody from error.
- Broken power. The kingdom of God and the name of Jesus made the whole system vanish like smoke. Nothing but the gospel of Christ frees people from slavery to Satan.
- Counterfeit power. Self-exaltation was Simon's aim. It is the reverse of the Man Philip preached, whose ways were the opposite of every other man's. So loud talk about having God's power should make us cautious, not impressed.
And they gave heed to him, because that for a long time he had astonished them by his magic arts.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
But when they believed Philip announcing the glad tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women.
Philip preaches in a Samaritan city, and the people believe him and are baptized. That raises two questions: what did Philip preach, and why does Luke record who was baptized?
Philip matched his message to the people in front of him. The Samaritans already shared part of Israel's hope.
The Samaritans, though a foreign race, had for centuries taken Jewish ground. They had their temple on Mount Gerizim, and they had the Jewish Scriptures. They spoke of "our father Jacob." They took the Jewish hope as their own — the coming of the Messiah (John 4:12, 25). Philip therefore took them on their own ground, and announced the Christ to them.
A sorcerer named Simon had the city under his influence. Two things Philip preached broke his hold.
Simon's sorcery and lies did great damage, and they led to his own blasphemous claims. We are told here that he misled everyone around him, small and great. What use are rank or education to guard from error? All of it vanished like smoke before the light of the gospel. "The kingdom of God" and "the name of Jesus" wiped out the empty trickery and shameless frauds of the Samaritan.
One writer argued that believing "the name of Jesus Christ" is less than believing in Jesus Himself. That argument fails.
The same strange confusion runs through this writer's remarks on Acts 8:12: "What did they believe? The things concerning the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ. They were then baptized, and so brought into the kingdom and to the name of Jesus Christ. But whether they truly believed in Him is another thing." Did he not know that "the name" is used for the person? (John 1:12; 1 John 5:13.)
The words "kingdom of God" appear less often in Acts than readers expect. Philip's preaching in Samaria stands almost alone.
Philip preached the things concerning the kingdom of God in Samaria (Acts 8:12), as Paul did at Ephesus until everyone living in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:8)… Apart from Paul, in fact, the kingdom forms no part of the recorded testimony of anyone in Acts, except Philip at Samaria. This does not mean it was not established in the most real way. But the great subject of everyone's testimony, as they went from province to province and city to city, was Christ — His death, resurrection and ascension. The power of the Holy Spirit gave that testimony effect in souls and brought them to confess His name, and so the kingdom was formed and spread.
Philip did miracles. But the verse marks their believing as the turning point, and that order repeats.
When the Lord would start the work in Samaria, Philip went down and preached Christ to them (8:5). He worked miracles as well (6, 7). But we read, "when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women" (8:12). So at Damascus (9); at Antioch in Syria (11:19-24)… it is the word of God, and not the display of power, that first caught the attention of both Jews and Gentiles. And it converted those who listened to it.
Baptism followed faith, and it carried a public meaning.
Verses 12 and 16 show us that the baptized person professes an entrance into the kingdom of God. He also professes to take on himself the name of the Lord Jesus, as his new Master. This is just as Israel of old were baptized to Moses — see 1 Corinthians 10:2.
The words "both men and women" mark a change from the sign God gave Israel earlier.
Only the males among the Jews were circumcised; disciples, both men and women, were baptized (Acts 8:12).
The next verse adds Simon to the baptized. His case is the warning attached to this passage.
He was amazed when he saw the great miracles. But more than that, he also believed, was baptized, and then stayed with Philip. But his faith was not through the word of God. God's word alone can produce faith in man, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Simon was captivated by the miracles he had seen. Philip was deceived by him, but not Peter, who uncovered his wickedness.
- Word. What broke Simon's hold on Samaria was a message believed, not a greater display of power. The word converted them, not the wonders.
- Name. "The name of Jesus Christ" is not a lesser thing to believe than the Person. The name stands for Him.
- Kingdom. Philip's preaching of the kingdom of God is one of the few such records in Acts. Elsewhere the kingdom spread as people came to confess Christ's name.
- Baptism. Believing came first, then baptism. Baptism professes entry into the kingdom and taking the Lord Jesus as new Master. Unlike circumcision, it was given to women as well as men.
- Reality. The same baptism that marked real converts also covered Simon. His faith rested on miracles. Profession is one thing; a work of God in the heart is another.
And Simon also himself believed; and, having been baptised, continued constantly with Philip; and, beholding the signs and great works of power which took place, was astonished.
Simon had held all Samaria under his spell. Now he is the one amazed. He believes, Philip baptizes him, and he stays close. But what was that belief worth? Peter later tells this same man that his heart is not right before God.
Before this verse can be weighed, the scale of what happened in Samaria has to be seen. The preaching of Christ ended the sorcerer's career as the man everyone called great.
This man's spell was broken by the coming of Philip with the gospel of Christ. There is indeed nothing else that can deliver men from the grip of Satan, whatever form that grip may take.
Verse 12 and verse 13 do not use the same words, and the difference is not flattering to Simon. The men and women simply believed and were baptized; of Simon alone we read that he stayed near Philip and was amazed at what he saw.
This was what carried him away — not the love of God, not the truth of Christ, nor the grace of the gospel even to such a guilty, deceitful wretch as himself, but the astonishing power at work before his eyes… Others had their eyes drawn to the kingdom and its holy glories; others in spirit fell down and clasped the feet of their unseen Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, lost in wonder, love, and praise. Simon was in ecstasy as he watched the signs and great deeds of power… Not a word suggests self-judgment before God, not a word of any gracious work on his heart.
It was the miracles that had this influence over his spirit, not the seed of God, the divine word entering his heart. Believing because of miracles alone is not the faith that works by the Holy Spirit. God may indeed work miracles and signs to confirm His word. The end of John 2 shows that Jesus did not trust those who had believed in this way. When the Spirit of God works, He produces needs in the soul that Jesus alone can satisfy.
This kind of faith can be perfectly honest and still be empty.
It may not be in the least insincere, and those who believe this way may be the readiest to fight for their creed if it seems necessary. But there is no life, as there is no repentance, no link with Christ formed by the Holy Spirit through receiving the word.
Philip baptized Simon along with the rest of Samaria. So what can baptism do, and what can it not?
The gift of the Spirit, a few verses later, is what exposed the difference.
When the Holy Spirit was given, the line was drawn between what was real and what was not. Not all who are baptized prove to be real, but the Spirit is given only to those who are… Simon submitted to all this; nevertheless, when the test came, reality was not found in him.
Philip took Simon at his word.
Simon confessed the Lord, and Philip baptized him. I have no doubt Philip thought he had caught a great fish, and would have brought him into the assembly of believers. But the Lord had His eye on His assembly, on His dear servant, and on this daring sinner. So through Peter He brings out Simon's real state.
Simon Magus is like a buoy fixed by the hand of God over a sunken rock, to keep passing ships away from it. He is a solemn warning to all false professors. Learn this lesson: neither baptism nor making a profession of Christ can save you. He was baptized, he professed to follow Christ, and he sought entrance into God's assembly. He was clearly not saved then, and whether he ever was saved is doubtful. Nothing will do but real possession of Christ.
- Amazed, not changed — the signs held Simon; God's word never entered his heart.
- Evidence, not faith — believing because you saw a miracle is not the faith that works by the Holy Spirit.
- Sign without substance — baptism is an excellent sign where there is life and faith. Without them it only deepens guilt, with a Saviour in plain sight.
- The Spirit draws the line — not everyone baptized proves real. The gift of the Spirit exposed what Philip could not see.
- A buoy over a rock — Simon warns every passer-by: neither baptism nor profession saves. Only having Christ does.
And the apostles who were in Jerusalem, having heard that Samaria had received the word of God, sent to them Peter and John;
News of Philip's preaching in Samaria reaches Jerusalem. The apostles answer by sending two of their own to a place Jews avoided. Why did they get involved at all, and why these two men?
The report that reached Jerusalem was not about crowds. It was about a word received. One writer shows how striking that is, given the long history between the two peoples:
"Samaria had received the word of God" — I think that is a beautiful phrase. The Jews had been trying hard to make them receive the law, but it had been a complete failure. That was the reason why "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." What the law failed to do, the sovereign grace of God accomplished. The whole city received the word. "And there was great joy in that city." It was one of the triumphs of grace.
No one in Samaria asked for help. The apostles still acted, because these new believers belonged with them:
This shows that independence between congregations is as far as possible from the will of God. There was no holding aloof on the part of the leaders in Jerusalem, though we hear of no request for their intervention from the Samaritans. The apostles felt as members of the one body of Christ for the fresh objects of divine grace.
They could have reacted very differently. Philip's work looked irregular, and his converts still lacked something:
They did not give way to natural prejudice. They did not denounce Philip as irregular in what he was doing. They did not seize on the absence of the gift of the Spirit as a reason for discounting the whole work at Samaria, or even disowning it altogether. They bowed to the sovereign grace of God. From their own number they chose two who ranked among the very chief of the apostles — Peter and John.
The Samaritans had welcomed the word, yet they had not yet received the Spirit. One writer traces the delay to a danger God meant to head off:
Here, as it appears to me, is why divine wisdom led to this striking difference at Samaria. The need was to prevent that independence to which even Christians are so liable. Samaria was especially open to this evil, so it called for a much greater guard. How painful it must be to the Spirit of God if the old pride of Samaria were to rise up against Jerusalem! God would cut off the very appearance of this. His Spirit acted freely toward Samaria without the apostles, yet the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of their hands. That solemn act was not only an old sign of divine blessing, but of identification too.
The two men sent were the last pair anyone would expect to go:
The Spirit did not fall on them at once, as on the company in Caesarea in Acts 10:44. Instead the Samaritans waited for this blessing until Jerusalem spoke through Peter and John. God openly showed that the Church, whether planted in this city or in that, is one. … The choice of instruments, too, was remarkable. Peter was the conservative Jew, who had always judged it unlawful to visit or keep company with a man of another nation (Acts 10:28). John was the son of thunder, who once asked his Lord whether he should command fire to come down from heaven and consume the Samaritans.
The Samaritans were genuine believers before Peter and John arrived. Kelly insists on a distinction that the whole passage turns on:
God so ordered it that the Holy Spirit should not at first be given to the disciples at Samaria. I do not mean only to men like Simon, or to false believers, but even to those who were true. They could not have believed the gospel without the quickening work of the Holy Spirit. But we must distinguish between the Holy Spirit giving life and God giving the Holy Spirit Himself.
Kelly then warns readers not to make this a standing practice:
To a thoughtful believer it will be plain that the reasons for this do not hold at the present time. I say this only in case anyone concludes that men commissioned by God must now lay on hands to give such a spiritual blessing.
- Received — the word of God did in Samaria what the law never could. Grace won where legal pressure had failed.
- Responded — the apostles did not ignore the news or question Philip's odd methods. They sent two of their chief men.
- Restrained — God held back the Spirit. Old Samaritan pride was not to rise up against Jerusalem under a Christian name.
- Related — laying on hands meant identification. The two chosen were the strict Jew and the man who once wanted fire on Samaritan heads.
- Reserved — believing brought life by the Spirit; receiving the Spirit Himself came after. And the delay served that hour, not ours.
who, having come down, prayed for them that they might receive [the] Holy Spirit;
Philip had preached in a Samaritan city, and crowds believed and were baptized. Something was still missing, so Peter and John came down from Jerusalem — which raises two questions: what more could these believers receive, and why the wait?
The phrase does not describe becoming a believer. It describes a Person coming to live in someone.
Now, to receive the Holy Spirit is to be indwelt by Him (Rom. 8:9), and so such people are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit, and their bodies become His temples (1 Cor. 6:19). Does the term "receiving the Holy Spirit" mean simply divine power coming on people? Old Testament saints had known that, but of none of them do we read that they received the Holy Spirit. Was it a supply of spiritual gifts, such as tongues, miracles, and so on? Some who had received the Spirit could share in these, and at times did. But in truth it was far more. What they received was the Holy Spirit.
So the Samaritans could be real converts and still be waiting.
From such a fact we gather the clear distinction between the gift of the Holy Spirit and His working. It is that working which enables a soul to repent and to believe the gospel. There is no question that most of the Samaritan converts were real believers. Simon was not. Even so, the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them.
Luke is precise about the content of the prayer, and the wording repays attention.
How, then, were they to share in all the fullness of blessing, and the display of it, along with their brothers in Judea? They must receive the Holy Spirit before becoming instruments for the display of His power. The apostles therefore prayed, not that He should fall on them, but that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
Samaria and Jerusalem had a long history of religious rivalry. Commentators widely agree that this history explains the unusual delay.
With the Samaritans, things did not follow the order Peter set out in Acts 2:38. God arranged this, we believe, for a special reason. Jerusalem and Samaria had a religious rivalry, as John 4 shows. So there must have been a strong pull to carry this old prejudice into the new conditions. That would have meant a Samaritan church independent of a Jerusalem church, if not in rivalry with it. Any practical expression of the "one body" would then have been in danger, before God had even revealed the truth of it. As things were, they only received the Spirit when Peter and John came down and laid hands on them. That step linked the apostles and the church in Jerusalem with these new believers in Samaria. This preserved the oneness of the church.
The apostles' journey settled a question that could have been raised against the mission itself.
Samaria was the last place a Jew would go to preach, so great was the jealousy about it. And there is no jealousy so bitter as religious jealousy… But God had not yet given the Holy Spirit. The reason was that He had determined to set His seal on the work in the most striking way. Those at Jerusalem might have said, We cannot vouch for this work. Who sent Philip there? … But Peter and John go down to Samaria in clear recognition of the work.
Does this set a rule for today?
To a thoughtful believer it will be plain that the reasons for this do not hold at the present time. I say this only in case someone concludes from it that men commissioned by God must lay on hands now to give such a spiritual blessing.
The letters to the churches show the normal order.
In all other recorded cases, God gave the Spirit without laying on of hands. At the first preaching to the Gentiles, God gave the Spirit the moment they believed, but in every other case as a separate event after belief. The usage of the epistles shows that the first preaching to the Gentiles gave the pattern meant to be permanent. The rest were exceptional events, for special reasons tied to the start of the new faith. But here in Ephesians 1:13 is the most definite passage on the subject. They were sealed with the Holy Spirit "on believing".
- Rivalry — Samaria and Jerusalem were old religious rivals. God acted to stop that prejudice from splitting the church.
- Delay — Real, baptized believers waited for the Spirit until the apostles came. Believing and receiving the Spirit are two different things.
- Prayer — Peter and John asked for the gift itself, the Spirit who comes to live in believers, not for a display of power.
- Unity — Their hands on the Samaritans tied the new work to the old, and marked Philip's mission as God's.
- Exception — This event was exceptional. The letters set the lasting pattern: believers are sealed with the Spirit when they believe.
for he was not yet fallen upon any of them, only they were baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus.
A city in Samaria heard the gospel from Philip. The people believed and were baptized. Yet something was still missing. Two questions follow. What had these believers not received? And why did God wait until Peter and John came?
The verse does not say the Samaritans lacked miraculous signs. It says the Spirit Himself had not fallen on any of them. One writer draws the line between the outward signs and the Person behind them:
It was not simply an absence of the signs that then followed those who believed. It was not only that the gifts failed, but the "Gift." Signs of the Spirit normally showed that the Spirit was present. Here they were missing. And God had not given the far greater Gift — the Spirit Himself.
Their faith was not in doubt. Yet one writer marks what they still lacked:
Believers they were. Children of God they had become. Saved souls they certainly were. But they had not yet shared in belonging to Christ (Rom. 8:9), or in being members of His body (1 Cor. 12:13). These spiritual blessings depended on receiving the Holy Spirit. Peter and John prayed for that. Then they laid their hands on the disciples, and they received the Holy Spirit. So we see that people may be believers and yet not be what Scripture calls sealed (Eph. 1:13) — that is, not yet partakers of the gift of the Holy Spirit. But God does not want to leave anyone in that condition.
The same distinction reaches back before Pentecost. The gift waited on redemption:
The Samaritan believers were saints then, and children of God, but God had not yet given them the Spirit. The Old Testament saints did not have it either. They were born of the Spirit, yet never received that great gift. It could not come until redemption. Then God sent out the Spirit of His Son into hearts already renewed, crying, Abba, Father.
Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus was no empty ceremony. A name stands for the person:
His name is the expression of what He Himself is. He was called Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. Philip preached "concerning the name of Jesus Christ" — that is, he preached Christ, the truth of what He is. The Samaritans believed, and were "baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." They identified themselves with that truth he had declared.
One writer traces the delay to the old quarrel between the two places:
There had been religious rivalry between Jerusalem and Samaria, as John 4 shows. So there must have been a strong pull to carry that old prejudice into the new conditions. It would have meant a Samaritan church independent of a Jerusalem church, if not in rivalry with it. Any practical expression of the "one body" would have been put at risk before the truth of it had even been revealed. As it was, they received the Spirit only when Peter and John had come down and laid hands on them. This formally identified the apostles and the church in Jerusalem with these new believers in Samaria. The oneness of the church was preserved.
One writer separates the Spirit's work in a person from His sealing, and notes who laid on hands:
The difference between the working of the Spirit and the sealing of the Spirit is very clear. The Samaritans had believed and been baptized, but had not received the Holy Spirit. He had worked by the word in their hearts. Men and women were converted, born again, and had confessed the name of Jesus. But they were not yet sealed. Then it belonged in a special way to the apostles to lay on hands and confer the gift of the Spirit.
Laying on of hands was not the only way the Spirit was given then. C. E. Stuart lists three:
The gift was given in three different ways in the early days. First, the Spirit was poured out on the whole company at Pentecost. Second, many saints, probably most, received the gift of the Spirit by the hearing of faith (Gal. 3:2), believing the gospel of their salvation (Eph. 1:13). Third, others — and these Samaritans were in this last group — received the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of apostles.
- Gift, not gifts. The lack at Samaria was not missing signs but the Spirit Himself, who had not yet fallen on any of them.
- Believers first. They were already saved children of God before they received the Spirit.
- Sealed second. Being born of the Spirit and being sealed with Him are two different things.
- One body. The delay tied Samaria to Jerusalem, so old rivalry could not harden into two rival churches.
- One name. Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus meant identifying with the Christ Philip preached.
Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received [the] Holy Spirit.
Philip preached in Samaria, and a whole city believed. But the Holy Spirit did not come on them until two apostles arrived from Jerusalem — which raises three questions: what were these believers missing, why the wait, and does the same order hold today?
The Samaritans were not half-converted. Commentators say their place before God was already settled. One blessing, though, had not yet reached them.
Believers they were. Children of God they had become. Saved souls they certainly were. But in belonging to Christ (Rom. 8:9), and in being members of His body (1 Cor. 12:13), they had not yet shared. These spiritual blessings depended on receiving the Holy Spirit... So we see plainly that people may be believers and yet not be what Scripture calls sealed (Eph. 1:13) — that is, not partakers of the gift of the Holy Spirit. But God does not want to leave anyone in that condition.
The laying on of hands did not stand alone. It followed prayer, and that prayer was not a nervous experiment but a claim on a promise already made.
And what could be more fitting in servants of Christ when they came down? They "prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit." God had so far withheld this, the great and characteristic privilege of the Christian. But the apostles in Jerusalem were moving in the current of His will and ways. Peter and John were there. They saw what was lacking and spread it out before God. They did not doubt. They counted on His faithfulness to make good the promise of the Spirit.
The delay was not an accident. Writers point to the old rivalry between Jerusalem and Samaria as the reason.
Jerusalem and Samaria had long been religious rivals, as John 4 shows. So there must have been a strong pull to carry that old prejudice into the new conditions. It would have meant a Samaritan church standing apart from the Jerusalem church, if not in rivalry with it. Any practical expression of the "one body" would then have been put at risk, even before God had revealed the truth of it. Instead, they received the Spirit only when Peter and John came down and laid hands on them. That act tied the apostles and the church in Jerusalem to these new believers in Samaria. So the church stayed one.
So what did the act itself say? It declared that the two sides belonged together, and the choice of these two men made that all the sharper.
The person who laid hands on another declared by that act his oneness and sympathy with him... Peter and John acted for the Christians in Jerusalem. They expressed their oneness with the new group of believers that had sprung up in the city they had always hated and despised... In this way God showed openly that the Church is one, whether planted in this city or that... The choice of men was remarkable too. Peter was the strict, conservative Jew, who had always judged it unlawful to visit or keep company with a man of another nation (Acts 10:28). John was the son of thunder, who once asked his Lord if he should command fire to come down from heaven and burn up the Samaritans.
Here the Spirit came only after the apostles laid on hands. Some have built a two-stage Christian life on that. The letters written to the churches rule it out.
The Samaritans had not yet received the Holy Spirit. He came to them only after Peter and John arrived from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. This has puzzled many earnest students of the Word. It has also led to mistaken teachings, as if a person must receive the Holy Spirit in some special way after conversion... The letters to the churches unfold the great truths and blessings of salvation in Christ Jesus. Not one of them says a word about receiving the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. Not one tells a person who has trusted Christ and is born again to seek the gift of the Spirit afterwards.
The practice itself has the same limit. In every case of this kind, the hands were apostolic.
In all these cases, notice who lays on hands: the apostles, or Timothy. Timothy was an apostolic delegate, so he acted under Paul's direction and authority. That is why no one could practise it now, unless they claimed "apostolic succession." There is not even the shadow of a proof for that in the Scriptures, which in fact disprove it easily.
- Saved, then sealed. The Samaritans already believed and were children of God. The Spirit was a further blessing, and God does not want anyone left without it.
- Delayed on purpose. The gift was withheld until Jerusalem arrived, so that old rivalry could not harden into two competing churches.
- Prayer first. Peter and John did not presume. They asked God, counting on His faithfulness to His promise.
- Hands mean oneness. Laying on hands said "we are one with you" — Jerusalem owning Samaria as its own.
- Apostolic, not repeatable. No letter to the churches tells a believer to seek the Spirit later, or through hands. To claim this practice today, you need a succession the Bible never grants.
But Simon, having seen that by the laying on of the hands of the apostles the [Holy] Spirit was given, offered them money,
Simon the sorcerer had been baptized with the crowds in Samaria. Then he watched Peter and John lay hands on the new believers. What he saw made him reach for his money — and the offer exposed him.
Commentators differ on what Simon actually saw. One writer holds that what struck him was outward power, not the inward work of the Spirit:
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.
Kelly reads it differently, and asks why the apostles' hands were the channel at all:
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.
Hole gives a reason why the apostles had to come:
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.
Baptism had put Simon among the believers. The gift of the Spirit sorted him out from them:
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.
He had made his living from wonders, and he judged this new power by the same measure:
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 word coined from this scene is still in use, and the writers point out how easily it is aimed at other people:
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!
The offer showed what Simon thought God was like:
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.
Simon had believed. Kelly looks at what that kind of faith rests on:
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.
One writer traces a pattern through the early chapters of Acts:
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.
- Gift — God has shown Himself to be a giver: His Son, eternal life in Him, and the Spirit resting on the work of Jesus. Simon knew nothing of this.
- Gaze — His faith rested on "evidences" that the mind weighs and accepts. Such belief can be sincere, even ready to fight for its creed, yet carry no life, no repentance, no link with Christ.
- Grab — He asked for the power to give the Spirit, not for the Spirit Himself. Money and standing were what he was after.
- Gulf — The gift of the Spirit drew the line between real and unreal. Baptism had not made him real, and his offer of money proved he did not have the Spirit.
- Growth — What began as a trickle through one man in Samaria swelled into a flood: religion run as a business.
saying, Give to me also this power, in order that on whomsoever I may lay hands he may receive [the] Holy Spirit.
Simon had built his reputation on wonders. Now he watched the apostles hand out something far greater. His offer of money is one short sentence, and commentators treat it as the moment his heart was exposed.
Notice what Simon does not ask for. He wants the power to pass the Spirit on to others. Having the Spirit himself is not his concern.
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.
Simon sized up the new power like a buyer weighing a deal.
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.
Commentators differ here. Kelly says Simon wanted only the power to give the Spirit to others. Hole says he wanted the Spirit for himself too.
Nothing Simon had done so far had exposed him. One sentence did.
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!
The offer assumed God works the way a market works.
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.
There is also a practical consequence to treating the Spirit as merchandise.
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?
Why did the Spirit come through the apostles' hands? Commentators say that was God's own choice of method.
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.
Simon had been baptised. The sign meant nothing without life and faith behind it.
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.
What began with one man did not stop with him.
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.
- Wanted — Simon asked for the power to give the Spirit to others, not the blessing of having Him. He coveted the position, not the Person.
- Weighed — He treated the gift as an investment: money in, profit out. It was his old trade under a new name.
- Words — One sentence exposed a heart no baptism had changed. Our words show where we are, often when we least suspect it.
- Worth — God has revealed Himself as a giver, so money cannot reach His gift. What is bought can be sold, and the gift would become merchandise.
- Warning — The trickle through one man became a flood. Being near grace without submitting to it is the most dangerous place to stand.
And Peter said to him, Thy money go with thee to destruction, because thou hast thought that the gift of God can be obtained by money.
Simon had just offered the apostles money for the power to give the Holy Spirit. Peter's reply raises two questions: what was Simon really buying, and why did that offer prove he was lost?
Simon worked out what that power could earn him.
If only he could possess that power which Peter and John had shown, what gains would he make! What a reputation he would have! So he offered them money: "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." He wanted the power to give the Spirit, not the blessing of receiving Him. For that he did not care.
There is a simple rule about anything that has a price.
Simon saw a way to lift himself up, and perhaps to make money too. He certainly offered them money for this power. What an insult to God! What is bought with money may naturally be sold for money. But was this divine gift to become a matter of trade among men?
Simon's mistake was not only about price. It was about the character of the God he was dealing with.
He showed 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, founded on the work of Jesus. But Simon knew nothing of all this. It was power that had attracted him, and power was what he craved. He was after his own advancement, not the divine glory.
So what is "the gift of God" that money could not buy?
The great point of the passage is the personal coming of the Spirit. The power to speak in unknown tongues, the power to do miracles, and the power to preach, were only the signs and effects of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Receiving Him personally is the great thing in Acts 2. The gift itself is infinitely greater than any effect it could produce.
Simon had been baptised. That is what makes Peter's words so grave.
Simon's words betrayed his ruin. He was, as yet, a lost man. There was no real faith, and so no salvation in his case. Baptism is an excellent 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, with sin and God's judgment slighted as well as the Saviour... Outward nearness to grace is of all things the most fatal to the man who is not subject to the truth of God.
Peter's word "perish" touches the man, not just his money. One writer marks out who is in that danger.
Though he had been baptised, he had no spiritual life in his soul. He had never known conversion. He had never shared in the new birth. He was on the road to perishing, unless he was forgiven for that thought of his heart. Real believers will never perish. Simon was not yet in that group, and so not yet beyond that danger.
One writer traces a line from this single man to something far larger.
In this third case we see the beginning of the satanic attempt 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, sweeping immense riches to Rome.
Peter's rebuke has a bright side. No one is priced out.
Money cannot secure the blessing; if it could, only the rich could claim it, and poor people would go without for ever. But God has made His salvation free; it is an absolute gift from Him to all who receive it... There are two reasons why God will not sell His blessing: first, men are far too poor to buy it; second, God is far too rich to sell it.
- Gift — God gives the Holy Spirit Himself. Miracles and tongues were only signs of His presence. The gift is greater than any effect it produces.
- Giver — God has revealed Himself as a giver. He gave His Son, and eternal life in Him. Simon's offer showed he did not know this God at all.
- Grab — Simon wanted the power to give the Spirit, not the blessing of receiving Him. He was after his own advancement, not God's glory.
- Ground — Baptism without faith saves no one. Simon was still on the road to perishing. Nearness to grace on the outside is the most fatal place for anyone who will not bow to the truth of God.
- Grace — What is bought can be sold, so God will not trade. Men are far too poor to buy His blessing. He is far too rich to sell it.
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not upright before God.
In Samaria a baptized man offered the apostles money for the power to give the Holy Spirit. Peter's answer is a verdict, and it turns on what God sees when He looks at the heart.
Simon's request looked like eagerness for spiritual power. Darby reads it as proof of what was missing in him.
Simon's one desire is to have the power to give others the ability to work miracles and signs by laying his hands on them. He wanted to buy it with money, showing by that very wish that there was no work of God in his soul. He had "neither part nor lot in this matter." He was in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. His heart was not right before God. His sin stirred Peter's indignation, not his pity.
The phrase could mean the miraculous gifts Simon had just seen the apostles give. Kelly reads it wider, and marks it as his own judgment.
Simon had no share or lot in this matter, for his heart was not right before God. In my judgment this does not mean he lacked a share in the sign-gifts, but in the Saviour: the gospel meant nothing to him. If the word of truth had reached him, faith would have purified his heart, for the grace of God is able to save the worst of sinners.
Simon believed the preaching, and he went through baptism. Peter's verdict looks past both.
He wanted the power to give the Spirit, not the blessing of receiving it. For that he did not care. Peter's answer was instant, crushing and decided. It refused the request and defined Simon's true moral condition. Baptized though he had been, he had no spiritual life in his soul. He had never known conversion. He had never shared in the new birth.
Simon did believe. Stuart weighs what that belief was worth.
Simon believed, as we have read. Clearly it was intellectual faith without any real work of conscience. His heart was still not right with God. Who that knew he shared in God's grace could have asked for what he did?
Philip had preached and baptized in good faith. Peter arrived with a discernment Philip lacked.
Simon the sorcerer believed and was baptized. I have no doubt Philip thought he had caught a big fish that day... But then Peter came down, bringing more spiritual power and perception. His judgment about Simon was, "You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God." Peter acted as a doorkeeper that day and kept Simon out. Be thankful if you see souls converted, but do not try to pitchfork them into the assembly.
This record of a man exposed inside the church is not a curiosity. It carries a warning.
Simon Magus is like a buoy, fixed over a sunken rock by the hand of God, to keep passing ships away from it. He is a solemn warning to every false professor. To all such I would say, learn this lesson — neither baptism nor making a profession of Christ can save you. He was baptized, he professed to follow Christ, and he sought entrance into God's assembly. That he was not saved then is clear; that he ever was saved is doubtful. Nothing will do but truly having Christ.
Peter's next words tell Simon to repent.
It is certain that there is grace in God and power in the blood of Christ to meet any wickedness of man. Peter would never have urged him this way if pardon had been impossible. But Simon's reply shows clearly that he was alarmed only for the moment. He had no sense in his soul of his shameless sin against God, and above all against the Holy Spirit.
- The offer. Simon tried to buy the power to give the Spirit. He wanted to give it, not to receive it. That showed there was no work of God in him.
- The verdict. Kelly judges that "no part nor lot" means no share in the Saviour Himself, not just no share in miraculous gifts.
- The heart. Simon believed the preaching and went through baptism, but his faith was intellectual only. Profession and baptism cannot make a heart right before God.
- The guard. Peter's discernment kept an unconverted man out. Do not rush new converts into fellowship.
- The mercy. Peter still called him to repent, so pardon was possible. But Simon was alarmed only for the moment, and never felt his sin.
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and supplicate the Lord, if indeed the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee;
Peter has just told Simon that his heart is not right with God. Now he tells him what to do about it. The verse turns a public rebuke into an open door — but a door the man must walk through himself.
Peter names one specific thing to repent of. Commentators use that wording to define repentance.
When the Lord said, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish," it was not believing a free gospel, but judging themselves and their sins with a heart turned to God… In passages such as Acts 8:22, we have "repent of this wickedness of yours." This is clear proof that repentance does not mean believing. It is not a change of mind about God either, for he was to repent of something he had done. So in Revelation 2:21, "repent of her sexual immorality." So in 2 Corinthians 12:21, about the Corinthians' sins.
Peter does not name Simon's words as the offence. He names what lay behind them.
In verse 22 Peter held out a ray of hope for Simon. He might repent, and therefore forgiveness for him was still a possibility. Notice how Peter calls the very thought of his heart wickedness, without any reference to his words. This illustrates the statement that "the devising of folly is sin." He was still in bondage to money, so he was still in the bond of iniquity and bitterness.
Another writer turns this into a rule about hidden sin.
There may be more wickedness in a sin of the heart than of the hand… Peter puts the stress of Simon's sin on the wicked thought. His words showed that this thought was in his heart: "pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you."
A question about this verse once left out its first half. Peter's call to pray comes after a call to repent.
The passage becomes a call to repentance. That is the universal appeal in the testimony of John the Baptist, of Christ, and of His apostles. Here the appeal presses on one particular point. That point ought to weigh on the conscience of the man addressed, and it called him in a special way to look to God for forgiveness. When a conscience is truly touched and the soul brought to forgiveness, it will always judge itself clearly for its own particular sins.
Peter's earlier words were severe. Do they leave any hope? One writer weighs both the command itself and its exact wording.
That there is grace in God and power in the blood of Christ to meet any wickedness of man is certain. Peter would never have urged him like this if pardon had been impossible… Peter did not say "Beseech God" but "the Lord." In Him and by Him alone can God deliver a guilty soul. Now that He has sent His Son, the only sure and adequate way of honouring the Father is to honour the Son.
"If possible" can sound like doubt about God's willingness. One writer reads it another way.
Possibly he might be forgiven if he bowed to God; it does not shut him out from hope; that is all.
Simon answers Peter in the next verse. His answer shows how far his repentance went.
But no sign of repentance appeared; only fear of the consequences of his sin… He was in no mood to pray for himself, but he wanted others to pray for him. No one can hold such a position. Knowing nothing of the Lord for himself, Simon would hang on Peter's intercession. But this could do nothing for him, nor can it do anything for us. Each soul must have to do with God for itself. The intervention of even an apostle is absolutely worthless as a substitute for this.
- Thought. Peter puts the sin in the intent of the heart, not in the words. The thought behind the words is what he calls wickedness.
- Repent. Repentance here means turning from something he had done. It is not believing, and it is not a new opinion about God.
- Pray. The call to pray is the same call to repentance made to everyone. Here it presses one sin on this man's conscience. A conscience truly touched judges itself for its own particular sins.
- Grace. Peter would not have given this command if pardon were closed. He points Simon to the Lord, because God delivers a guilty soul through Him.
- Yourself. Simon asked others to pray for him instead of praying himself. He feared the consequences and did not repent. No one else's prayer can replace your own dealings with God.
for I see thee to be in the gall of bitterness, and bond of unrighteousness.
Simon, a famous sorcerer in Samaria, has believed the gospel and been baptized. He has just offered money to buy the power of giving the Holy Spirit, and Peter's reply names what Simon is, not only what he did.
The wording is not a figure of speech Peter invented for the moment. Both words appear elsewhere in the New Testament, and the phrase is literal:
The Greek word for "gall" (chole) appears in Matthew 27:34, and the word for "bitterness" (pikria) in Romans 3:14; Ephesians 4:31; Hebrews 12:15. The translation in Acts 8:23 is literal, except that it should be "a gall of bitterness." Peter saw that Simon was still in the state of nature, which is only bitterness.
The grammar adds another shade. Peter's wording points beyond a state that Simon simply found himself in:
Acts 8:23 says Simon was "into a gall of bitterness" — the Greek word is eis, not en. "In" (en) would have been a mere state. Here there was will, and the bent of his own mind. "Given up to" would not express it. That would imply another possession by it, possibly a final one. But his mind was gone that way: "your heart is gone into the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity."
Simon had been baptized alongside the genuine converts. Peter's verdict shows what baptism could and could not do for him:
Baptism is an excellent sign where there is life and faith. Without these, it only makes man's natural guilt and ruin worse, in the most solemn way. It is to perish with a Saviour in sight, with sin and God's judgment slighted as well as the Saviour. Being outwardly near to grace is the most fatal thing of all for someone who is not subject to the truth of God.
That makes Simon a landmark for everyone who comes after him:
Simon Magus is like a buoy, fixed to a sunken rock by the hand of God, to keep passing ships off it. He is a solemn warning to all false professors. To all such I would say: learn this lesson — that neither baptism nor making a profession of Christ can save you. He was baptized, professed to follow Christ, and sought a place among God's people. It is clear he was not saved then; whether he was ever saved is doubtful. Nothing will do but the real possession of Christ.
Peter names a bond. Simon's offer of money shows what it was made of:
Being still in bondage to money, he was still in the bond of iniquity and bitterness. The love of money is "a root of all kinds of evils" — that is, of every kind of evil. So a large part of the bitterness that fills the earth springs from it.
Peter's language is severe, and he says it to the man's face. That directness has been defended as the harder half of genuine love:
Peter judged Simon the Samaritan by his own words — and this, though a baptized man — to be in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. There was certainly no lack of love in that. It was the painful side, but in the circumstances absolutely necessary. It belongs to that judgment of love which the knowledge of God lays on His servants. Woe to those who give up so plain and undeniable a duty to their Master, just to please the world or for selfish ease and advantage.
Peter's verdict is grim. Yet he still held pardon out to Simon:
That there is grace in God and efficacy in the blood of Christ to meet any wickedness of man is certain. Peter would never have urged him like this if pardon were impossible. But Simon's answer shows that he was only alarmed for the moment. He had no sense in his soul of his shameless sin against God, and above all against the Holy Spirit. He was not counting on grace in God at all.
Peter left the door open. Simon's own reply showed no sign that he went through it.
- Diagnosis. "Gall of bitterness" is literal, not a figure of speech. Peter saw Simon still in the state of nature, which is only bitterness.
- Direction. The wording carries will, not just a condition. Simon's heart had gone that way, following the bent of his own mind.
- Bond. The chain was money. Still in bondage to money, he was in the bond of iniquity. Much of the bitterness that fills the earth springs from that same root.
- Door. Peter still urged him to seek pardon. Grace in God and the blood of Christ can meet any wickedness, and Peter would not have urged him if pardon were impossible.
- Warning. Baptism and profession saved nobody here; only real possession of Christ does. Simon stands like a buoy over a sunken rock — a marker set by God to keep other ships off it.
And Simon answering said, Supplicate *ye* for me to the Lord, so that nothing may come upon me of the things of which ye have spoken.
Peter had just told Simon to repent and pray for himself. Simon asks the apostles to do the praying instead. These are his last words in Scripture, and they raise a sharp question: is fear of punishment the same thing as turning to God?
Simon's request sounds religious. But he asks only to escape what Peter warned of. He says nothing about the state of his heart.
Simon's answer to the apostle shows that, though alarmed, there is no repentance with him. He asks that they would pray to the Lord that nothing of the things they have spoken may come upon him. He is alarmed about what may come, and that is all. He shows no awareness of his great inward need, and no confession that we read of. Like the demons, he believes and trembles, but he does not turn to God on his own account. And so he passes out of the inspired history. There is a legend about him which says he went back to his old arts as a magician, but with a settled hatred of what he had turned from. Yet there is nothing certain beyond what is written here.
Peter told Simon to pray. Simon hands the job to Peter instead.
And when Simon hears these solemn words, what does he do? Fall on his knees and cry to God for mercy? No; he would have his praying done by proxy, like thousands in Christendom today. "Pray for me to the Lord," is his answer. You pray for me, Peter, he says. I do not hear that Peter did pray for him, and we hear no more of him. I fear he had a great opportunity of salvation, and missed it. Do not imitate him!
Simon had seen power flow through the apostles' hands. Now he treats Peter as that channel again — this time for prayer.
There was confidence, if we can put it that way, in the channels of power. The man who had no faith in Christ confesses his faith in Peter. Millions since have done the same with saints, angels, or the virgin Mary. This, however, is not really faith but credulity and superstition. It has no ground, either in the nature of the persons or in the word of God. Faith in the Lord Jesus alone has a divine resting-place… He dreaded what was coming. He did not feel his present state of ruin and guilt.
Simon wanted Peter's prayer to do for him what he would not do himself.
He was in no mood to pray for himself, but he would be prayed for. Such a position cannot be held by anyone. Knowing nothing of the Lord for himself, Simon would hang on Peter's intercession. But this could do nothing for him, nor can it do anything for us. Each soul must have to do with God for itself. The intervention of even an apostle is absolutely worthless as a substitute for this.
Some ask how Peter could tell such a man to pray at all. Peter tied the call to pray to a call to repent, and Simon's reply keeps only the praying.
Our correspondent has left out a very important part of the verse. "Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you." The passage then becomes a call to repentance. This is the universal appeal found in the testimony of John the Baptist, of Christ, and of His apostles. It simply applies that appeal to one particular point, which ought to press on the conscience of the person addressed… When a conscience is truly affected and the soul brought to forgiveness, it will always judge itself distinctly for its own proper and peculiar sins.
Simon is not the only man in Scripture who asked a servant of God to pray while refusing to pray himself.
"Pray for me," said Jeroboam in alarm. Sadly, the unhappy man had never learned to pray for himself. In this he reminds us of Pharaoh in Exodus 8:8, and Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:24. He had felt the power of God at work, and it should have led Jeroboam to repentance. But flesh learns nothing. He felt the consequences of his sin, but not the evil of it.
- Repent — Peter's charge had two halves: repent and pray. Simon keeps the praying and drops the repenting. The half he drops is the one that reaches the conscience.
- Himself — Peter told Simon to pray for himself. A conscience truly touched judges its own sins instead of handing them to someone else.
- Proxy — Simon wanted his praying done by proxy, and Scripture never records that Peter did it.
- Channel — confidence in a servant of God is not faith. Trust in saints or go-betweens has no ground in the word of God; it is credulity. Faith in the Lord Jesus alone has a divine resting-place.
- Consequences — Simon feared what was coming, not what he was. Like Pharaoh and Jeroboam, he felt the consequences of his sin but not its evil. There Scripture leaves him.