Acts 8
Acts 8 is where the gospel begins to move. With Stephen's death, a storm of persecution hits Jerusalem. The church scatters. But scattering is not defeat - it is sowing. Disciples who run are disciples who tell. In just a few verses, Philip stands in Samaria, preaching Christ to a people the Jews despised. Miracles follow. Simon the sorcerer watches, astonished. Peter and John travel north to lay hands on new believers. And then the Spirit sends Philip on a dusty road to meet an Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah 53, sitting alone in a chariot. The gospel is no longer Jerusalem's secret. It belongs to the Samaritan, the sorcerer, the outcast, the foreigner. Acts 1:8 is beginning to come true: “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Watch how barriers crumble in this chapter. A city despised by Jews welcomes the gospel. A man who trafficked in false power watches true power work and is changed. An eunuch - barred by law from the temple - reads Scripture, understands Jesus, is baptized, and goes away rejoicing. This is what the Spirit does when He is free to move. He makes room for everyone.
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People in this chapter
Brother of Andrew, partner of James and John. Renamed "Peter" (Rock) by Jesus. Confessed Christ as Son of God; denied him on the night of his arrest; was restored on the lakeshore and preached the first Pentecost sermon.
Acts 8:1-3Saul Makes Havoc
1And Saul was consenting unto his death: and at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
Saul stands at the edge of the text, approving Stephen's execution. He is not a minor player - he is a young, zealous Pharisee burning to defend the law against what he sees as apostasy. Within verses, he will become the chief persecutor.
Saul enters every house - dragging men and women from their homes. His zeal is not passive disapproval; it is violent action. The church is hunted. Yet notice: the apostles stay in Jerusalem. The scattered ones - the ordinary disciples - are the ones who carry the gospel outward 3.
The verb “haling” is brutal. To drag, to haul. This persecution is not theoretical. It is physical, systematic, household by household. Yet it will become the very engine that spreads the gospel across Judaea and into Samaria.
Acts 8:4-8The Scattered Ones Preach the Word
4Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. 5Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7For unclean spirits crying with loud voice came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8And there was great joy in that city.
The church is hunted, and the result is not silence - it is preaching everywhere. Every believer became a messenger. Not the apostles alone, but the ordinary scattered ones. This is how the gospel moves: by the faith of people who have nothing to lose but their lives, and have already given those to Christ.
Philip appears here as a deacon (Acts 6), not an apostle. Yet he goes to Samaria - enemy territory. The Jews did not eat with Samaritans, did not speak with them, did not go near them. Philip preaches Christ to them without hesitation. The barriers that centuries of history built, the Spirit begins to dismantle. Samaria itself - the city Philip enters - was excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority and is now known as Sebaste, revealing the architecture and religion of first-century Samaria2.
The possession and deliverance are real. Unclean spirits cry out and leave. The lame walk. The text does not spiritualize or soften these acts. Philip's preaching is accompanied by genuine power over darkness.
Joy marks the city. This is the first harvest outside Jerusalem. And it begins with someone - Philip - willing to cross a line everyone else thought was fixed forever.
Acts 8:9-13Simon the Sorcerer Believes
9But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. 12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
Simon sees the real thing and believes. He hears about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, and he turns. Even he - a man who built his identity on false power - recognizes truth when he meets it. The story of Simon Magus appears again in early church tradition and apocryphal texts, showing how seriously the church took both his initial belief and his later temptation to commodify the Spirit.
Simon follows Philip. He watches. He is astonished. The Greek word suggests he is amazed, even beside himself with wonder. He has seen sorcery work for years, but he has never seen anything like this.
Acts 8:14-17Peter and John Lay Hands; The Spirit Falls
14Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
The apostles in Jerusalem hear the news and send Peter and John. Notice the humility here - the apostles recognize that the Spirit is working in Samaria through Philip, and they do not see it as a threat. They come to strengthen and confirm what God has already begun.
The Samaritans believed and were baptized, but had not yet received the Holy Ghost. They had the outward form of faith but not yet the inward gift of the Spirit. The apostles' presence and prayer complete what Philip had begun.
The laying on of hands is the apostolic act. Through it, the Holy Ghost is given. This is not magic or manipulation. It is the means the apostles used to bring new believers into full communion with the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
Acts 8:18-24Thy Money Perish With Thee
18And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 20But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22Repent therefore of this wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. 24Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
Simon offers money. The Greek word is chrema - money, wealth, the means of transaction. Simon thinks in commercial terms. He has always bought power and influence. Now he assumes the Spirit's power can be purchased too.
Peter's rebuke is harsh: "Thy money perish with thee." Not gently, but clearly. Simon thought he could buy what only the Spirit can give 4. Peter calls this wickedness and demands repentance. The Spirit is free. Grace is not merchandise.
Peter holds out hope: if Simon will repent and pray, perhaps the thought of his heart may be forgiven. The transaction mentality is the sin. But repentance is possible. Simon must turn from trying to buy and learn to receive.
Acts 8:25-26The Spirit Sends Philip South
25And the apostles, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. 26And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
Philip is in the middle of success. Samaria is responding. He has the apostles' affirmation. And the Spirit calls him to leave it all and walk a desert road. Philip obeys immediately. No negotiation. No "but I'm useful here." Just obedience to the Spirit's call.
Acts 8:27-35The Ethiopian Eunuch Reads Isaiah 53
27And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
The eunuch is a man of power - he manages the treasury of a queen. The "Candace" (or Kandake) he serves was a ruler of Nubia and ancient Kush, a historical title documented in archaeological and epigraphic sources. But he is also a man of exclusion. By Jewish law, eunuchs were barred from the temple. He traveled far to worship, yet was kept out. He wants to know God, but the door is closed.
The eunuch is reading Isaiah 53 - the Suffering Servant passage. "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away." These are the verses about Jesus's passion, written seven hundred years before He was born. The eunuch does not understand them. He asks: who is this? Is it the prophet speaking about himself? The same Isaiah 53 text survives in the Dead Sea Scrolls1, allowing us to compare the Hebrew Bible with its most ancient copies.
Acts 8:36-40Baptized on the Way
36And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
There is no waiting. No committee to approve. No ceremony to prepare. The eunuch says, "Here is water. What hinders me?" and Philip baptizes him on the spot. Faith that sees and acts immediately. The only requirement: belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
After the baptism, the Spirit of the Lord catches Philip away. The work is done. Philip has preached Jesus from Isaiah 53, the eunuch has believed, he has been baptized, and now the Spirit removes Philip. The eunuch does not see where he goes. But the eunuch knows he is changed.
Further study
- Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)Israel Museum Dead Sea Scrolls Digital LibraryDigital collection of the Great Isaiah Scroll, including Isaiah 53 in ancient Hebrew, preserved from the first century BCE.
- Sebaste Excavations (Samaria)Israel Antiquities AuthorityArchaeological excavations of ancient Samaria (Sebaste), revealing the urban context of Philip's mission in Acts 8.
- Persecution and Gospel DispersionCambridge UPHistorical analysis of how Christian persecution triggered diaspora and the gospel's expansion beyond Jerusalem.
- Scholarly examination of the concept of simony - attempting to buy spiritual power - from Simon Magus through church history.
- Isaiah 53 and the Suffering ServantIntertextual BibleIntertextual links between Isaiah 53's Servant passages and their fulfillment in Christ's passion and redemption.