NOTES for Act 8:1-25
Today's reading gives us an opportunity to look at the Kingdom from a new, perhaps somewhat unexpected angle. It concerns the story of a magician named Simon (vv. 9–24). What immediately strikes us on reading the account is that, very soon after Philip arrived in the city, Simon became one of his most attentive listeners and seemed ready to become one of his followers (vv. 9–13). But when the apostles came to the city and prayed for the Spirit to be sent down upon the new converts, Simon approached them, offering money and asking in return for that power of prayer which made the Spirit's descent possible upon those for whom they prayed (vv. 18–19). Such a desire in a magician for God's power might seem strange and unnatural. Yet if we consider the nature of magic, we will see nothing particularly strange here. Magicians have long regarded the world as the expression and embodiment of a supernatural force or energy, mastery of which was considered the goal of magic and the meaning of a magician's life. Apparently, Simon too had achieved some success in this respect, perhaps considerable success (vv. 10–11). But then an unknown man appears in the city who seems to know this force better and to command it masterfully. Naturally, Simon wanted to become the mysterious stranger's disciple; once he had decided this, he never left his side (v. 13). He probably neglected baptism, considering it unnecessary for himself. Like most magicians, Simon was apparently a practical atheist. If he thought about God at all, it was probably in the sense that God could neither help nor hinder him, for a magician must acquire the force himself, without appealing to any gods or spirits. When he became convinced that the apostles really possessed an utterly real power capable of changing a person, he naturally wanted to learn to wield it as they did. But matters turned out to be both simpler and more complicated than Simon expected. It was not simply about power, but about the Kingdom entering the world, with power only one of its manifestations. Simon, however, wanted the power without the Kingdom. It is no accident that Peter judges his spiritual state in the harshest terms (vv. 22–23). The issue is not that the force the magician wants to control is bad in itself. Ultimately, nothing in the world is inherently demonic, for the devil cannot create; he can only spoil and distort what he did not create. What is frightening is something else: even when coming into contact with the Kingdom, the magician always remains closed to others, including God, remaining utterly self-centered. The Kingdom, by contrast, requires complete openness to God and neighbor. Judging by Simon's response to Peter's words (v. 24), he is probably beginning to understand this. Perhaps, in doing so, he is taking his first step toward the Kingdom.