Persecution of the Church
8
📚And Saul consented to his death. And at that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem, and except for the apostles, they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. 8:1 Evidently the Jewish leaders turned against the advice of Gamaliel (Acts 5:38-39), and decided that force was the only way to stop the spread of Christ’s Gospel. And Saul, who had been a student of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), was one of the chief instruments of the persecution which followed (v 3; Acts 9:1-2). Saul’s “consent” to the murder of Stephen does not mean necessarily that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council. It may mean nothing more than the fact that in his heart he was in full agreement with it. It is interesting that the apostles remained in Jerusalem. Perhaps Christ’s enemies, though eager to destroy Christ’s lambs, were afraid to fall on the shepherds He had appointed for them.⚜
2 📚And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. 3 📚As for Saul, he raised havoc in the church. Going into every house 📖 and dragging off men and women, he committed them to prison.
Philip in Samaria
4 📚Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
8:4 Did the leaders think that the wind of trouble would blow out the fire in the church? Instead, it scattered the fire, and flames began to leap up in many parts of the land. The history of the church reveals that persecution does not stop Christ’s witnesses but actually can aid in the spread of the gospel. Persecution endured joyfully reveals the sincerity of believers, the reality of their faith and life in Christ (Acts 5:40-42).⚜
5 📚Then Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and preached Christ to them.
8:5 This Philip was one of those chosen with Stephen to “serve at tables” (Acts 6:1-6), not the apostle Philip. The note on Stephen at Acts 6:8 applies also to him. Notes on Samaria at Matt 10:5; John 4:4; 2 Kings 17:24. The Samaritans had been prepared for this by the visit there of the Lord Jesus Himself (John 4:4-42). This was a big step in the spread of the gospel – for the first time (as far as we know) Christ’s disciples preached outside the Jewish community. Thus they began to fulfill Acts 1:8.⚜
6 📚And the people with one mind gave attention to the things Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
8:6 Note on “signs” at John 2:11. They had the result in Samaria that God intended – they made people eager to hear the preaching of the gospel.⚜
7 📚For unclean spirits, crying with loud voices, came out of many that had been possessed by them, and many were healed who had been paralyzed and lame.
8:7 Note on unclean spirits at Matt 4:24.⚜
8 📚And there was great joy in that city.
9 📚But there was a certain man named Simon who had been practicing sorcery in that city, amazing the people of Samaria, and claiming that he was someone great. 10 📚They all, from the least to the greatest, gave him their attention, saying, “This man is the great power of God”. 11 📚And they held him in high regard, because for a long time he had amazed them with magic arts.
8:9-11 Simon was a person, it seems, very like some of the so-called godmen of India. Consider the following. He practiced magical arts and did (or pretended to do) wonders and miracles (compare Matt 24:24; Ex 7:22; 8:7). He put himself forward as some great one. He accepted honors that should be given only to God. And he was able to impress and amaze everyone including men in high positions. There were great differences between him and Philip. He proclaimed himself, Philip proclaimed Christ (vs 3,12). He preached his own thoughts, Philip preached the Word of God (v 14). He wanted to be “great”. Philip sought no greatness for himself but only for Christ (see Matt 20:25-28; Jer 45:5). Another difference was that the things Simon performed were not real miracles but only magician’s tricks, and were doubtless for the purpose of amazing others. Philip performed real miracles which displayed the power of God, and he had the purpose of helping others in their illness and misery (v 7). Simon himself could see this difference (v 13).⚜
12 📚But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
8:12 Observe that this says “they believed Philip”, not “they believed in Christ”. They believed that Philip was a man of God and that he was teaching the truth, and they were willing to join the followers of Christ. But whether they came to a living faith in the Lord Jesus at that time is not clearly revealed. But we know they did not yet receive the Holy Spirit (v 16).⚜
13 📚Then Simon himself also believed. And when he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip, and was astonished, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
8:13 It is not said of Simon either that he believed “in Christ”. It seems clear from vs 20-23 that he did not. He was only greatly impressed by the power of God that Philip displayed. Not everyone who takes baptism is a true believer in Jesus. Being baptized by a man of God does not make a person a man of God or even a believer.⚜
Peter and John in Samaria
14 📚Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,
8:14 The apostles, of course, wanted to know what the real state of things was in Samaria and put their stamp of approval on any work truly of God.⚜
15 📚who, when they arrived, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 📚(for as yet he had not come down on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 📚Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
8:15-17 It seems that here is an instance of Peter using the “keys” of the kingdom of heaven and once and for all opening the door to the Samaritans as he did to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, and to the Gentiles in chapter 10. See note on Matt 16:19. It was very important to establish the authority of the original apostles of Christ as the bearers of the true Gospel. This is one way God chose to do this – by giving the Holy Spirit by the laying on of their hands (the giving of signs, miracles and wonders was another way – Heb 2:4).
Now the authority of the apostles has long been established, the gospel has been fully revealed and written down for everyone in all eras, and the kingdom of God is opened once and for all to every kind of people. The apostles exercised their authority, founded the New Testament Church and gave us God’s Word for the Church. They alone were God’s chosen instruments for this, and God worked with them in special ways to demonstrate this. They had their work and they finished it. It does not need to be done again, and it cannot be done again. See also notes at 2 Cor 12:12.
There are now no authoritative and inspired apostles, and there is no need for one to lay hands on anyone to receive God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit is now received directly from God when a person receives the Lord Jesus by faith (1 Cor 12:12-13; Eph 1:13; Gal 3:14). If anyone is afraid he does not have God’s Spirit he should go directly to God about this matter (Luke 11:13). All believers have full access to God even as the apostles had then (Rom 5:1-2).⚜
18 📚And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 📚saying, “Give me also this power, so that everyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit”.
8:18-19 Since Simon offered money it is likely that he thought he could make money if he had this ability. At least he would gain more power over people and more fame. There is a word now in English that comes from this man and his request. The word is “simony” and means the buying or selling of high positions in the church, the object being to gain influence or power or to make money. It is similar to what now goes on in some Christian circles – men giving bribes to others to vote them into places of leadership in the church. This is a totally corrupt practice which can never have the blessing of God.⚜
20 📚But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 📚You have neither part nor share in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 📚Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to God. Perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 📚For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness, and the bondage of sin”.
8:20-23 These harsh words indicate how terrible Simon’s sinful desire was. They also show that he had not yet repented, trusted in Christ and been made right with God. True believers will not perish with their money (John 10:28), and new believers are not like Simon in the other ways Peter describes him.⚜
24 📚Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of these things which you have spoken come upon me”.
25 📚And when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
8:25 Compare Matt 10:5. A new day had dawned.⚜
Philip and the Ethiopian
26 📚And the angel 📖 of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go southward to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is in the desert”. 27 📚And he arose and went, and there saw a man from Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship,
8:27 Notice that Philip was willing to leave a flourishing work of God in Samaria and go anywhere else God told him to go. The people called Ethiopians then occupied an area somewhat north of the present one. It included a part of southern Egypt and northern Sudan. In those days nations used eunuchs as court officials. This one knew of the true God and His temple in Jerusalem and had come a long way to worship Him (compare Matt 2:1-2). Though he was a Gentile by race, it is very likely that he was a convert to the Jews’ religion. There were such people in many parts of the world who had abandoned their gods and idols, turned to the God of Israel, and had become converts to Judaism (compare Acts 2:11). If this eunuch had not been such a person why would he have wanted to make that long journey to Jerusalem? There is another reason for thinking he was a Jewish convert – the “keys” to open the kingdom of God to the Gentiles were not given to Philip but to Peter who used them as recorded in chapter 10.⚜
28 📚and was returning, sitting in his chariot and reading Isaiah the prophet.
8:28 Worship alone did not satisfy the desires of this man for truth.⚜
29 📚Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and meet this chariot”.
8:29 The Spirit here is the Holy Spirit. His speaking is an indication of His personality. See notes at John 14:16-17. See how clearly He can direct those who are yielded and obedient to Him.⚜
30 📚And Philip ran there to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 📚And he said, “How can I, unless some man guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
8:31 The man was a foreigner with little knowledge of the teaching of the Old Testament and of the coming of Christ. Men still need someone to explain the word of God to them.⚜
32 📚The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
and like a lamb silent before his shearer,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 📚In his humiliation his justice was taken away.
And who will declare his generation?
For his life was taken from the earth.
8:32-33 Notes at Isa 53:7-8. Surely we see the hand of God in this too. The man was reading in the very place in all the Old Testament which most clearly states the reason for the coming of the Lord Jesus.⚜
34 📚And the eunuch responded to Philip, and said, “I ask you, of whom is the prophet speaking this?” “Of himself, or of some other man?” 35 📚Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at the same Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
8:34-35 Philip, being full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3-5), and taught by the apostles (Acts 2:42), well knew about whom Isaiah spoke. Compare Luke 24:26-27, 45, 46.⚜
36 📚And as they went down the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may”. And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”. 38 📚And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 📚And when they had come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so the eunuch did not see him again. And he went on his way rejoicing.
8:39 Compare this action of God’s Spirit with 1 Kings 18:21; 2 Kings 2:16; Ezek 3:14; 8:3. Observe in this whole account of Philip and the Ethiopian how different God’s ways are from man’s (Isa 55:8-9). The Ethiopian had just come from Jerusalem where some of the apostles and many believers lived. Yet God directed none of them to teach him. Instead he brought Philip all the way from Samaria to do so, and then took him away again very suddenly. But whether here or there, whether by using a Philip or another, God will surely see to it that any person who wants the truth will have it.⚜
40 📚But Philip appeared at Azotus, and passing through that area he preached in all the cities until he came to Caesarea.