Acts 8

Acts 8:1

Good News for Everyone An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Acts www.easyenglish.info Marion Adams This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 8 Saul *persecutes the Christians, 8:1-4 v1 Saul approved of Stephen’s murder. That same day, the Christians in *Jerusalem suffered very much. All the *believers left the city, except the *apostles. The *believers went through the *provinces called *Judea and *Samaria. v2 Some *holy men buried Stephen. They remembered him as they cried out sadly with loud voices. v3 But Saul continued to cause trouble for the Christians. He went from house to house. He dragged out the *believers, both men and women and he sent them to prison. v4 The *believers who had left the city went everywhere. And they told the good news to people.

Verses 1-4 Three important things happened because of Stephen’s death.

1. Immediately, Saul began to *persecute the Christians in *Jerusalem. He was very cruel. The *Greek word for ‘cause trouble’ shows this. He even searched in people’s houses to find the *believers.

2. Many *believers left *Jerusalem. Probably many of them were *Jews who spoke *Greek, like Stephen. They travelled far across *Judea. They also went to *Samaria, in the north. They went in many different directions. But the *apostles stayed in *Jerusalem.

3. People outside *Jerusalem heard the good news about Jesus. The *believers who had left *Jerusalem did not hide. They were bold. And they *preached the *gospel wherever they went.

The ‘*holy men’ (verse 2) who buried Stephen were probably not *believers. Some students think that they were *Jews. There were many *Jews who were not *believers. Not all such *Jews hated the *Christians. Philip in *Samaria, 8:5-8 v5 Philip went to a city in *Samaria. He *preached about the *Messiah there. v6 The crowds heard what Philip said. And they saw that he did *miracles. They listened carefully to him. v7 Evil *spirits screamed when they came out from many people. Many people who could not move became well. Many people who had something wrong with their legs became well too. v8 So, the people in that city were very happy.

Verses 6-8 Philip was one of the 7 helpers (Acts 6:5). The *apostles had chosen them to distribute food to the poorer *believers. So, then, because the helpers distributed the food, the *apostles did not have to do it any longer. Therefore, the *apostles had much more time to *preach. Philip had worked with Stephen. The *apostles had chosen them to do practical work. But God also used them to *preach. Stephen had *preached to the *Sanhedrin. Now Philip was *preaching to the people in *Samaria. This was a brave thing to do.

*Jews and *Samaritans had been enemies for 1000 years. A long time ago, they had lived in the same country. But the *Samaritans’ *ancestors had moved north. They had made *Samaria their capital city. They had married local people, who *worshipped false gods. The *Samaritans *worshipped God on *Mount Gerizim, not at *Jerusalem. They read only the first five books in the *Old Testament. *Jews and *Samaritans hated each other. They did not usually speak to each other. But Jesus had talked with a woman who was a *Samaritan (John 4:4-30). And he had told a story about a good *Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Now Philip was telling the good news about Jesus to the *Samaritans.

When Philip *preached, the evil *spirits left people. They were not able to control people any longer. Also, many sick people became well. *Miracles happened when Philip spoke about Jesus, the *Messiah. People knew that the message in the *gospel is true. Jesus *saves everyone who believes in him. He protects them from evil things. He cures their diseases and he gives joy to people. A man who does magic believes in *Christ, 8:9-13 v9 A man called Simon lived in that city. Before Philip came, Simon had done magic. He had astonished the people in *Samaria with this magic. He said that he was a very important person. v10 Everyone in the city, both rich people and poor people, took notice of him. They said, ‘This man has power from God. He is called “The Great Power”.’ v11 They took notice of him for a very long time. That was because he used magic to astonish them. v12 But then, they believed Philip’s message. They believed the good news about God’s *kingdom and about Jesus *Christ. They all received *baptism, both men and women. v13 Simon also believed and he received *baptism. Afterwards, he followed Philip everywhere. He saw great *signs and *miracles that astonished him.

Verses 9-11 Simon, who lived in *Samaria, did magic. People thought that he had God’s power. But Simon’s power did not come from God, because God does not allow people to do magic (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Simon used magic to make people follow him. He wanted them to think that he was an important person.

But Philip did *miracles by God’s power. Philip did not want people to follow him (Philip). And he did not want them to think that he was special. Instead, he wanted people to believe in Jesus.

Verses 12-13 Many people did believe in Jesus when Philip *preached. They all received *baptism. Even Simon believed and he received *baptism too. We do not know whether Simon really believed in Jesus. Perhaps he was jealous because the people did not follow him now. So, perhaps he pretended to believe in Jesus because he wanted to be close to Philip. Perhaps Simon wanted to do *miracles. Perhaps he wanted Philip to teach him! Of course, this could not happen. The power to do *miracles comes from God. It does not come from people. Peter and John go to *Samaria, 8:14-17 v14 The *apostles in *Jerusalem heard that people in *Samaria had believed God’s message. So, they sent Peter and John to them. v15 When these two *apostles arrived, they prayed. They asked that the *believers would receive the *Holy Spirit. v16 They did this because the *Holy Spirit had not come onto anyone among them yet. They had only received *baptism into the name of the *Lord Jesus. v17 Then Peter and John put their hands on the *believers. And then the *believers received the *Holy Spirit.

Verse 14 John came to *Samaria with Peter. That is interesting because, once before, John had wanted God to destroy a village in *Samaria (Luke 9:51-56). But now he wanted God to *save the *Samaritans.

Verses 15-17 These verses can be difficult to understand. This is because all *Christians have the *Holy Spirit. They receive the *Holy Spirit when they first believe.

Students have different ideas about what Luke meant here. Perhaps what happened to the *Samaritans was very unusual. Perhaps the *Samaritans who were *Christians needed to meet the *Jewish *Christians. They needed to receive *baptism into one body. (‘One body’ here means one group, the *church. Look at 1 Corinthians 12:13.) Otherwise they might have started a separate *church, just for *Samaritans.

But many Christians believe that *Christians can have another experience from the *Holy Spirit. This is sometimes called ‘the *baptism with the *Holy Spirit’. A similar thing happened to the *believers at *Pentecost. Often, when people are having this experience, they speak with ‘tongues’. (Look at the note about Acts 2:4.) They may show that they have other gifts from the *Holy Spirit, like *prophecy.

We may have different opinions about what Luke meant. But this must not cause bad feelings towards other *Christians. We agree that all *believers have the *Holy Spirit in them. But *believers can have different experiences from the *Holy Spirit.

The writer mentions ‘*baptism into the name of the *Lord Jesus’ (verse 16). People used the *Greek words for ‘into the name’ in business. Those words meant that something had belonged to one person. But now someone else owned it. That thing had come ‘into the name’ of this other person. So, when a person receives *baptism into the name of the *Lord Jesus, that person now belongs to Jesus. Jesus is now that person’s *Lord and master. Peter and Simon, 8:18-25 v18 Simon saw when the *believers received the *Holy Spirit. It happened when the *apostles put their hands on them. He offered money to Peter and John. v19 He said, ‘Give this power to me, too. I want people to receive the *Holy Spirit when I put my hands on them.’ v20 But Peter replied, ‘You and your money should go to hell! You thought that you could buy God’s gift with money! v21 You cannot do our work with us. You cannot have a part in it.

God sees that you are not honest. v22 *Repent about your evil plan and pray to the *Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you that you had such bad thoughts. v23 I can see that you are very bitter and jealous. You are like a prisoner in your own *sin.’ v24 Simon said to Peter and John, ‘Please pray to the *Lord for me. Then nothing that you have said will happen to me.’ v25 Peter and John told what they had seen the *Lord do. And they *preached his message. Then they returned to *Jerusalem.

As they went, they *preached the good news. They *preached it in many villages in *Samaria.

Verses 18-21 As the *believers received the *Holy Spirit, something happened. Everyone could see the *Holy Spirit’s power. Luke does not say what people saw. He does not say whether they heard anything. Perhaps the *believers spoke with ‘tongues’. (Look at the note about Acts 2:4.) Or maybe they showed great joy. But whatever happened, it was real.

Simon, too, could see the Holy Spirit’s power. But he thought that the power came from Peter and John. He wanted it too. He had become a *Christian for the wrong reasons. And he had received *baptism for the wrong reasons. He wanted power over people. He wanted people to think that he was important. So, he tried to buy the power. But we cannot buy God’s gifts with money. They are free. *Believers must use them to show God’s power to people. They must not use God’s gifts to make themselves look important. Peter was very angry with Simon. This was because Simon’s *faith was not real. Peter reminded him that God knew this. God knows everything about a person. Other people see the things that we do. But only God knows the reason why we do those things.

Verses 22-24 However, there was still hope for Simon. Peter told him to *repent. Simon would have to pray to God. Simon would have to change. He could not use God’s power for selfish reasons any longer. Peter said, ‘Perhaps he (God) will forgive you.’ Simon could say ‘sorry’ to God. But if Simon did not mean it, God would not forgive him. However, God always forgives people if they are sincere.

Peter could see that Simon was jealous. Simon wanted the power that the *apostles had. His bad thoughts made him unhappy. So, it was as if those thoughts were keeping him in a prison. His *sin was like a prison. That is what *sin does to us. It hurts God. It hurts other people. And it hurts us. Only Jesus can save us from the results that *sin causes.

Jesus said, ‘Everyone who *sins is a slave to *sin. The slave does not belong to a family for always. But a son belongs there for always. If the Son frees you, then you will be really free’ (John 8:34-35). So, *sin is like a prison, but there is a way out from that prison. Simon saw that there was a way out from it. So, he asked the *apostles to pray for him.

Verse 25 Peter and John returned south to *Jerusalem. As they travelled through *Samaria, they talked about Jesus. They talked about him in many more villages there. Philip meets an important man from Ethiopia, 8:26-29 v26 An *angel of the *Lord spoke to Philip. ‘Get ready’, he said. ‘Go south, to the road called the desert road. It is between *Jerusalem and Gaza.’ v27 So, Philip got ready and he went. On the way, he met a man from Ethiopia. This man was an official. He did an important job for Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. He took care of all her money and valuable things. He had gone to *Jerusalem to *worship God. v28 Now he was going home and he was sitting in his carriage. He was reading the book that the *prophet Isaiah wrote. v29 The *Holy Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to that carriage and stay close to it.’

Verse 26 Philip himself probably told this story to Luke. He may have told it when Luke and Paul stayed in Philip’s house (Acts 21:8). God ordered Philip to go south. The road from *Jerusalem to Gaza was very busy. It continued past Gaza to Africa.

Verses 27-29 Ethiopia was in North Africa. The man that Philip met was probably a black person from Africa. This man had a very important job. He worked for the queen. ‘Candace’ was the name that people always called the king’s mother.

Luke wrote that ‘he (the official) had gone to *Jerusalem to *worship God’ (verse 27). The official may have been born as a *Jew. Or he may have decided to follow the *Jewish religion. Many people did that even if they were not born as *Jews. They did not want to *worship false gods. They wanted to follow the *Law. So, they *worshipped with the *Jews and they read the *scriptures.

As he travelled home, this official was reading the *scriptures. He was reading the book called Isaiah. Again, God told Philip what to do. And Philip obeyed. *Christians must always listen to the *Holy Spirit. This is especially true when we want to tell people about Jesus. The *Holy Spirit tells us where to go. He tells us what to do. And he tells us what to say. But we must be willing to listen and we must always obey. Philip tells the good news, 8:30-35 v30 Philip ran over to the carriage. The man was reading from the book that the *prophet Isaiah wrote. And Philip heard him. Philip asked him, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ v31 The man answered, ‘I cannot understand it unless someone explains it to me.’ The man invited Philip to get into the carriage. Philip was sitting by his side. v32 The passage that he was reading from *scripture was this.

‘They led him like a sheep that they would kill.

He did not say even one word.

He was like a lamb (very young sheep) that makes no sound.

It makes no sound when they cut off its wool.

v33 They made him feel ashamed

and they were unfair to him.

Nobody can speak about his *descendants

because his life on earth has finished.’

v34 The official asked Philip, ‘Tell me. Was this *prophet talking about himself? Or was he talking about someone else?’ v35 So, Philip began to speak. He started from that passage in *scripture. And he told the good news about Jesus to the official.

Verses 30-31 The official was reading aloud and Philip heard him. That was not unusual. Everyone read aloud at that time. The passage from Isaiah was a *prophecy about the *Messiah. This was an opportunity for Philip to talk about Jesus. And Philip realised it. So, he asked the official whether he understood the passage. The official did not understand that *prophecy. He needed help to understand it. So, although he was important and clever, he asked Philip to help him. This shows that the official was a humble man.

We must be humble like this, too. We may need help to understand *spiritual things. Then, especially, we must be humble enough to ask for help. And we must be willing to help other people. God wants us to learn more about him all the time. He wants us to know him better. It is good to talk to other *Christians about God.

Verses 32-35 The passage from the *Old Testament is Isaiah 53:7-8. It is about the Servant who suffered. That Servant is Jesus, the *Messiah. (Look at the note about Acts 3:13-15.) Philip used the passage so that he could begin to talk about the good news. *Jews who lived in the first century did not expect their *Messiah to suffer. They expected him to beat the *Romans. But Jesus had described himself as a Servant, who would suffer. (For example, look at Mark 10:45.) When Jesus had risen from death, he met two *disciples. They were going to a town called Emmaus.

As they walked, Jesus explained the *Old Testament *prophecies to them. He showed how these *prophecies referred to the *Messiah (Luke 24:13-27). Philip did that also. He answered the official’s questions. The *prophecy was about Jesus. So, Philip could use it to explain the good news to the official. Philip *baptises the official, 8:36-40 v36 As they went along the road, they came to some water. The official said, ‘Look! Here is some water. I can receive *baptism.’ v37 Philip said, ‘You may receive *baptism if you really believe.’ ‘I do believe’, the official replied. ‘I believe that Jesus *Christ is God’s Son.’ v38 The official gave orders to stop the carriage. Then both Philip and the official went down into the water. And Philip *baptised the official. v39 When they came up from the water, the *Lord’s Spirit took Philip away. The official did not see him again. But the official had very much joy as he continued his journey. v40 Philip appeared in Azotus and he travelled in the area. Along the way, he *preached the good news about Jesus. He *preached it in every town until he reached Caesarea.

Verses 36-38 The *Holy Spirit had already prepared the official to hear the good news about Jesus. Then the *Holy Spirit sent Philip to him. As soon as the official heard the good news, he believed it. He wanted Philip to *baptise him immediately.

We cannot force a person to believe in Jesus. The person has to be ready. The *Holy Spirit prepares a person. But the person has to hear the good news about Jesus. Otherwise, he or she cannot believe it. So, we must also be ready. We must be ready to tell people about Jesus. We must be ready to answer questions about our *faith.

Some people are like the official. They believe the good news about Jesus immediately. Other people need more time to think about it. People become *Christians by means of the *Holy Spirit’s work. But we can help. We must ask God how we can help.

Another writer may have added verse 37 after Luke had finished Acts. *Believers said the words in verse 37 when they received *baptism. The official also said those words. Those words show that he was a real *believer. He was not like Simon who lived in *Samaria (verses 9-24).

Verses 39-40 After Philip had *baptised the official, the *Holy Spirit took Philip away. The *Greek word for ‘took away’ (harpazo) means ‘to seize’. It happened suddenly. Philip appeared again in the north and he continued to *preach there.

Luke does not mention the official again. Irenaeus, a writer in the second century, wrote that the official went back to Ethiopia. He wrote that the official *preached to the people there. We do not know whether this is true. But certainly, the good news about Jesus had started to spread to the *Gentiles.

© 1997-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2005

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