Acts 8:9-25 CSB
A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great. [10] They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, "This man is called the Great Power of God." [11] They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time. [12] But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. [13] Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed. [14] When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. [15] After they went down there, they prayed for them so that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit because he had not yet come down on any of them. [16] (They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) [17] Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. [18] When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, [19] saying, "Give me this power also so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit." [20] But Peter told him, "May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! [21] You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. [22] Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart's intent may be forgiven. [23] For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by wickedness." [24] "Pray to the Lord for me," Simon replied, "so that nothing you have said may happen to me." [25] So, after they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they traveled back to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
Tares with the Wheat
When you read the Bible, the history around the words opens a perspective that might not be seen. This is what we have today. Who is Philip, and who is Simon Magus—or as he is called in the book of Acts, Simon the Sorcerer? Both men bring a unique perspective. One wants to tell others about Jesus out of a humble heart so that they might hear and be saved. The other wants power and recognition, seeking the adulation of people.
We first meet Philip in Acts chapter 6, where he was selected as one of seven deacons based on his character. His task was to care for the Hellenistic widows—those who spoke Greek and were influenced by Greek culture—ensuring they were not overlooked. This heart for the marginalized likely explains why he later carried the Gospel beyond Jewish borders to the Samaritans, beginning to dismantle the ancient walls between Jew and Gentile.
Then there is Simon. He had practiced sorcery in Samaria for a long time, and everyone—from the ordinary citizens to the city’s leaders—gave him their full attention. They stood in the streets convinced he was the ‘Great Power of God.’ But when Philip arrived, the crowd’s focus shifted. As Philip spoke about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus, men and women were baptized in large numbers. Even Simon was among them. He was baptized and began to follow Philip everywhere, no longer leading the crowd, but watching with everyone else as miracles and signs were performed that he couldn’t explain.
Did Simon truly believe? His actions bring that into question. When the Apostles heard of the joy of the people believing in Jesus, they sent Peter and John. Peter and John realized that the Holy Spirit had been at work through the miracles they saw, but had not yet been given to any of the believers; the people were only being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. They laid their hands on the people, and the Spirit came. What a joyful time! Power was flowing to the people from God through the hands of His humble servants.
Now comes the heart of Simon, and it is a heart we must guard against. Seeing the Spirit move, he offered them money and petitioned, ‘Give me this power also so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit’. Simon did not understand that we serve God as humble servants, not so that eyes can be on us. It is about lifting up the Lord rather than ourselves. When the Holy Spirit works, it is so that ears might hear the Gospel and souls might be turned toward salvation. The Gospel is never for our own gain. Simon did not understand this.
Peter rebuked Simon with the discernment given by the Holy Spirit. Simon had wanted to buy power, treating the faith as another magic art he could purchase and master. But God’s gift cannot be gained with money, and Peter’s words stripped away Simon’s facade, exposing a heart “poisoned by bitterness and bound by wickedness.” Faced with the weight of this judgment, Simon’s bravado vanished. He did not offer a prayer of his own; instead, in a moment of trembling fear, he pleaded with the Apostles: “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” It was a cry for rescue from the consequences, though it remained to be seen if he truly sought a change of heart. As time moved on, the Apostles continued to testify and preach in many Samaritan villages before finally returning to Jerusalem.
Now comes the history given by the early Church Fathers—those who lived closer to the time of the early church. There is Irenaeus of Lyons, a pivotal 2nd-century figure described as the “spiritual grandson” of the Apostle John. One generation removed from the original Apostles, Irenaeus sat at the feet of Polycarp, hearing firsthand accounts of the Apostle John’s teachings.
Irenaeus and other early Church Fathers claim that the same Simon from our reflection was pivotal in the development of Gnosticism; Irenaeus even labeled him the “father of all heresies.” Justin Martyr recorded that Simon traveled to Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius, where followers deified him after being amazed by his magic. Hippolytus of Rome, acting as a chronicler of the early church, further documented that Simon’s teaching was a calculated mixture of magic and Greek philosophy. While the people in Acts 8 called him “the great power,” later traditions say he eventually claimed to be God appearing in different forms.
As we humbly hold onto our faith and tell others about Jesus, there will always be people like Simon who wonder, “What wealth or power can I get by associating with believers?” Since the beginning, many have left the early church and the teaching of the one true message for personal gain in one form or another. This pattern continues today as people depart to create destructive cults that lift themselves up rather than the Lord. The truth remains: there is only one Son of God, and He is the only way to the Father.
Reflection Questions
- Philip is often called “the Evangelist” and was one of the seven deacons, distinct from Philip the Apostle. How does his transition from serving tables to leading a city-wide revival show that God values faithfulness in small things before entrustment with large things?
- Simon was “amazed” by Philip’s signs and was even baptized, yet Peter said his heart was “not right before God.” Have you ever found yourself going through the motions of faith while still harboring a desire for personal status or control?
- Irenaeus of Lyons lived only one generation removed from the Apostle John. Why is it important for us to look at the testimony of the early Church Fathers to understand how the first believers guarded against false teachings like Gnosticism?
Prayer
Father,
We thank You for the clarity of Your Word, which exposes the true intent of our hearts. Like Philip, grant us the humility to serve where we are placed and the courage to carry Your light into divided places. Protect us from the spirit of Simon—from the temptation to treat Your gifts as commodities or Your grace as a means to our own glory. May we be content to be the “wheat” in Your field, growing in the Spirit and refusing the bitter poison of envy. Keep us tethered to the simple truth of the Gospel, passed down through the generations, so that our lives may point only to faith in You. In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
