Friday,
April 30, 2021
A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” “Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon exclaimed, “that these terrible things you’ve said won’t happen to me!” Acts 8:9-24
Simon the magician (as he was called) was a
very perceptive fellow. Most magicians
are; their so-called magic is a means of deception to distract
the audience’s eyes with the right hand, so the left can make stuff appear,
change, or disappear.
But perception is only in the eyes of the beholder
(audience); reality is in God’s hands. And Simon was smart enough to perceive
something greater than his sham performances; he saw people turning to God and
understood he was witnessing something much greater than himself. So (as Acts tells us) he also believed, was
baptized, and began following to see where it would lead. When he witnessed the gift of the Holy Spirit
being imparted to people, and the change that came over them, the old
Simon within recognized a great opportunity to regain his status,
and that old Simon tried to buy his way back into the
limelight.
Aren’t the names significant here? It was Peter who told Simon his heart wasn’t
right, so his request would wash back the dregs of hell all over it. Simon was being instructed by Peter, an
apostle who used to be Simon, until Jesus renamed him Peter. Now Peter, (Christ’s little rock)
was telling Simon the disingenuous huckster, to get his heart straight before
he’d see any blessing from above.
The short answer to the riddle of this account is that Simon
the magician couldn’t let go of the old life.
And because of that he would not experience the joy and liberation of
the new life in Jesus. His jealous
desire to be in the spotlight made him a captive to his sinful nature.
The apostle Paul fought this as well; listen to his testimony:
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:18-25
For You Today
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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