Acts 8:4 - Meaning and Application

Samson’s riddle is answered here again, “Out of the eater comes food, and out of the strong comes sweetness.” The persecution meant to wipe out the church became, by God’s overruling providence, a means of spreading it. Christ had said, “I have come to send fire on the earth,” and when people tried to scatter those who had been lit by that fire, they only helped spread it farther.

Here is the general account of what they all did, in Acts 8:4: they went everywhere, preaching the word. They did not hide in fear of suffering, and they did not put themselves on display as if proud of suffering either. Instead, they moved from place to place, carrying the knowledge of Christ to every place where they were scattered.

They went everywhere, even into Gentile territory and the cities of the Samaritans, places they had once been forbidden to enter (Matthew 10:5). They did not stay together as one group, though that might have made them stronger. They scattered through all parts of the land, not to rest, but to find work.

They went out evangelizing the world, preaching the word of the gospel. This was what filled them, and this is what they tried to spread through the country. Those of them who were ministers preached openly, and the others spoke of Christ in ordinary conversation. They were now in a region where they were not strangers, because Christ and his disciples had already spent much time in Judea. So a foundation had already been laid there, and the people needed to hear what had become of the teaching Jesus had given there earlier, so they would not think it had been lost and forgotten.

Now we come to a more specific account of Philip’s work. We will hear later about the progress and success of the others (Acts 11:19), but here we must follow Philip. This was not Philip the apostle, but Philip the deacon, one of the men chosen to serve tables. He had used that office well and had gained a good standing and great confidence in the faith (1 Timothy 3:13). Stephen was advanced to the place of a martyr, and Philip to the work of an evangelist.

When Philip took up that new work, he had to give himself to the word and prayer. So he was no doubt released from serving as a deacon, for how could he keep serving tables in Jerusalem while he was preaching in Samaria? It is likely that two others were chosen in the place of Stephen and Philip.

Now observe the wonderful success Philip had in preaching, and the welcome he received. The place he chose was the city of Samaria, the chief city of that region, the capital where the old city of Samaria had once stood, the city built by Omri (1 Kings 16:24), now called Sebaste. Some think this was the same as Sychem or Sychar, the Samaritan city where Christ had been (John 4:5). Many people there had believed in Christ then, though he had done no miracle among them (John 4:39, 41), and now Philip carried on the work that had begun three years earlier.

The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, but Christ sent his gospel to destroy such hostility. He especially meant to unite Jews and Samaritans into one church. Philip preached Christ. He made Christ the whole message, because he chose to know nothing else. He announced Christ to them, just as a king is proclaimed throughout his realm when he takes the throne. The Samaritans were already expecting the Messiah’s coming, as John 4:25 shows. Now Philip told them that the Messiah had come, and that the Samaritans were welcome to him.

Ministers are to preach Christ, Christ crucified, and Christ glorified. To prove his message, Philip performed miracles (Acts 8:6). These miracles showed that he had a commission from heaven, so people were not only free to trust what he said, they were bound to submit to it. God, who is truthful, would never set his seal on a lie. The miracles could not be denied. They heard and saw them. They heard his commanding words and saw their immediate effect, that he spoke and it was done.

The miracles matched the purpose of his mission and gave it honor. He was sent to break the power of Satan, and so unclean spirits were commanded in the name of the Lord Jesus to leave many who were possessed by them (Acts 8:7). Wherever the gospel truly gains ground, Satan loses his hold on people, and they are restored to themselves and to sound judgment. While he holds them, they are like people out of their minds.

Wherever the gospel is received as it should be, evil spirits are driven out. This includes especially unclean spirits, meaning the sinful urges of the flesh that fight against the soul. God has called us from uncleanness to holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). The casting out of these spirits from people’s bodies pointed to that greater work. They came out crying with a loud voice, which shows they left unwillingly and under force, while being compelled to admit defeat before a greater power (Mark 1:26; Mark 3:11; Mark 9:26).

Philip was also sent to heal people’s minds, to cure a sick world, and to bring it into a healthy state. To show this, many who had palsy and many who were lame were healed. These diseases are named because they were hard to cure by natural means, so the miracle would be more striking. They also pictured the disease of sin and the moral weakness that keeps people from serving God. The grace of God in the gospel is meant to heal those who are spiritually lame and paralyzed, unable to help themselves (Romans 5:6).

Philip’s doctrine, supported in this way, was well received in Samaria (Acts 8:6). The people with one accord gave attention to what Philip said. The miracles first caught their interest, and then, little by little, they came to believe. There is reason to hope for people when they begin to pay attention to what is said about their souls and eternity. There is hope when they begin to listen to God’s word gladly, wanting to understand it, remember it, and see that it concerns them.

The common people gave attention to Philip, a large crowd of them, not just a few here and there. They were all of one mind that the gospel’s teaching should be examined carefully and heard fairly.

The people’s joy came from hearing Philip preach and from the way many believed his message (Acts 8:8, 8:12). There was great joy in that city. Philip preached about the kingdom of God, that is, its order, its laws, its practices, its freedoms and blessings, and the duty of all people to serve it faithfully. He also preached the name of Jesus Christ, the King of that kingdom, making known all that Jesus had revealed about himself.

The people did more than listen. In time, they became convinced that Philip’s message came from God, not from man, and they gave themselves to it. They were also turned away from the mountain where they had long worshiped and had placed so much religion. Now they became true worshipers, who worship the Father in spirit and truth, and in the name of Christ, the true temple (John 4:20-23).

When they believed, and without hesitation though they were Samaritans, they were baptized. They openly confessed the Christian faith, promised to stay faithful to it, and were solemnly welcomed into the Christian church by washing with water. In the Jewish church, only men could enter by circumcision. But in Christ, there is neither male nor female (Galatians 3:28). Both are equally welcome to him, so the first initiatory ordinance is one that women can receive too. Women are counted among God’s spiritual Israel, though not among Israel by physical descent (Numbers 1:2). From this, it is easy to see that women should also be admitted to the Lord’s Supper, even though it does not appear that any were present when it was first given.

This brought great joy. Each person rejoiced for himself, like the man in the parable who found treasure hidden in a field. They also rejoiced for the good now brought to their city, especially since it came without resistance, which would hardly have happened if Samaria had been under the chief priests’ control. The spread of the gospel anywhere is a true cause of great joy. For that reason, the Old Testament often speaks of the gospel’s spread as joy among the nations: “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy” (Psalm 67:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:6). The gospel does not make people gloomy. When received as it should be, it fills them with joy, because it is good news of great joy for all people (Luke 2:10).

What made the success of the gospel in Samaria even more remarkable was the work of Simon Magus, a magician who had gained a strong influence there. To unlearn what is bad is often harder than learning what is good. These Samaritans were not idolaters like the Gentiles, and they were not blocked by old family traditions against the gospel. Yet many of them had recently followed Simon, who made a great display among them and had strangely deceived them.

The force of Satan’s deception can be seen in how this great deceiver gained control. Simon had been in the city for some time, practicing sorcery. He may have come there at the devil’s urging, soon after Jesus had been there, to undo what Christ had begun to do there. Satan has always tried to crush good work while it is still small, as Paul notes (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5). Simon first claimed something impressive for himself. He said that he himself was some great one, and he wanted everyone to believe it and honor him that way. He did not aim to improve their lives or their worship, only to have them believe he was “some great one,” perhaps even the Son of God, the Messiah, or an angel or prophet. He may not even have been sure what title to claim, but he wanted to be regarded as extraordinary. Pride and a love of greatness have caused much harm in both the world and the church.

The people gave Simon the honor he wanted. Everyone listened to him, from the least to the greatest, young and old, poor and rich, rulers and the ruled (Acts 8:10-11). They were likely the more ready to do this because the time set for the Messiah had passed, and people were expecting someone great around then. He may also have been from their own country, which made them more willing to honor him and, in doing so, to honor themselves. They said, “This man is the great power of God,” meaning either the power of God itself, or, more exactly, that great power by which the world was made. See how ignorant and careless people can mistake Satan’s work for God’s work. In the Gentile world, demons are treated as gods. In the antichrist’s kingdom, the whole world marvels after the beast, whose power comes from the dragon and who speaks blasphemies against God (Revelation 13:2-5).

They were led into this by Simon’s sorceries. He had bewitched the people of Samaria (Acts 8:9, 8:11), either by tricking their minds so they became deeply fooled, or by doing signs and lying wonders that looked like miracles but were not real, like the magicians of Egypt and the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:9). While they knew no better, they were influenced by his tricks. But once they saw Philip’s true miracles, they could plainly see the difference. One was real, the other was fake. The difference was as great as between Aaron’s rod and the rods of the magicians. What is the chaff compared with the wheat? (Jeremiah 23:28).

Even though Simon Magus, the magician, had had a strong influence over them, and people are usually reluctant to admit they were wrong, they still changed. When they saw the difference between Simon and Philip, they stopped listening to Simon and gave their attention to Philip instead. This shows how powerful divine grace is. By that grace, working through the word, those who had been held captive by Satan were brought to obey Christ, who is truth itself.

Where Satan, like a strong armed man, had held control and thought himself secure, Christ, who is stronger than he is, drove him out and took the spoil. He led captivity captive and turned people the devil had boasted over into trophies of his victory. We should not give up hope even for the worst sinners, when even people bewitched by Simon Magus were brought to believe.

There is something even more amazing here, Simon Magus himself became a believer, at least in outward profession, for a time. Was Saul also among the prophets? Yes, Simon himself believed also (Acts 8:13). He became convinced that Philip preached the truth because he saw the teaching confirmed by real miracles. He could judge this well because he knew from his own conscience how fake his own tricks had been.

His present conviction went far enough that he was baptized and received into the church, as other believers were. We have no reason to think Philip was wrong to baptize him, or wrong to do it quickly. Even though Simon had been very wicked, a sorcerer, and someone who claimed divine honors, he had made a serious profession of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Great sin before conversion does not keep true repentant people from God’s grace, and it should not keep professing believers from church fellowship.

When prodigals return, they should be welcomed home gladly, even if we cannot be sure they will not wander again. It may even be that Simon was only a hypocrite, still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of sin all along, and would soon have been shown to be so if he had been tested. Still, Philip baptized him, because it belongs to God alone to know the heart. The church and its ministers must make a judgment of charity, as far as they can. A legal rule says that, until the contrary appears, we should assume the better side. And church discipline follows the same principle, the church does not judge hidden secrets, because only God judges the secrets of the heart.

His present conviction lasted long enough that he stayed with Philip. Though he later fell away from Christianity, he did not do so right away. He sought Philip’s company, and the man who had once claimed to be great was now willing to sit at the feet of a gospel preacher. Even very bad people can sometimes be in a very good frame of mind. And those whose hearts still chase money may still come among God’s people, and even remain with them for a time.

This conviction was stirred up and sustained by the miracles. Simon was amazed to see himself so completely surpassed in signs and wonders. Many people admire the evidence for divine truth, even though they never feel its saving power.