The evangelist, the charlatan, and the convert (3)

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. Acts 8:9-13

Every now and then you come across people who have got drawn into a cult or sect, usually - in Britain at any rate - the Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons. But sometimes it’s rather more exotic, probably something you read about rather than experience directly.

Just a few days ago in the Times newspaper I read about a decidedly suspect guru in India who has grown a massive following, including what almost seems like a harem of female disciples. “Oh well, you don’t get that sort of thing in Britain”, I thought – only then to read about something rather similar… in, if I remember, Coventry. This one had grown out of a Christian church.

The fact is that strange religious movements are rife throughout the world, though most of them probably don’t hit the headlines.

This shouldn’t surprise us, for both the Bible and Christian history are full of it, and full of warnings against it. And here in Acts 8 we come across a perfect example in the person of “Simon the Magician”, or Simon Magus as he is often known. Verses 9-24 describe quite an exciting episode.

Three questions can help us to get to know him a little…

1.   Who was Simon?

Luke tells us that he was the local religious celebrity. He “had practised sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria” (verse 9). It seems he really did have some kind of supernatural powers – in this he reminds me of the Egyptian sorcerers who were able to replicate what Moses did by the power of God (Exodus 7:8-13).

This reminds us that such gurus and cult-leaders are to be taken seriously: the things they do may be real, though by demonic rather than God-given powers.

But as well as these powers, Simon also made great claims for himself – so much so that “the people… exclaimed ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God’” (verse10). There’s no way of knowing exactly what that meant, but it certainly seems as if Simon saw himself as some kind of divine presence on earth. And (this is the point) the Samaritan people lapped it up.

The lesson? There is no limit to people’s gullibility. Never be surprised at how easily they can be taken in!

2.   What did Simon get right?

Answer: he accepted the message preached by Philip: “Simon himself believed and was baptised…” (verse 13).

There’s no reason to doubt the sincerity of Simon’s faith. Later events make clear how shallow and untaught it was; he seems to have been dazzled by the miraculous deeds Philip did more than changed by the message Philip preached. But given that all this was fresh and new, he can hardly be blamed for that.

The lesson? The moment of anyone’s “conversion” is of course very important. But it’s only the starting-point. It needs to be followed up by careful teaching and pastoral oversight. Jesus, after all, told his followers to “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19) – not just converts.

3.   What did Simon get wrong?

This sad part of the story is told in verses 18-24.

The apostles back in Jerusalem heard about the events in Samaria and decided to send Peter and John to find out exactly what was going on. (It’s rather beautiful, by the way, that the same John who had earlier wanted to “call down fire from heaven to destroy” a Samaritan village (Luke 9:54) is now shown calling down… the Holy Spirit!)

For reasons it’s not easy to understand, Peter and John saw that though big crowds of people believed in Philip’s message, the Holy Spirit had not been given to them, as on the Day of Pentecost. So they “placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (verse 17). (Presumably this was confirmed by the gift of speaking in tongues.)

This is where Simon went badly wrong. When he saw the power that Peter and John exercised through the laying on of their hands, he “offered them money” to be given the same power.

It’s as if he is saying, “Look we belong to the same profession, we three; we’re in the magic business, aren’t we? Now, I’m pretty well off financially. So how much would you want to give me this particular trick?” (verses 18-19).

To which Peter replies (translating verse 20 fairly loosely) “To hell with you and your money!”. And in verses 20-23 he gives him a ferocious telling off. Though he has only just been baptised, he informs him that he is still “full of bitterness and captive to sin”.

In verse 24 Simon gives the impression of being truly sorry – or was he just scared out of his wits? We aren’t told what happened. But the warning is pretty clear. The love of God is all about grace, which means it’s completely free to those who ask. Once the preaching of the Christian faith gets mixed up with money and even becomes a means of getting rich, beware!

We don’t know what became of Simon Magus, though all sorts of stories sprang up in the first few centuries of the church. But he has the doubtful privilege of giving his name to a sin which has often blighted the church: “simony” is defined as “the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things”.

Corruption; rottenness!

Mind you, given the way the story is left hanging, I wouldn’t abandon hope of meeting Simon Magus in heaven, would you?

Father, we recognise how easily corruption can take root even in your church and even among genuine believers in Jesus. Help us to be completely pure when it comes to matters of money, power, popularity and influence. Amen.