Acts Chapter 8
Several interesting “food for thought” incidents are found in this chapter, starting with the great persecution that troubled the church in Jerusalem, leading to the dispersion of members to the regions of Judea and Samaria.
Our first natural reaction to such acts of atrocity is usually disgust mingled with sadness and indignation. We may also be baffled and bewildered, questioning why such things happen to the people of God. If Paul (here known as Saul) had not later converted to Christianity, he will probably remain as one of the most hated characters in the bible.
Our Lord Jesus has already forewarned in John 15:20 that persecution is to be expected, which James fully understood and expounded in James 1:2 to 4; the purpose, intent, and attitude that one ought to bear when facing persecution.
Another point worth considering is our perception of an aggressor. If someone, who is like Saul, does mean things, wreak havoc, and cruelly oppress others, besides immediately branding the person as an evildoer, wicked and depraved, enemy (of the cross of Christ), do we have the open mind that such individuals may, like in the case, of Paul also receive the grace of God.
Let us not shut the door that God has not shut.
Notwithstanding the number of people in Samaria who are baptized, it does seem out of place that no one received the Holy Spirt until the arrival of the apostles. While no answer to this is offered in the records of Luke, we can speculate that this may be linked to Simon the Sorcerer. Verse 10 strongly suggests that Simon had a deep impression on the people in Samaria. Verse 16 highlights “For as yet He had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Did the believers in Samaria adequately cut off their fascination with the occult? Is their faith purely based on the miracles and signs that they witnessed? Peter and John’s work in Samaria entailed not only praying for and with the believers (verse 25), the grounding in the word of the Lord, in establishing the right foundation in Christ is of pertinent importance.
The next incident that intrigued me is the conversation between Peter and Simon the Sorcerer. When Simon entreated Peter to pray for him, the conversation strangely appear to stop abruptly without any conclusion to the matter. Did Peter accede to the request of Simon to make intercession for him or did Peter brush him off?
Perhaps a non-answer speaks louder than a verbal answer. To understand this, we put ourselves in the position of Peter. What will our response be when a member approaches us to pray for them?
If we are truly concerned for their well-being, we will give assurance and encourage the person to pray sincerely about the matter as well. We do not answer when we are either speechless, flabbergasted, or deeply disappointed in the person. “For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (verse 23) shows how serious Simon’s spiritual state is.
While Simon is clearly startled by the words of Peter, he did not appear to be deeply concerned about the matter to show the repentance that God requires. Literature outside the Bible suggests that there was no real repentance shown by Simon, but rather a heretic who is an enemy of the cross of Christ.
We do not need to spend time studying Simon to see if this was so. The point, rather for our consideration, is to always look inwardly at ourselves. As John the Baptist reminded the people who came to him. We need to show fruits worthy of repentance. While it is good, and also needful, for us to ask others to help intercede for us, the onus is on us to devote even more time and effort on the matter.
