The Story

We have been with the disciples of the Lord in Jerusalem, and have learned how the Holy Spirit came upon them and gave them power to preach and to do many wonderful works. Now the time had come for them to go out more widely into the country about Jerusalem, and Philip preached in Samaria. This was the Philip who was appointed with Stephen as one of those to give the money to the people who needed help.

Samaria was the name of a part of the country in the Gospel days, the middle part, between Judea and Galilee. You may remember about the Lord's going through Samaria on His way from Judea to Galilee. (John 4) It was the time when He rested by Jacob's well and talked with the woman of Samaria there. She believed in the Lord, and so did many people of her city who came out to hear Him; and He stayed with them there two days. The Samaritans were not learned people, like the priests at Jerusalem, but they were goodhearted, and were willing to be taught. You remember the parable of the good Samaritan, how the priest and the Levite passed by the man wounded by the wayside, but the Samaritan took pity on him and helped him. (Luke 10:30-37) The city of Samaria, to which Philip went, was in the same part of the country, but quite a little distance from Jacob's well, some six miles to the northwest. It stood on a beautiful hill. Large stone columns are still standing on the brow of the hill, where there used to be a beautiful colonnade where people could walk and look out over the wide view of fertile hills and away to the Mediterranean in the west. We must go back to our story and learn how Philip first preached to the people of Samaria about the Lord.

They were ready and willing to hear him, as the people had been glad to hear the Lord at Jacob's well. "And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did." Many unclean spirits were cast out, and people sick with the palsy and lame were healed. "And there was great joy in that city." When the apostles at Jerusalem heard of this good news, they sent Peter and John to Samaria; and when they had prayed and put their hands upon the people the Holy Spirit came to them as it had done to the disciples in Jerusalem.

There was a man in Samaria named Simon who offered money to the disciples to give him the Holy Spirit; but Peter told him that his heart was evil and that the gift of God could not be purchased with money.

Another beautiful story about Philip I must read you in the last part of the chapter. It was after he left Samaria, and the angel of the Lord told him to go "toward the south into the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza." If you look on the map you will find Gaza near the seashore far south in the Philistine country. I think I will not tell you this beautiful story, but read it to you just as it is. At the end of the story it says that Philip was found at Azotus. This was the city before called Ashdod. You will find it near the middle of the Philistine country not far from the sea. And so Philip passed on to Caesarea, on the seacoast further to the north. It was perhaps the most important city in the country at that time. Our story will take us there again, and it seems that Philip made this city his home. (Acts 21:8)

The stoning of Stephen was the beginning of a "great persecution" of the Christians in Jerusalem. But the Lord made this hardship useful to them, for it was the means of scattering them through Judea and to other places to teach about the Lord. Remember the order in which the ministry of the disciples should develop, as indicated in the Lord's own words to them. (Acts 1:8) Saul's (Paul's) part in the stoning of Stephen and in this persecution is emphasized, and it is referred to later in Paul's own teaching. (Acts 22:4, 5, 19, 20) It makes more remarkable the story of Paul's conversion and of his zealous Christian work.

It will be well to have clearly in mind the geography and the history of Samaria. You find the district in the heart of the land between Judea and Galilee. Jacob's well you find at the old camping place of Abraham and Jacob in the edge of the meadow where Joseph came looking for his brethren, at the foot of Mount Gerizim. It is near to the old city of Shechem. The city of Samaria on the fine hill to the northwest was not so old as Shechem. It was founded by Omri, the father of Ahab. (1 Kings 16:23, 24) It had a beautiful location. The strength of the city can be inferred from the Assyrian record that it was taken by the Assyrians after a siege of three years. It was rebuilt and fortified by Herod the Great, who was king in Jerusalem at the time the Lord was born. It is interesting to connect the ruined Christian church, called the church of John the Baptist, still standing in Samaria, with Philip's first preaching there, although this church was built much later, in the days of the crusades.

In regard to the character of the Samaritans you will remember in connection with the Lord's talking with the woman at Jacob's well the saying, "For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." (John 4:9) Do you recall the history which explains this saying, how when the tribes which occupied this part of the land were carried captive by the Assyrians, strange people were brought and settled in the country? They learned something of the worship of the Lord, but mixed it with the worship of their idols. The Jews would not recognize these people as their brethren. After the return from captivity in Babylon the Samaritans wished to have part in the rebuilding of the temple, but their help was rejected, and from that time Jews and Samaritans had no dealings, and the Samaritans were despised. But many of them were good-hearted people and willing to be taught, as appeared in their willing acceptance of the Lord and in the character of the good Samaritan in the parable. It appears further in their willing acceptance of Philip's preaching.

The Simon mentioned in this chapter is usually spoken of as Simon Magus, which means the "magician" or sorcerer. Much was said about him by early Christian writers, perhaps a good deal of it fanciful. We may think of him as exercising something of that power which ancient magicians had, coming from the ancient knowledge of heavenly things, but which used by evil men brought them into connection with evil spirits. It was such power that the magicians had in Egypt in the days of Moses. Swedenborg refers to Simon and his miracles as a fulfillment of the Lord's prophecy in Matthew 24:24: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Have you ever heard the word "simony"? Suppose you look it up in the dictionary and see if you understand how it is derived from Simon and what is told of him in this story.

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian is beautiful in many ways. The Lord spoke to Philip by an angel, and sent him to a certain road. The words "which is desert" (verse 26) no doubt showed Philip just which road was meant. He was to go there because the Lord knew that he would there meet one who needed his help. The Lord is guiding us all, not so evidently but just as really, to go here and there where we shall meet those who need our help. The man who came riding in his chariot, no doubt with a company of attendants, was from Ethiopia; a name then applied to the countries which were later called Nubia and Abyssinia. The name Candace was the title of queens who ruled the northern part of that country. There were many Jews in Egypt, and no doubt from them this Ethiopian had become converted to their religion. He had been to worship at Jerusalem, and was now reading in the Jewish Scripture. It is interesting to notice that what he was reading is given word for word as it stands in the Septuagint version, which is the Greek version made in Alexandria for the Egyptian Jews. He was apparently reading aloud, as was common. Again it was not by chance but of the Lord's providence that at the moment when Philip drew near he was reading a prophecy about the Lord, which Philip could explain to him. Can you find the prophecy in the Old Testament?

1. What Gospel history shows the receptive spirit of the Samaritans? What Gospel parable shows their kindly character?

2. What apostles first preached in Samaria?

3. Who was Simon Magus?

4. Tell me about Philip's meeting with the Ethiopian? How did it happen? With what result?

DEEPER STUDY

Intermediate

In regard to magic and its origin from the perversion of the ancient knowledge of correspondences, and of its harmful effect in the hands of evil men, read much of interest in A. 5223, 6692.

We read in verse 17 that the apostles laid their hands on the new converts and they received the Holy Spirit. We remember how the Lord put His hands upon the little children in blessing them, and often laid His hand upon the sick whom He healed. The laying of the hand on another represents the imparting of influence and power to him. There is actually a communication of influence through the hand though we are not very sensible of it. It was from this fact and from the representation of the act, that the Lord laid His hand upon the sick in His miracles, and that it has become the custom in the church to put the hands upon the head of one who is blessed or introduced into an office. (M. 396; D. 6094; E. 79)

At the end of the chapter it is said, "that the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and he was found at Azotus." What it is to be carried away by the Spirit to another place is described by Swedenborg in H. 441. Turn to the number and read it carefully.

The account of Philip and the Ethiopian joins itself beautifully to the account of his work in Samaria; both are pictures of willing reception of instruction by simple open hearts. Remember much that Swedenborg tells us of the ready reception of instruction by the Gentiles, and especially by many Africans. (H. 318-328, especially 326; J. post. 115.)

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