Observation
Setting. The day of Stephen’s burial in Jerusalem (vv1–3). The scattered believers go out through Judea and Samaria (v4). Philip preaches in “the city of Samaria” (v5); Peter and John come down from Jerusalem (v14) and preach in Samaritan villages on the way back (v25). Then an angel sends Philip south to the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza (v26), where an Ethiopian official is riding home (vv27–28). The chapter ends with Philip at Azotus and preaching up the coast to Caesarea (v40).
Structure:
- vv1–4 — scattered: Saul in hearty agreement (v1a); a great persecution; all scattered except the apostles (v1b); devout men bury Stephen (v2); Saul ravages the church (v3); the scattered go about preaching the word (v4).
- vv5–13 — Philip in Samaria: Philip proclaims Christ (v5); the crowds hear and see signs; unclean spirits, the paralyzed and lame healed (vv6–7); much rejoicing (v8); Simon’s magic and fame — “the Great Power of God” (vv9–11); they believe and are baptized (v12); even Simon believes, is baptized and is constantly amazed (v13).
- vv14–25 — the Spirit and Simon: apostles hear Samaria has received the word (v14); prayer; the Spirit had not yet fallen (vv15–16); hands laid, the Spirit received (v17); Simon offers money (vv18–19); “May your silver perish with you” — no part or portion, heart not right, repent, gall of bitterness (vv20–23); “Pray to the Lord for me” (v24); return through Samaritan villages (v25).
- vv26–35 — the chariot: “Get up and go south” (v26); the Ethiopian eunuch, treasurer of Candace, reading Isaiah (vv27–28); “Go up and join this chariot” (v29); “Do you understand what you are reading?” — “how could I, unless someone guides me?” (vv30–31); Isaiah 53:7–8 (vv32–33); “of whom does the prophet say this?” (v34); Philip preaches Jesus (v35).
- vv36–40 — baptism and joy: “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (v36); [v37, bracketed in the NASB: the confession]; both go down into the water; he is baptized (v38); the Spirit snatches Philip away; the eunuch goes on rejoicing (v39); Philip at Azotus, preaching to Caesarea (v40).
Repeated words, with counts:
- “Philip” ×14 — vv5, 6, 12, 13, 26, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40 (v37 is bracketed).
- “Spirit / Holy Spirit” ×9 — vv15 (×2), 17 (×2), 18, 19 (×2), 29, 39 (counting pronoun “He” in v16 would make ten).
- “Jesus / Christ” ×7 — vv5, 12 (×2), 16, 35, 37 (×2); outside v37, ×5.
- “preaching / preached / proclaiming” ×6 — vv4, 5, 12, 25, 35, 40.
- “Lord” ×6 — vv16, 22, 24, 25, 26, 39; “God” ×6 — vv10, 12, 14, 20, 21, 37.
- “baptized” ×5 — vv12, 13, 16, 36, 38.
- “Samaria / Samaritans” ×5 — vv1, 5, 9, 14, 25; “Jerusalem” ×5 — vv1, 14, 25, 26, 27.
- “eunuch” ×5 — vv27, 34, 36, 38, 39.
- “Isaiah / the prophet” ×5 — vv28 (×2), 30 (×2), 34.
- “Simon” ×4 — vv9, 13, 18, 24; “believed / believe” ×4 — vv12, 13, 37 (×2).
- “water” ×4 — vv36 (×2), 38, 39; “receive(d) / receiving” ×4 — vv14, 15, 17, 19.
- “word” ×3 — vv4, 14, 25; “heart” ×3 — vv21, 22, 37; “pray / prayed” ×3 — vv15, 22, 24.
- “money / silver” ×3 — vv18, 20 (×2); “magic” ×2 — vv9, 11.
- “rejoicing” ×2 — vv8, 39, the two ends of Philip’s ministry here.
Contrasts: Saul ravaging ⟷ devout men mourning (vv2–3). Scattered ⟷ preaching (v4). Simon’s magic ⟷ Philip’s signs (vv9–13). “Great Power of God” ⟷ the gift of God (vv10, 20). Money ⟷ a gift (v20). A heart not right ⟷ believe with all your heart (vv21, 37). A crowded city ⟷ a desert road (vv5, 26). A multitude ⟷ one man (vv6, 27). Simon asks others to pray for him ⟷ the eunuch asks for baptism (vv24, 36). Philip taken away ⟷ the eunuch goes on rejoicing (v39).
Shape of the chapter: two scenes of Philip’s ministry — one public, one private — each ending in baptism, with the Simon episode in the middle as a warning. The word moves outward exactly on Jesus’ map: Jerusalem (v1), Judea and Samaria (vv1–25), and on toward the remotest part of the earth (vv26–40).
Chapter theme (my words): God turns persecution into a missionary movement. The gospel crosses the old wall into Samaria and goes home to Africa in a chariot. It cannot be bought, only received by faith, and where it is received there is joy.
Interpretation
Who was scattered? “They were all scattered … except the apostles” (v1). Guzik calls them “accidental missionaries”; Sproul: “Those who were scattered proclaimed the gospel of Christ everywhere they went.” Henry reads it narrower: “not all the believers, but all the preachers, who were principally struck at.” Acts 8:3 and 11:19 suggest a broad scattering; either way, the people who preached were not the apostles.
Why did God use persecution? Acts 1:8 had been given; the church had stayed in Jerusalem. Spurgeon: “Yet it was that persecution that made the disciples go abroad, everywhere preaching the Word!” Guzik sees Stephen’s death as seed. God was not caught off guard by Saul; He used him before He saved him.
Did Simon really believe? The text says he “believed” and was baptized (v13), and then that his heart was “not right before God” (v21). Guzik leaves it open — nothing before v13 shows his faith was false, it would be “tested by his conduct,” and “We don’t know what became of Simon.” Sproul is firm: “Peter knew right away that Simon’s profession of faith was spurious.” Henry: Philip baptized on a judgment of charity; “The disguises of hypocrites many times are soon seen through.” I lean with Sproul and Henry — Peter’s words “no part or portion” and “the gall of bitterness and … the bondage of iniquity” describe a lost man — but the point for me is the warning: a man can be impressed by miracles, baptized and close to the ministry, and still want Christ’s power without Christ.
Why did the Samaritans receive the Spirit later (vv14–17)? Elsewhere the Spirit comes with faith (Acts 2:38; 10:44; Eph 1:13). Guzik lists five views; one is that God held back the gift until the apostles came so that Samaria and Jerusalem would be one church, not two rival bodies — the old Jew–Samaritan split healed in Christ. Guzik himself prefers the view that they were born again and received a filling with gifts through the apostles. Sproul calls it the extension of Pentecost to non-Jews. I read it as a one-time, transitional moment as the gospel crossed each new line in Acts 1:8 (compare 2:4; 10:44–46; 19:6), not a pattern of a second blessing for every believer.
What was Simon’s sin? He wanted to buy the authority to give the Spirit (v19). Guzik: “Simon thought that the Holy Spirit was merely a power that could be bought or sold.” Sproul: “God is simply not for sale.” The church named the sin after him — simony.
Why Isaiah 53? The eunuch was reading 53:7–8 in the Greek version (hence small differences from our Hebrew-based Isaiah). His question — “of whom does the prophet say this?” (v34) — is the question; Guzik notes the Jews debated Israel, Isaiah or Messiah. Philip “beginning from this Scripture … preached Jesus” (v35), as Jesus Himself had done on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:27). Sproul: “Not one word of the New Testament was yet in print.”
What about verse 37? The NASB prints it in brackets because the oldest Greek manuscripts lack it; it is in the KJV from later manuscripts. Guzik and Henry comment on its words without raising the question; Sproul does not mention it. The confession it records is true — faith in Christ with the whole heart comes before baptism (Rom 10:9) — and verse 36 already implies it, since the man had just heard Jesus preached. I will not build anything on verse 37 that the rest of the chapter does not already teach.
Baptism — mode and meaning. Guzik reads “went down into the water” as immersion. Sproul: “There is not one word in this text about the mode of baptism.” Both agree on the order: the gospel heard, faith, baptism without delay. Sproul (citing Cullmann) hears an early-church question in “What prevents me?” and notes that a simple profession was enough.
Snatched away (v39). Harpazō is the word of 1 Thess 4:17. Guzik compares Philip’s removal to the catching up of the church. I see a small picture of the rapture here — sudden, by the Spirit, and the one left behind is not left without the Word (Spurgeon: “The Spirit of the Lord did not take away the Bible—that was left for the eunuch”).
Word study (Greek):
- scattered — diaspeirō (G1289): to scatter like seed; vv1, 4; 11:19.
- preaching the word — euangelizō (G2097): to tell good news; vv4, 12, 25, 35, 40.
- ravaging — lymainomai (G3075): to lay waste; only v3 in the NT.
- proclaiming — kēryssō (G2784): to herald; v5.
- joy — chara (G5479): v8; rejoicing (chairō) v39.
- magic — mageuō (G3096) / mageia (G3095): vv9, 11; “Great Power” — dynamis (G1411), v10.
- gift — dōrea (G1431): v20; Acts 2:38; John 4:10.
- part / portion — meris (G3310) / klēros (G2819): v21, a share in the inheritance.
- repent — metanoeō (G3340): v22.
- gall / bitterness / bondage — cholē (G5521), pikria (G4088), syndesmos (G4886): v23.
- eunuch — eunouchos (G2135); court official — dynastēs (G1413); treasure — gaza (G1047): v27.
- guide — hodēgeō (G3594): v31; John 16:13.
- baptize — baptizō (G907): vv12, 13, 16, 36, 38.
- snatched away — harpazō (G726): v39; 1 Thess 4:17.
Key insights to carry (from the Deep Dive):
- Scattered like seed — diaspeirō; “Therefore” (v4).
- Ordinary men carried it — not the apostles (vv1, 4).
- Philip preached Christ — in a city and in a chariot (vv5, 35).
- Joy is the fruit (vv8, 39).
- A believer who wasn’t? — Simon (vv13, 21).
- God is not for sale (Sproul).
- One man matters (Spurgeon).
- Isaiah 53 has one answer — Jesus (vv34–35).
- The dry tree blossoms — Isa 56:3–5.
- Verse 37, honestly — bracketed, true, not built on.
Cross-references: Deut 23:1; 29:18; Ps 68:31; Isa 53:7–8; 56:3–5; Matt 7:21–23; 27:34; Luke 24:27; John 4:9, 35–38; 16:13; Acts 1:8; 2:38; 6:5; 10:44–46; 11:19; 19:6; 21:8–9; 22:4; Rom 10:9; Gal 1:13; Eph 1:13; 4:31; 1 Thess 4:17; 1 Pet 1:18–19.
Application
Example to follow — the scattered believers. They lost homes and jobs and ran for their lives, and they “went about preaching the word” (v4). Many of the men I walk with have been scattered — by prison, by addiction, by divorce, by a move they didn’t choose. God doesn’t waste scattering. Wherever I have landed is where I preach the word this week.
Command to obey — get up and go. “Get up and go south … Go up and join this chariot” (vv26, 29). Philip didn’t argue that a desert road made no sense after a revival. He got up, went, and ran (vv27, 30). I want to be that quick when the Spirit points me to one man.
Sin to confess — wanting God’s power without God. Simon wanted to be impressive. I have wanted the results of ministry — respect, influence, a name — more than I wanted Christ. I confess the Simon in me: the part of me that wants to use God. “God is simply not for sale” (Sproul), and I can’t buy Him with service either.
Truth to hold — a man can be close and still not right. Simon was baptized, followed Philip, saw miracles, and his heart was “not right before God” (v21). That sobers me for myself and for the men I lead. I will not settle for impressed; I want to know Christ, and help other men know Him.
Promise to trust — no dry trees in God’s house. The eunuch was the man the rules kept out. Isaiah said, “Nor let the eunuch say, ‘Behold, I am a dry tree’” (Isa 56:3), and in Acts 8 he goes home rejoicing. No man is too far out — not the felon, not the addict, not the outsider. Christ brings him in.
Questions for the table (from the Deep Dive):
- The church only left Jerusalem when persecution scattered it (8:1, 4). What hard thing in my life might God be using to send me to people I would never have reached? (8:1–4; Acts 1:8) Sometimes it is a blessing to a church to have a great trial (Spurgeon).
- Philip took Christ to Samaritans, the people his own background taught him to avoid. Who are the “Samaritans” in my world, and what keeps me from them? (8:5–8; John 4:9) Because Jesus had worked in him there was no room for prejudice (Guzik).
- Simon believed, was baptized and followed Philip, but his heart was not right. How can a man tell the difference between being impressed by Jesus and belonging to Him? (8:13, 18–23; Matt 7:21) God is simply not for sale (Sproul).
- Where am I tempted to treat God’s power as something to get, use or earn — instead of a gift I receive? (8:18–20; 1 Pet 1:18–19) You thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.
- The Ethiopian said, “How could I, unless someone guides me?” Who is guiding me in the Scriptures — and whom am I guiding? (8:30–35; Luke 24:27) Read it until you understand it (Spurgeon).
- Philip was sent from a whole city to one man on a desert road. Who is the one person God may be sending me to this week? (8:26–29, 35) Philip must now be of service to a solitary individual (Spurgeon).
Worship. The Lord of the harvest turns a persecutor’s rampage into a missionary movement, sets a Samaritan city free, refuses to be bought, and sends His Spirit down a desert road for one seeking man. He is the Lamb led to slaughter who did not open His mouth, the free gift of God, and the joy of everyone who believes.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, wherever I have been scattered, let me preach Your word there. Root out the Simon in me that wants Your power without You. Make me quick to get up and go when Your Spirit points to one man, and give me the words to start from his Scripture and preach You. And send me home from every meeting with You the way the eunuch went — rejoicing. Amen.