Chapter 8 Acts 8

Saul Persecutes the Church (vv.1b-3)
Philip Preaches in Samaria (vv. 4-25)

Saul Persecutes the Church (vv. 1b-3)

         That very day the church a in Jerusalem began to suffer cruel persecution. All the believers, except the apostles, b were scattered throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria. 2 Some devout c men buried Stephen, mourning for him with loud cries.
         3 But Saul tried to destroy d the church; going from house to house, he dragged out the believers, both men and women, and threw them into jail.

Interesting Stuff:

a Taken in the context of what Luke records, the persecution was directed primarily at the Hellenistic Christians of Jerusalem rather than the whole church. As a result of the persecution, the gospel was carried out of Jerusalem, in initial fulfilment of Jesus’ command in 1:8 – though not by the church’s plans but events beyond the believers’ control. From this point onwards, the church in Jerusalem seemed to comprise mainly the Hebrew-speaking Jews because most of the Greek-speaking ones had left the city.

b For the apostles to stay in Jerusalem would be an encourage- ment to those in prison. The church now went underground.

c Luke had already used the term ‘devout’ or ‘religious’ to describe the Jews at Pentecost who were receptive to the Holy Spirit (2:5). These were therefore devout Jewish men who were open to the Christian message. Their mourning could be repentance towards God as well as their sorrow for Stephen.

d Sometimes this word has the meaning of the wild destruction carried out by animals.

Questions:

  1. What happened to the church on the day of Stephen’s death (v. 1)?

Hover Over for Answer:
The church in Jerusalem began to suffer cruel persecution and all the believers except the apostles, were scattered throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria.

What impact did this persecution have on the church in Jerusalem (v. 1; 11:19-21)?

Hover Over for Answer:
It caused the believers to leave Jerusalem and wherever they went, they shared the gospel. Thus the church began to spread beyond the confines of Jerusalem into the neighbouring provinces of Judea and Samaria, and as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. Not only were Jews converted in these regions but some of the believers preached to Gentiles and many turned to the Lord as well. Thus the church outside Jerusalem grew to include Gentiles as well.

2. How did the life and death of Stephen help in the growth of the church?

Hover Over for Answer:
When he was alive, Stephen was a man full of the Holy Spirit and of power and wisdom. He was richly blessed by God and used by Him to teach about Christ and preach the gospel especially to the Greek-speaking Jews. He was so full of wisdom from the Spirit that no one could win any arguments against him. He performed great miracles and wonders among the people. Stephen was also one of the Seven chosen by the Jerusalem church to help in the daily distribution of funds for the Greek-speaking widows in the church. He was thus one of the leaders among the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians and would have contributed greatly to the growth of the church in Jerusalem. His death was deeply mourned by many devout Jews. Because his death was for the sake of the gospel, it would have been a great inspiration and challenge to many believers. Most importantly, his death resulted in the church being persecuted. This persecution caused the believers to flee from Jerusalem and indirectly caused the gospel to spread outside Jerusalem. This was because wherever the believers went, they shared the gospel. And so the church continued to spread and grow and eventually it spread to the Gentiles. The death of Stephen thus helped the church to expand and grow outside Jerusalem and as a result brought to fulfilment Jesus’ command to share the gospel not only in Jerusalem, but also to Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

3. Who buried Stephen (v. 2)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Some devout men buried Stephen and mourned for him with loud cries.

4. What did Saul do (v. 3)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Saul tried to destroy the church by going from house to house, dragging out both men and women believers and throwing them into jail.

Summary of Section:

  1. Saul stood watching the stoning of Stephen, approving what was done to him.
  2. That same day, the church in Jerusalem began to suffer from cruel persecution.
  3. All the believers, except for the apostles, were scattered throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria.
  4. Some devout men buried Stephen, mourning for him with loud cries.
  5. Saul tried to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out the believers and throwing them into jail.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. This brief section concludes the story of Stephen with the mention of Saul giving approval to his death and draws attention to three events that resulted from his martyrdom:
    i) Great persecution against the church in Jerusalem
    ii) Scattering of the believers except the apostles throughout Judea and Samaria
    iii) Widespread preaching and sharing of the gospel by the dispersed believers wherever they went
  2. The persecution seemed to be directed mainly at the Hellenistic Christians of Jerusalem rather than against the whole church. It was undoubtedly instigated by the same group that had attacked Stephen since the apostles were presumably left alone.
  3. Up to this point, it was the apostles who had given the lead in evangelism and the sharing of the Good News despite the ban of the Sanhedrin. Now all the believers who were scat- tered took upon themselves the task of sharing the Good News wherever they went.

Philip Preaches in Samaria (vv. 4-25)

          4 The believers who were scattered went every- where, preaching the message. e 5 Philip f went to the principal city in Samaria and preached the Messiah to the people there. 6 The crowds paid close attention g to what Philip said, as they listened to him and saw the miracles that he performed. 7 Evil spirits came out from many people with a loud cry, and many paralysed and lame people were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
          9 A man named Simon lived there, who for some time had astounded the Samaritans with his magic. He claimed that he was someone great, 10 and everyone in the city, from all classes of society, paid close attention to him. “He is that power of God h known as ‘The Great Power,’ ” they said. 11 They paid this attention to him because for such a long time he had astonished them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip’s message about the good news of the Kingdom of God and about Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women. 13 Simon himself also believed; and after being baptised, i he stayed close to Philip and was astounded when he saw the great wonders and miracles that were being performed.
          14 The apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had received the word of God, so they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit. j 16 For the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any of them; they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
          18 Simon saw that the Spirit had been given to the believers when the apostles placed their hands on them. So he offered money to Peter and John, 19 and said, “Give this power to me too, so that anyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.”
          20 But Peter answered him, “May you and your money go to hell, k for thinking that you can buy God’s gift with money! 21 You have no part or share in our work, because your heart is not right in God’s sight. 22 Repent, then, of this evil plan of yours, and pray to the Lord that he will forgive you for thinking such a thing as this. 23 For I see that you are full of bitter envy and are a prisoner of sin.”
          24 Simon said to Peter and John, “Please pray to the Lord for me, so that none of these things you spoke of will happen to me.” l
          25 After they had given their testimony and pro-claimed the Lord’s message, Peter and John went back to Jerusalem. On their way they preached the Good News in many villages of Samaria.

Interesting Stuff:

e The number of believers multiplied as a result of these people preaching wherever they went, and the territory covered expanded greatly (see 11:19-20).

f Philip was the second name of the seven Greek-speaking leaders chosen in 6:5. He was one of the Greek-speaking believers expelled from Jerusalem in the persecution directed at the church in Jerusalem and became an evangelist, preaching wherever he went.

g The Samaritans were not considered as Gentiles but part of the ‘lost sheep of Israel’. They were also looking forward to the coming of a future deliverer because they based their belief in the God of the Pentateuch. Thus they paid close attention to what Philip had to say. Furthermore, God backed up Philip’s preaching with many miracles and wonders.

h The people thought that Simon was either God or a representa- tive of God because of the acts of magic which he had been performing.

i It is difficult to know whether Simon’s faith was genuine at this point. Even though he believed and was baptised, his heart was not right in God’s eyes (v. 21) and he was ordered to repent by Peter for his evil thoughts (vv. 22-23).

j The most likely explanation for why the Samaritans had not yet received the Spirit after they believed was that God Himself had withheld the Spirit until the coming of Peter and John. This was the first time the gospel had been preached not only outside Jerusalem but inside Samaria. The hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans had lasted a thousand years and in order to avoid the disaster of two separate churches forming, a Jewish one and a Samaritan one, God withheld the Spirit from the Samaritan converts until the apostles had come down to investigate and to lay hands and pray for them, as a token of fellowship and unity. The Samaritan converts were then given the Holy Spirit as a sign to all that they were incorporated into the redeemed community of God on the same terms as the Jewish converts. There was one body because there was one Spirit.The experience of the Samaritan converts was thus not to be interpreted as a normal pattern of experience for people as they come to repent and believe in Jesus. Becoming a Christian is a one-stage event, comprising repentance and faith, water baptism and Spirit baptism or the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

k This was an utterance of a curse, a warning to Simon regarding what would surely happen to him if he did not change his attitude. Simon regarded the giving of the Spirit as a bit of magic and thus he wanted to buy this magical power as he saw it. He did not realise the spiritual issues at stake.

l Whatever the result of this incident, the story indicates that there is the possibility of forgiveness even for serious sins committed by a baptised person.

Questions:

  1. What happened to the believers when they were persecuted in Jerusalem (v. 4)?

Hover Over for Answer:
When they were persecuted, they scattered and went everywhere preaching the message of the gospel.

2. Give an account of Philip’s ministry in Samaria (vv. 5-13).

Hover Over for Answer:
Philip went to the chief city in Samaria and preached about the Messiah to the people there. The crowds paid close attention to what he said as they saw the miracles he performed. Many people were delivered from evil spirits and many paralysed and lame people were healed. Thus there was great joy in the city. Those who believed, both men and women, were baptised. Among them was a magician named Simon who had astounded the Samaritans with his magical powers. Simon stayed close to Philip and was greatly aston- ished as he saw the miracles Philip was performing.

3. What did the apostles in Jerusalem do when they heard that the people in Samaria had received the word of God (vv. 14-17)?

Hover Over for Answer:
They sent Peter and John to Samaria. When Peter and John arrived there, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit for the Holy Spirit had not come down on them yet. Then they placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

4. Describe Simon the magician and what happened to him (vv. 9-13).

Hover Over for Answer:
Simon was someone who had been surprising the people of Samaria with his magic for a long time. He claimed that he was someone great and because of the magic he did, the people thought that he had the power of God and named him as ‘The Great Power’. When Philip preached about the Good News of the Kingdom of God, Simon himself also believed. After he was baptised, he stayed close to Philip and was astounded when he saw the great wonders and miracles that Philip was performing.

What did he do when he saw the believers receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (vv. 18-19)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He offered money to Peter and John, asking them to give the power they had to him so that anyone he placed his hands on would also receive the Holy Spirit.

5. How did Peter respond to his request (vv. 20-23)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Peter told him that he and his money could go to hell for thinking that he could buy God’s gift with money. He added that Simon had no part in their work because his heart was not right in God’s sight. Peter then asked him to repent of this evil plan and to pray to God for forgiveness for thinking of such a thing. He added that he could see that Simon was full of bitter envy and was a prisoner to sin.

6. What was Simon’s reaction to what Peter said (v. 24)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He asked Peter and John to pray to the Lord for him so that none of the things they spoke of would happen to him.

7. What did Peter and John do after they had finished their work in Samaria (v. 25)?

Hover Over for Answer:
They went back to Jerusalem and on their way, they preached the Good News in many villages in Samaria.

Summary of Section:

  1. The believers who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Good News. Philip went to the chief city in Samaria and preached to the people there.
  2. The crowds listened carefully to what Philip said as they saw the miracles he performed. Evil spirits were exorcised and many paralysed and lame people were healed. Thus there was great joy in the city.
  3. There was a man there named Simon who had been astounding the people with his magic for a long time. They said that he was that power of God known as ‘The Great Power’.
  4. But when the people heard the Good News of the Kingdom of God, many believed and were baptised, including Simon himself.
  5. Simon stayed close to Philip and he was astounded as he saw the great wonders and miracles that were being performed.
  6. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
  7. When they came, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit had not yet come down upon them. They had only been baptised in the name of Jesus.
  8. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
  9. When Simon saw that the Spirit had been given to the believers when the apostles placed their hands on them, he offered money to them. He asked them to give him that power so that anyone he placed his hands on would also receive the Holy Spirit.
  10. Peter cursed him and his money for thinking that he could buy God’s gift with money. He told Simon that he had no part in their work because his heart was full of bitter envy and sin, and was not right before God.
  11. He asked Simon to repent of his evil plan and to pray for forgiveness.
  12. Simon asked Peter and John to pray to the Lord for him that all the things spoken of him would not happen.
  13. After they had given their testimony and proclaimed the Lord’s message, they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they preached the Good News in many villages in Samaria.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. The scattering of the Christians led to the most significant step forward in the mission of the church. It required persecution to make them fulfil Jesus’ command in 1:8 of preaching outside Jerusalem.
  2. As the Christians moved to new areas, they found a ready response to the gospel, as shown by the response of the Samaritans to Philip’s preaching.
  3. The reception of the gospel by the Samaritans was very significant because it marked the overcoming of the hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans through their common faith in Jesus. It was also the begin- ning step towards the greater problem of bringing Jews and Gentiles together.
  4. This may provide the clue to the problem presented by the fact that the Samaritan believers did not receive the Spirit until the apostles laid hands on them. They were thus brought into fellowship with the whole church, including the Jewish Christians, and not just the Hellenistic Christians as represented by Philip.
  5. Luke seemed to have regarded Stephen and Philip as a pair. Both men belonged to the Seven, and so had social responsibilities in the Jerusalem church. Yet both were also preaching evangelists, and both performed public signs and wonders. Both paved the way for the church’s mission to the Gentiles. Stephen’s contribution lay in his teaching about the Temple, the Law and the Christ, and in the effects of his martyrdom. Philip’s contribution lay both in his evangelisation of the Samaritans and of the Ethiopian leader.
  6. It is not sure exactly what Simon claimed to be but at the very least he said he was some kind of heavenly power. The Samaritans normally revered Moses but rejected the prophets. Somehow, however, they had come under the spell of Simon with his occultic powers. Luke portrays him, however, as a magician who deceived the people by his tricks until the coming of Philip.
  7. We are not directly told what motive led the apostles at Jerusalem to send two of their number to visit Samaria when they received news of the favourable response of the Samaritans. It was probably that the spread of the gospel to the Samaritans must have been such a remarkable step that they had to go and see what was happening and give their approval. This happened later as well when Barnabas was sent to see what was happening in Antioch (11:22).
  8. The story concludes with how the apostles themselves preached to the Samaritan people in the many villages on their way back to Jerusalem. The Samaritan mission, begun by Philip, was carried on further by the leaders of the church at Jerusalem.

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