Acts 8:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

NIV: When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

NASB: who came down and prayed for them that they would receive the Holy Spirit.

CSB: After they went down there, they prayed for them so the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit because he had not yet come down on any of them.

NLT: As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.

KJV: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

NKJV: who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

This and the following verses are among those passages of Scripture which require careful understanding of context and clear explanation. Philip, a Hellenistic Jewish Jesus-follower, has been evangelizing in a city of mixed-Jewish Samaritans. Many of these Samaritans are ready to follow Jesus. They've even been baptized. But they haven't yet received the Holy Spirit. John and Peter have come from Jerusalem to pray over the new converts and lay their hands on them so they can receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9–14).

It's important to understand that this is a description of events used by God to establish the very early church as it spread to people outside the devout Jewish community. The Holy Spirit waiting for Peter and John is no more the norm than the Holy Spirit waiting for the Day of Pentecost and imbuing the initial Jesus-followers with tongues of fire (Acts 2:1–4). Peter and John don't come because the Holy Spirit needs them, but because God wants to validate the new Samaritan church in two ways.

First, although Philip is known as a strong Jesus-follower and one of the first deacons (Acts 6:1–6), and although his message has been validated by miraculous signs (Acts 8:6–7), it's important for the Samaritans to have absolute certainty that they are joining the established church that worships Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and their way of salvation. Philip is a great man, but he's a deacon, not an elder of the church in Jerusalem, as the apostles are. Peter and John are known to be the foremost of Jesus' original followers. Their validation of Philip's message is somewhat similar to Jesus' validation of John's baptism (Matthew 3:13–17).

Second, the church in Jerusalem needs to validate that the Holy Spirit really can come to Samaritans. Samaritans haven't properly worshiped God since Jeroboam built two gold calves in order to keep his new kingdom religiously and politically separated from their kin in the southern kingdom (1 Kings 12:25–33). This validation is especially important for Peter, as he continues to have trouble understanding how people who are not Jewish can be accepted into what he sees as the ultimate fulfillment of Judaism (see Acts 10 and Galatians 2:11–14).

Acts 8:9–25 further describes the apostles' pursuit of Jesus' plan to bring salvation to those He chooses. Simon, a popular and presumably wealthy sorcerer, sees Philip's miracles. He especially notices the way the Holy Spirit comes on people when Peter and John lay their hands on them. Simon offers to buy their power. Meanwhile, Peter and John are in Samaria. The thought of Samaritans following Jesus goes against longstanding Jewish traditions. Yet the Samaritans are accepting Christ, and these messengers of the church are there to see the Holy Spirit come on them. God is not impressed by worldly popularity or wealth but on repentant, submissive hearts.

Jesus told the apostles they would spread the gospel (Acts 1:8) and persecution makes that happen. Upon the death of the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54–60), a young Pharisee named Saul builds on the momentum to arrest and, if possible, execute Jesus followers (Acts 8:1–3; 26:10). The apostles mostly stay in Jerusalem, but the church members flee, spreading the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Important encounters in this passage include a magician named Simon and the conversion of an Ethiopian court official.

Acts 1:8 gives the outline of the book of Acts; Acts 1—7 describes the spread of the gospel through Jerusalem; Acts 8:1—11:18 shows the gospel spreading in Judea and Samaria; Acts 11:19—28:31 sees the gospel spread to the ''end of the earth,'' finalizing in Rome. Ironically, although Paul is the central figure in spreading Jesus' good news to the ends of the earth, his early persecution of the church in Jerusalem is instrumental in spreading the gospel through Judea and Samaria.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.