Acts 8:14-25 – Peter and Simon
The Living Word With Chuck Davis
Acts 8:14-25 – Peter and Simon
Welcome to the Living Word with Chuck Davis. Acts 8, 14 to 25. Peter and Simon. Now, when the apostles of Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now, when Simon saw that Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money." You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." Now, when they had testified and spoke in the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. The news of what's happening in Samaria returns to the apostles, and they want to come to explore what's happening. They get there and realize that the new believers have been baptized into Jesus, but they have not had a Holy Spirit baptism. This one verse can really put some crinks in our theology of the Holy Spirit. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. The declaration of Romans, Romans 8 is those who are in Christ have the Spirit. Interesting language here. All I can say is that I think some of our use of words, filling baptized, receiving, pouring out, anointing, were not so categorically restrictive for the early disciples as they are for us. What we do know is the apostles come and there's a fresh pouring out of the Spirit on these believers. Now we understand why Simon was brought into the conversation around what Philip was doing. We're going to show one of the dangers, to think that somehow you can buy or earn or manipulate the work of the Spirit. He tries to pay for this ability and Peter rebukes him, calls him to repent. Interesting, it does seem like Simon repents. He says pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you said may come upon me. He realizes his error in this moment. The text finishes with this declaration. Now when they had testified and spoken the word of Lord referring to Peter and John, they returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. This is going to be Peter's real first exposure to a people that would have felt unclean to him previously. Remember the story of Jesus with the woman at the well cutting through Samaria? It was very confusing to the disciples. Even though Jesus had told them to go to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth, and even though Peter is a man full of the Holy Spirit, there's going to be multiple stages of conversion in his heart to be open minded to people that have been called unclean for a long time. We will see this unfold in several of the next passages, but this is God's exposure to Peter of a better way. It's amazing how faithful God is, bringing us into things that correct us so that we live out our full identity in him. The so what of this passage is a reminder that there are still prejudices and judgments that we have of people that we need to deal with. Even being full of the Holy Spirit, there can be latent things that are there. The now what is to invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and see where those places are and be a part of repenting of those spaces so that we would live out our full identity in Christ. And so here we are Lord, shine your light upon us even as the psalm says, "Search me, O Lord, know my heart, see if there be any wicked way in me." We thank you Lord that you are faithful and gentle in this process. In Jesus' name, amen.