“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
The incident in today’s epistle reading takes place after the putting to death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, for that event heralded a period of great persecution for the members of the young Church – especially in Jerusalem where it all began. And, although the apostles themselves remained in the city, many of the new believers fled for safety to various towns and villages through Judea and Samaria.
But, Acts 8 records for us, wherever they went they sprayed the good news about Christ; and one such faithful ambassador for the faith was Philip, one of the seven deacons appointed in Acts 6, along with the late Stephen. And many believed his preaching in Samaria and were baptised in the name of Jesus Christ.
Now, meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, the apostles heard that many in Samaria had accepted the word of God - and they sent Peter and John to them.
And their role was a specific one. Verses 15 – 17 of Acts 8 records for us, “When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
Now we have to understand that what is unfolding here on these pages of Scripture is a new thing. The people of whom we are reading are moving from Old Testament faith and practice into the New Testament gospel of new life in Christ. They were seeing God, who had worked through their forefathers, delivered them from slavery, established them as a nation and spoken to them through the prophets – now manifest himself to them through his Son.
The whole Book of Acts represents a transition period from Judaism to Christianity and, for some, from paganism to faith in Christ.
So against that backdrop we can understand the gradual dawning of full truth, and experience of real spiritual awakening through the indwelling presence of the spirit of the risen Christ. It was all a new thing.
So what happened, quite simply, was that in response to Philip’s preaching many of the Samarians had responded with their hearts and minds, repented of their sins, pledged themselves to follow the ways of Christ, and as a sign and symbol of their serious intent, were baptised in his name.
But they had not yet experienced the inner transformation and infusion of new life that takes place when we receive the Holy Spirit! For whilst the Holy Spirit is what makes what we believe in our minds become a living reality in our souls – they didn’t know about that – it was all new.
You see, the New Testament gospel now unfolding before them was not just about laws and rituals and knowledge and ceremonies – it was about relationship with God through spiritual rebirth and new life in Christ. And this wasn’t easy for traditional first century worshippers to comprehend.
Indeed on one occasion, when Paul first visited Ephesus and found some believers, he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they answered, “No, we have not even heard that there IS a Holy Spirit!” And when Paul laid his hands on them they too received the spiritual presence of Jesus into their lives.
But I wonder if, even 2,000 years later, there is still a sense in which this movement from a decision of the mind and ceremonial practice - to an actual experience of new life – is still a stumbling block for many; for the two go hand in hand and combine to lead us to the fullness of Christ.
I am reluctant to reuse illustrations I have used before but the experience of the eccentric lottery winner from Bolton who won 1.7 million pounds remains, for me, one of the best illustrations of the way in which some believers fall down. The Bolton winner became known locally as the ‘Lottery Millionaire’, gained a whole new group of friends, and was accepted in circles that, before his win, were closed to him.
But the reality was that, despite his new status in the community, he still lived in poverty - because he didn’t actually cash in the cheque! Something actually kept him back from going into a bank, opening and account and changing that piece of paper from a promise to pay to a balance of real available cash against his name.
And that was something like the experience of the Samarian believers. They had accepted the promise, even taken on a new status and, probably, an appropriate lifestyle – but they were still living in spiritual poverty.
Now I don’t think it’s necessary to dissect today’s epistle from Acts 8 in search of hidden truth, or to theologise the incident recorded there to the point were we actually fail to see the reality of the Samarian situation. The truth was that they had failed to experience what we now describe in our Church Catechism as the inward and spiritual grace of the sacrament of Baptism. For they didn’t have Church Catechisms! They didn’t have any support structures or formal procedures to follow. It was all happening around them in the present tense. They were ‘living’ what we now know and accept by faith.
They meant well, they believed, but they didn’t experience the inward spiritual awakening made possible by the activity of the Holy Spirit within them.
However, in their case, it was through a lack of understanding of full Gospel truth. We on the other hand cannot hide behind the excuse of ignorance.
So what is our story? If we do not feel ourselves to have been infused with an anointing and infilling of the Holy Spirit – what might our reason be?
Do we, I wonder, realise that that is God’s will for us. That the gospel is not just about promises and rituals - but about experiencing new life, and having Christ living within us to sustain that new life, to sanctify us and empower us to live his life.
The Holy Spirit is for each one of us. Listen to these well-known words again spoken by Jesus. Hear them with fresh understanding; “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” This is the promise of Jesus. The new believers in Samaria didn’t know that – but we do!
Just a couple of weeks ago many children were waiting in eager anticipation for parent’s assurances to materialise. Many of them had been promised, “You will get a Play Station for Christmas – or whatever.”
They had confidence in their parents’ promises and, for their part, parents would do anything to avoid letting their children down or breaking their promise to them.
People, Jesus has made us a promise; He’s in a position to keep that promise – and longs to do so. Our part is to ask and receive by faith. It’s that simple.
And it’s that accepting of his Spirit into our lives that completes his work of salvation in us; that makes his promise demonstrated in the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion become a living experience.
Don’t carry around a promise. Cash it in.