Moving Beyond the Bounds of Judaism

Acts 8

We are going to move right along to the next chapter in Acts. Last week we read chapter seven. You may remember Stephen’s bold speech to the religious leaders. In the speech he recounted Israel’s history with God, starting with Abraham. God told Abraham to leave his country and his people and go to the place God would take him. This was an act of exodus. Stephen also described the exodus that God lead through Moses. The Israelites rejected Moses and God and desired to return to slavery in Egypt.

Then Stephen reminded them of their history of killing prophets that told of the coming of the Righteous One. They even rejected and killed the Righteous One when He did come. What really set them off was the next thing Stephen said. Full of the Holy Spirit, he looked passed the religious leaders to heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God and said, “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

In other words, “You have no authority. Your rule is over because God has sent the Righteous One and He now rules with God’s authority.” So they stoned him. They killed Stephen to protect themselves, to hold on to their power, to stop the spread of this new movement we now call “Christianity.” In chapter 8 we are going to see that it didn’t work. Obviously, it didn’t work because we are here today, two thousand years later, as disciples of the Righteous One who stands at the right hand of God!

While we have God to thank for loving us so much that He protected the early church and used the church to spread His Truth so that we could be a part of His legacy and His family, many people have suffered the same outcome as Stephen and died for being a follower of Jesus. And many other people have stood approvingly over their bodies, just like Saul.

Immediately after the stoning of Stephen the church scattered. The scattered church preached the Word wherever they went and God brought great joy to those released from their bondage to sin and death. In chapter eight Luke follows one of the seven men who was chosen along with Stephen to serve their church. His name was Philip. Chapter eight also focuses on two men who Philip encountered as he was spreading the Gospel. There is a lot to learn from these encounters, so let’s pray before we dive in…

Pray

Before we read chapter eight, it is important to know that there is a whole lot happening at this point. As we read through the bible today, this moment appears to be a significant shift, but if we aren’t careful we can miss so much context that we may be largely unfamiliar with. The most important aspect to remember at this point is the fact that this moment in the church’s history marks a shift in the focus of the Gospel from the Jewish community to the non-Jewish community.

Jesus commissioned the Apostles to spread God’s Word, and Luke describes that spread by drawing a geographic picture. In other words, starting in “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It’s super easy to read this and think, “Of course! How else will the Good News spread? Christians still go on foreign missions today, so it makes sense.” However, this is much more than a spread from one town to another. It is a significant moment in the history of Christianity. It is a major moment in Jewish history.

I think Stephen outlined it very well, if we can just wrap our heads around it. For the Jewish people, it is their new exodus! The reason this is important is because to the religious Jews, outsiders are unclean. We’ve talked about the people who Jesus and the apostle’s healed of their illnesses. The reason that was important is because these people were seen as unclean. Gentiles, and even Half-Jews were also seen as unclean. Unwelcome.

So, Jesus probably raised a few eyebrows when He said, “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and SAMARIA...” They may have done what we do today and started looking around the room to see if anyone was going to question Jesus about this plan. Another way that Luke gives us context about this being a big deal is in the last two chapters. Does anyone remember the church’s first major problem? The whole reason we were introduced to Stephen, Philip, and the other five guys was because of a dispute between the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews. Both groups were Jews, and they still couldn’t get along.

Now the story is moving to Samaria! Do you know who lives in Samaria? Samaritans! EWW!! Half-Jews. Soon, this story will move further away from Jerusalem to the Gentiles! How will that go over? Now that we have a little context, let’s look at chapter eight.

As I said earlier, this chapter is centered around Philip’s mission after being scattered. Luke portrays Philip as a prophet. Much of the imagery drawn in this story reflects that of Elijah, but I will leave that exciting study for you to find! In his travels, Philip encounters two key figures. The first is a guy named Simon. Verses 9-11 describe Simon…

Acts 8:9–11 NLT

9 A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. 10 Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” 11 They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic.

Many people believed and were baptized as Philip proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God, including Simon. Bookmark Simon for just a minute and because Luke shifts focus to a very important moment in the history of the spreading Church.

This is where some interesting things start happening and it becomes important to remember the context we just talked about. The disciples are in Samaria and these Half-Jewish people are accepting the Word of God. Can this even happen? Can these unclean people be welcomed into God’s family? News of this gets to the apostles in Jerusalem, so they send Peter and John to check it out…

Acts 8:15–17 NIV

15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

This passage might trip your brain up a little. Didn’t the believers already receive the Holy Spirit? Why did the apostles show up and appear to gift it to them? As I said, the context really matters here. If you are taking notes, here are some important take-aways from this passage. First of all…

The apostles are verifying the legitimacy of the spread of the church beyond Judaism

it is important to know that the apostles retained authority over the entire church at this point. Whenever something monumental happens, the apostles are there to witness it, almost as if they are signing off on it. When the dispute happened between the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews, the apostles were there to set the practice for handling issues like that one. In a way, they set the vision for the church and gave authority to believers who met a certain criteria.

Now, the church faces a new potential problem. These unclean people are becoming believers. So, as one of my commentaries says, the apostles “sent Peter and John to verify its legitimacy.” There was a deep-seated hostility between Jews and Samaritans that went back centuries. The Jews looked down on the Samaritans for not being pure Jews, and the Samaritans resented the Jews for their arrogance. There could be no denying that they should be included among the believers.

In order to verify what was happening, the apostles also needed to witness the gift of the Holy Spirit being given to the Samaritans…

The apostles witnessed what some call the “Samaritan Pentecost”

It may seem odd that the Holy Spirit had not come on any of them. Many scholars believe that God chose to have a dramatic filling of his Spirit as a sign at this special moment in history. This moment is a parallel of the Pentecost that the apostles had experienced in chapter two. This is a unique and important moment for the believers, just like Pentecost. If God chose not to wait for this moment to share His Spirit with the Samaritan believers and the apostles authority had not have participated in it, it is easy to see how the church could have immediately split and weakened. Something that would have been crippling in the church’s infancy.

With the apostles verifying, witnessing, and participating in this new phase, there would be no question that the Samaritans had received the new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit in the same way that the Jewish Christians had. This would show that they should be counted as full members of the one true church and that neither group would exclude the other from the church. This isn’t the last time that this will happen. The church has moved from Hebraic Jews, to Greek Jews, and now to Half-Jews. We still have another step to go. Non-Jew! We will see Peter witness this gift spread to the Gentiles in chapter ten.

Speaking of the potential to spoil the good fruit that God is producing in His people… Remember Simon? While the apostles were in Samaria and after the Holy Spirit was given to the believers, Simon decided that he needed that ability in his bag of magical tricks!

Acts 8:18–19 NIV

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

In other words, Simon saw what the apostles had done and wanted the power to do that for himself! At face value, he appears to want to be a part of spreading God’s gift to others, but when we ponder what is happening it just doesn’t make sense. First of all, we know that subsequent to God formally gifting the Holy Spirit, followers of Christ receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. Paul said it this way to the Ephesians…

Ephesians 1:13–14 NIV

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

See also Romans 8:9 and 1 Corinthians 6:11.

So what Simon asks for doesn’t make sense. It’s not a power that can be obtained. How do the apostles react?

Acts 8:20–24 NIV

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” 24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

In other words, Peter is giving him a very strong rebuke that implies that Simon had not genuinely come to Christ. This is difficult to process though, because Luke said that Simon believed and was baptized. Unfortunately for us, the Greek word for “believe” can be used to describe a wide range of responses to God and to Christ. It can mean anything from “think to be true” to “believe to the extent of complete trust.” James even said, “Even demons believe there is one God and shudder.” (2:19)

Apparently Simon believed the same way that demons do. In fact, if we do a quick extra-biblical study on Simon we learn some interesting things about him. According to Justin Martyr, Simon was given the power of magic and was revered as a god in Rome where they even erected a statue of him. Irenaeus said that he was the father of Gnosticism and that he founded a cult. He was said to have corrupted Christians in Rome by his teachings and repeatedly went up against Peter in their displays of “magical powers.”

In short, he was a bad dude. Unfortunately, Luke doesn’t tell us what happened to him. Simon’s story is interesting, but it almost feels stapled on and we never see the absolute conclusion of it. Was his encounter here before or after all of his bad acting? Did this encounter with Peter change anything in him, or is it what made him oppose Christianity in such a public way? We don’t know, but I think his story is here for a reason. Here are three thoughts that stand out to me…

Simon’s story is a warning that…

It’s possible to know the Scriptures of God while not knowing the God of the Scriptures. (Matthew 9:10-13)

It’s possible for religious leaders to be far from the Lord and ignore what matters to Him. (Matthew 7:15-20)

The spiritual battle the believers face will exist outside of Jerusalem and the religious leaders. (John 16:31-33)

These are all warnings that Jesus gave the apostles, and Simon’s story still warns us today. To word these phrases in a way that makes sense today you could say…

Don’t be someone who goes to church just to tick the box. It’s vitally important to know and have a relationship with God than to simply know and believe there is a God. That is what the religious leaders did. They knew God well enough to quote scripture, but they didn’t know the heart behind the scripture. We know we can’t cross the double yellow lines when driving down the road, but do we know why? What if a dog or even a kid runs out into the road? Do you stay in the lane because that’s what the law says? Or is the purpose of the law to protect life?

Watch out for false teachers. Just like Simon’s example, you will know them by their fruit.

To me, this last thought is most likely why Luke included it. It seems to fit with the theme, anyway. Just as the apostles validate the expansion of Jesus’ community of believers, Simon’s story shows us that the expansion isn’t breaking the church away from persecution. The problems aren’t solely coming from the religious leaders. It’s a spiritual battle that will exist outside of Judaism. It will exist all over the world because it isn’t a Jewish problem. It’s a spiritual battle against an evil adversary. It’s a Satan problem. It’s a sin problem.

Jesus warned the apostles that a time was coming when they would be scattered. He told them that they would have trouble in this world, not just this city. Not just this religious system. The entire world. The good news is that He has overcome the world!

I spent more time on Simon’s half of the story than I intended to, but let’s go ahead and quickly look at the next person that Philip encounters in this chapter.

After the events at Samaria, an angel of the Lord told Philip to head South. On his trip, Philip encountered an Ethiopian eunuch who was an important official. As a eunuch, he would have been considered unclean and not allowed into the inner courts of the temple. Even so, he went to Jerusalem to worship God and was leaving with a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which he was reading when Philip approached the mans Chariot.

This passage is chocked full of Old Testament connections. For one, the man is reading from the Old Testament! One of my commentaries points out that it is especially significant that he is reading from Isaiah because Isaiah held out the promise that God would grant devout eunuchs a heritage “better than sons and daughters.”

Isaiah 56:3–5 NIV

3 Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let no eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.” 4 For this is what the Lord says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.

Who knows? Maybe this passage inspired him to obtain the scroll for himself. Regardless, he was reading from a different passage while Philip was near his chariot. That’s when Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading and in response the man asked Philip to join him and help him understand.

Acts 8:35–39 ESV

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

As I said, there is a lot of Old Testament imagery here. Throughout this chapter, Philip is portrayed as a prophet-like figure. Here at the end we are given some connections to Elijah. Specifically the fact that Philip is speaking to a eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, and then at the end he suddenly vanishes due to the work of God’s Spirit (similar to Elijah being suddenly taken away on a God’s chariot). The Eunuch is from Ethiopia, which is the land of Cush. The land of Cush was promised redemption by God in Isaiah as well.

There are many more connections, but the point is that this passage is absolutely loaded! If you were a Jewish person reading this, there would be a giant flashing red light and fire alarm going off in your head. When we consider this passage with the first part of chapter eight, I believe the main idea is that Stephen was right! Stephen was absolutely right and this thing is moving forward and out of Jerusalem and it has God’s finger prints on it and the apostles stamp of approval!

This is the new exodus! The king has come! The promised Holy Spirit is here! God has unauthorized the old leadership and Jesus is in charge. God has restored His temple and the temple that rejected so many in the name of religion no longer holds His presence. Jesus is the gate and all who enter through Him will be saved.

It’s also worth noting that this passage also likely exists to complete the idea of the Holy Spirit being gifted to the “less than” Jews that was presented in the first part of chapter eight. Chapter 11 will do the same thing when the Gentiles are welcomed into the church. Based on the presence of the Holy Spirit after the Eunuch’s baptism, it is possible that Luke is completing the thought he started before. What some call the “Samaritan Pentecost.”

This is largely inferred because Luke only says that the man went on his way rejoicing. However, it is important to note that the apostles had already returned to Jerusalem and there was no need for them to return to lay hands on this man. If this story occurred later in his writing we could assume that it may not have been an important enough detail for Luke to write about it every time, but this is part of the same story about Philip’s ministry.

Some manuscripts do include writing that directly parallel’s this text with that of the Spirit’s coming on believers at Pentecost and Samaria. In these manuscripts, verse 39 reads…

Some manuscripts set up a parallel of expression with the Spirit’s coming on believers at Pentecost and in Samaria:

“The Holy Spirit fell upon the eunuch, and the angel of the Lord suddenly took Philip away”

Regardless of the tiny and obscure details, the important point that Luke is making remains. Opposition to God will not stop this movement that is growing the body of believers. If anything, the opposition is only making it grow more rapidly. Not even those who are leading the charge against the followers of Christ are immune to God’s Word. Next time we will see how Saul, the man who witnessed and approved of Stephen’s murder, encounters God and has the most radical transformation in the Bible! He goes from chasing and murdering Jesus’ disciples to becoming one and having the largest positive impact on the spread of Christianity.

Until then, let’s go on our way rejoicing about the Good News of Jesus!

Pray