Pretty Crazy Story

In this passage, we see Simon, a poser, has gained attentive followers through his wizard tricks. It seems he is enjoying the ruse and “all the Samaritans” think he’s amazing.

The Samaritans turn their awe to Philip when he proclaims the name of Jesus. It appears they don’t need to see signs from Philip, they just become believers right and left.

When I read the Bible, I am often trying to see how this applies to my life or how the story relates to our current world. This passage is difficult to sort into those views. I can’t picture a situation where I would be following someone with good magic tricks. I may not be looking deep enough to see an analogy.

I also can’t picture someone being so quickly swayed to decide to follow Jesus after hearing the news of the kingdom. Maybe the Samaritans had been waiting for a spot in the kingdom for so long, they jumped on the wagon when they heard it.

Do we have friends or contacts who are consciously waiting for news of the kingdom or for us to proclaim the name of Jesus? When my interactions with non-believers turn to discussions of Jesus, I often find they’ve heard the news and the name of Jesus and have consciously determined following Jesus isn’t for them. With this background, when I read this story, it is surprising how the Samaritans joined so quickly.

We read a lot in Acts about how people were swayed by signs and wonders. Do you see signs and wonders today that would sway those who decided Jesus wasn’t for them?

The second thing in this passage that spikes my questioning meter is the statement that after the Samaritans became believers and were baptized (only?) in the name of the Master Jesus, the Holy Spirit hadn’t yet fallen on them. Whoa! I didn’t know there were additional steps required!

I expect there are a few explanations of this passage that fit certain theologies, but I don’t really want to hear them right now. I’m going to sit with the mystery of the Holy Spirit for a while.