A Work in Progress Bible Commentary
By: Chip Crush

ACTS
CHAPTER 8

As Stephen died – traditionally considered the first martyr – Saul, later to be known as the apostle Paul, looked on, and a great persecution began to sweep over the Jewish Christians in the Jerusalem church, at the hands of Jewish non-Christians. And this was a good thing. Let’s take a look and notice why.

1)      V1-3 – 1And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. 4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

Luke reveals that, with Stephen’s martyrdom, “a great persecution broke out…and all except the apostles were scattered” (v1-2). Many reasons for the apostles to remain in Jerusalem while other believers scattered have been suggested. It seems the other believers left for safety, while the apostles remained because of their calling. Some scholars have argued that they should have left Jerusalem voluntarily long before this to spread the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, as the Great Commission commands. But others have stood steadfast on the importance that a church leader (pastor, or in this case, apostle) must not leave his congregation to bare the brunt of persecution. Just as the ship’s captain is the last one to abandon a sinking vessel, and in many cases he goes down with the ship, so the pastor remains to salvage what he can and fight for the truth. But this does not serve as a rebuke to those who fled Jerusalem. On the contrary, the good shepherd will run his sheep out of a dangerous place to safety while he brings up the rear to ensure their safety. So the sheep in Jerusalem were scattered, and the apostles remained. But good comes from this circumstance, as Luke does not tell the story to cause panic or mourning; rather, he tells the story as a praise to God, for v4 reveals that “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” They didn’t flee in embarrassment over their beliefs, and their faith wasn’t shattered due to persecution; rather it was strengthened. And the scattered believers were empowered to share their faith more boldly outside Jerusalem.

2)     V4-13 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city. 9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

Luke gives an example of the believers who were scattered sharing the gospel wherever they went. He tells of Philip, not the apostle mentioned in the gospels (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; John 1:43-46), but the deacon from Acts 6:5, who proclaimed Christ in Samaria and was empowered to work miracles (v5,13). God worked through Philip to exorcise demons and heal the lame; much joy came to the unnamed city in the region of Samaria where Philip preached. Scholars point to the fact that there had been a city named in Samaria in the region of Samaria, but it was destroyed during the Macabbean reign of Jon Hyrcanus (120ish BC). The largest city in the region in Philip’s day would have been Shechem, or Caesarea. We later find Philip, called the Evangelist (Acts 21:8), in Caesarea with his prophetess daughters, but this doesn’t confirm that he went there at this point in his ministerial efforts.

In v9, we meet Simon the Sorcerer, who had captivated the Samaritans for some time with his magic. They had even come to call him “the divine power known as the Great Power.” But Philip’s miracles and preaching brought the Samaritans to faith in Christ, and even Simon was captivated by Christ; he was baptized and began following Philip to learn from him. This, unfortunately, is not the end of Simon’s story, as we’ll see in the next passage.

3)     V14-25 – 14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” 24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” 25When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

The apostles, who had remained in Jerusalem, heard of Philip’s success with the gospel in Samaria, and they sent Peter and John to confirm the news, as well as likely to ensure that proper next steps were taken. In a most interesting pronouncement by Luke, the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon the Samaritan believers, even though they had “been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus” (v16). Most often in Acts we find that the Holy Spirit accompanies water baptism; but sometimes He precedes baptism and other times, as here, He comes well after baptism. Perhaps this is to show that baptism is not the saving mechanism in the equation. Calvin notes that the Samaritans had indeed received the Holy Spirit, since He is the agent of regeneration and faith; faith cannot be saving if it doesn’t proceed from the Spirit. He says that they simply had not received – or revealed – any gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, by which the other believers in the early church had proven the genuineness of their faith. Consider Calvin’s words:

“Baptism must either be in vain and without grace, or else it must have all the force which it hath from the Holy Ghost. In baptism we are washed from our sins; but Paul teacheth that our washing is the work of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5). The water used in baptism is a sign of the blood of Christ; but Peter saith, that it is the Spirit by whom we are washed with the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:2). Our old man is crucified in baptism, that we may be raised up unto newness of life (Romans 6:6); and whence cometh all this save only from the sanctification of the Spirit? And, finally, what shall remain in baptism if it be separate from the Spirit (Galatians 3:27)? Therefore, we must not deny but that the Samaritans, who had put on Christ, indeed, in baptism, had also his Spirit given them; and surely Luke speaketh not in this place of the common grace of the Spirit, whereby God doth regenerate us, that we may be his children, but of those singular gifts wherewith God would have certain endued at the beginning of the gospel to beautify Christ’s kingdom. Thus must the words of John be understood, that the disciples had not the Spirit given them as yet, forasmuch as Christ was yet conversant in the world; not that they were altogether destitute of the Spirit, seeing that they had from the same both faith, and a godly desire to follow Christ; but because they were not furnished with those excellent gifts, wherein appeared afterwards greater glory of Christ’s kingdom. To conclude, forasmuch as the Samaritans were already endtied with the Spirit of adoption the excellent graces of the Spirit are heaped upon them, in which God showed to his Church, for a time as it were, the visible presence of his Spirit, that he might establish for ever the authority of his gospel, and also testify that his Spirit shall be always the governor and director of the faithful.”

In v18, we see that there was visible evidence that the Holy Spirit had indeed been given to the Samaritan believers at the prayer and upon the laying on of the apostles’ hands. They must have exhibited some sort of proof, as again, in the speaking in tongues or some other evidence. But Simon the Sorcerer, seeing the Spirit indwell believers, offered to pay for the ability to give the Spirit (v19). Peter was horrified at the thought of such bribery, as perhaps the sellers of indulgences ought to have been in the Middle Ages and Reformation Era, and he rebuked Simon harshly, demanding his repentance. While we don’t see Simon’s repentance, he does ask for Peter’s prayer, that nothing bad would happen to him. We aren’t told anything more of Simon the Sorcerer; perhaps he was saved from bitterness and slavery to sin, humbled, and truly became Simon the believer. But Peter and John, we are told, returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel along the way in many Samaritan villages.

4)     V26-40 – 26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” [37 Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]  38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Luke returns to Philip the Deacon Evangelist, claiming that an angel told him to head south. (Luke writes far more of angels than the other gospel writers, but I’m not sure what to make of that.) Along the way, Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch – a castrated man, due to his role as servant to the queen (Candace). It appears that he was a Jew, Jewish convert, or at least a pious man, a God-fearer, as he was in Jerusalem to worship God. He was also reading Isaiah on his way home.

In v29, Philip is given instructions by the Holy Spirit to approach and remain near to the chariot of the Ethiopian man. Philip, undoubtedly given words to say, overheard him reading aloud asked him if he understood what he was reading. This account is interesting, for I wonder why the man was reading aloud, and how it was that Philip asked that particular question. Clearly, though, from v31, this was a divine appointment, as the eunuch was wide open, practically begging for Philip to explain Isaiah to him. I have been blessed with a number of divine appointments in my life – most notably in Ukraine – so I like to think that I get Philip’s experience here.

In v32-33, we learn what the Ethiopian was reading, Isaiah 53:7-8. Presumably he had read the previous verses as well, as far back as Isaiah 52, where the context for Isaiah 53 is found. The Lord’s salvation is coming, said the prophet, and He will be wounded – even killed – for our sins. The Ethiopian man reads this and asks if Isaiah is talking about himself or someone else. In other words, was Isaiah going to suffer as a substitute for sinners? Or was there another savior? It seems to be a reasonable question. And Philip, led by the Spirit, was ready to respond.

I think of 1 Peter 3:15: “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Philip started “with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” We ought to be able to do this. When someone says, “I thought the Bible says this,” we should be able to say, “Yes, and it points to Jesus in this way.” The importance of baptism is revealed by the fact that the eunuch wanted to be baptized as he was hearing the gospel from Philip (v36). The eunuch wouldn’t have thought of it unless Philip had included it in his explanation. When you share the gospel, do you include anything about baptism? In the presentation I learned in Ukraine, there is significant mention of the follow up to faith. In other words, the gospel isn’t about easy-believism; saving faith is a fruitful faith that results in obedience and good deeds. But baptism isn’t mentioned in most standard gospel presentations, likely because there is division among believers as to the mode and motive for baptism. This is strange, given that Peter’s first gospel presentation in Acts 2 offered “repent and be baptized” as the follow up to faith. Perhaps with the ritual of infant baptism, especially in mainline denominations, such as Catholicism and Methodism, and the Orthodox Church, where we find perhaps a larger percentage of unbelieving participants than in denominations teaching believer baptism, one or two things has happened. First, unbelievers hear the gospel and are effectively reminded of the truth they grew up with, and therefore remember that their parents had them “christened” as infants and that must count as baptism. Or second, the argument is immediately made that so-and-so is a Christian and has never mentioned baptism, or didn’t experience baptism with the same method, mode, or motive, so it becomes insignificant. Therefore, we learn a great deal from the eunuch, who heard the gospel and wanted to respond by being baptized. How many hear and are glad but refuse or despise baptism? How can this be? It must cause us to question the faith of those who respond but refuse the symbol of grace provided by God. At the same time, we recognize that baptism doesn’t save, nor does it prove that one’s faith is legitimate. The confusion, therefore, is reason enough to omit the topic from standard gospel presentations. Perhaps the Spirit, through wisdom and discernment, will provide the preacher with the right words and recommendations for the audience on a case-by-case basis.

Interestingly, v37 is omitted from most renderings of Scripture. You may find it in your footnote. It reads, after the eunuch asked why he should not be baptized, “Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ The eunuch answered, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” Now this verse is omitted, because it doesn’t appear in the earlier manuscripts and is therefore presumed to have been added later. And if this is the case, we shouldn’t treat it as inerrant and infallible, though it may still be. For example, if I say that my body is 98.6 degrees, that may be an inerrant statement; you can prove it to be so by taking my temperature with a thermometer. It’s not an infallible statement, however, because my body temperature can change, either if I come down with a fever, in which case my temperature would rise, or if die, in which case my temperature would drop significantly! The statement “Two plus two equals four,” is both infallible and inerrant, but it is not the word of God. So, when Acts 8:37 is read, it may be true and right and good and worthy of inclusion in our comments, but we might should avoid calling it Scripture. Notice from it that Philip doesn’t demand baptism for the eunuch. It’s completely up to him. Philip doesn’t appear to consider excluding him from fellowship if he decides to wait. But the eunuch wants it. And Philip is glad to consent, provided that he believes. And the eunuch does in fact profess his faith, at which time the chariot stops and they go down into the water for the baptism to be performed.

Finally, v39-40 reveal that the Holy Spirit suddenly took away, or “raptured,” Philip, leaving the Ethiopian eunuch to merrily continue on his way home to tell this good news to his countrymen. Perhaps the eunuch thought Philip had been an angel sent to reveal this good news to him. He could do nothing but rejoice, rather than wonder about Philip’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, “Philip appeared appeared at Azotus,” which was probably a very short distance from the desert road to Gaza (20 miles or less), and he preached the gospel as made his way to the north and back to Caesarea, where he would eventually settle. 

Footnotes

  1. 8:5 Or Messiah
  2. 8:7 Greek unclean
  3. 8:16 Or in
  4. 8:27 That is, from the upper Nile region
  5. 8:33 Isaiah 53:7,8
  6. 8:36 Some late manuscripts baptized?" 37 Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."


Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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