Acts 8:14-17

‘Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he was fallen on none of them, only they had been baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.'

News of the great work which was taking place in Samaria reached Jerusalem and the Apostles immediately despatched Peter and John in order to confirm the work. It was clear that the Apostles kept closely in touch with all that was happening among the scattered Christians, and sought to oversee it by sending different pairs of Apostles to any place where a work began to gain momentum. They were rightly concerned that the church remain as a unity. But the purpose in their going was to act as a strengthener to Philip, and to confirm the oneness of the people of God, not to replace him. They found Philip a little perplexed. There could be no doubt that these people had believed with all their hearts, but in spite of the fact that they had also been baptised, the signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit were lacking.

When the Apostles heard this they prayed that the believing Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit. Then they laid their hands on them and the result was that they did receive the Holy Spirit. The laying on of hands is always for the purpose of identification. Here the two Apostles were identifying these people with themselves in the church of God, and with the Jerusalem church, and simultaneously acknowledging Philip's ministry. This laying on of hands was uniquely important here for it established the oneness between the new Samaritan church and the church in Jerusalem. Compare Acts 13:3 where the laying on of hands was in order to identify Barnabas and Paul as representatives of the church.

Here the result of the laying on of hands was identification, and as prepared vessels, once the identification had take place, the Holy Spirit was received. But we should not see the Holy Spirit as communicated by the laying on of hands (that was Simon's error). While the Holy Spirit came because of their identification with the church at Jerusalem He did not come from the Apostles, he came from the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit. As we learn of Timothy, his gift came ‘by prophesy and the laying on of the hands of the elders' (1 Timothy 4:14). It was not just a case of the elders deciding to lay their hands on him. And shortly Cornelius and his colleagues will receive the Spirit without laying on of hands, as the disciples had at Pentecost.

‘Baptised into the Name of the LORD Jesus.' This is Luke's equivalent of Matthew 28:19. We have to remember in both cases that ‘the Name' in the Old Testament was YHWH, which in the Greek Old Testament was translated as ‘the LORD'. Thus the Name into which believers are to be baptised in both Matthew and Luke is that of ‘the LORD', which is why in both cases the baptism is ‘into (eis) the Name'. And although that Name is here defined as ‘the LORD, that is Jesus', while in Matthew 28:19 it is ‘the Name (i.e. ‘the LORD' - YHWH) which is the Name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit', it is in both cases the same name (the LORD - YHWH).

Here, however, because Luke wants us to recognise that ‘the LORD' can be equated with Jesus, he only connects Jesus with the Name (just as in Philippians 2:9 Paul tells us that Jesus has the Name which is above every name, the Name of ‘the LORD', of ‘Yahweh'). Matthew stresses the equation of the Name (LORD -YHWH) with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But we should take note that this is not just baptism into the name of Jesus, it is baptism into the NAME.

Note on Baptism into the Name.

We should perhaps here list each of the references to baptism as they relate to ‘the Name'.

· In Acts 28:19 converts are to be baptised ‘into (eis) the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'.

· In Acts 8:16; Acts 19:5 people were baptised ‘into the Name of the LORD Jesus.'

· In Acts 2:38 people are to be baptised ‘on (epi) the Name of Jesus Messiah unto forgiveness of our sins.'

· In Acts 10:48 they are to be baptised ‘in (en) the Name of Jesus Messiah'.

· In Acts 22:16 Paul is told, ‘arising be baptised and wash away your sins, calling on the Name of the LORD.'

It will be noted that there is a certain consistency here. When eis is used baptism is either into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (which must mean the NAME of YHWH, ‘the LORD') or is into ‘the Name of the LORD Jesus'. Thus in all three cases emphasis is on ‘the LORD (YHWH)'.

When baptism is related to the Name of Jesus Messiah it is either ‘on' or ‘in', and in the case of the former the baptism is ‘into the remission of sins'. But we should here note that the Name of Jesus is said in Philippians 2:9 to be the name above every name, the name of LORD (YHWH). So even in these cases baptism is ‘in the LORD'.

End of Note.

At this point something happened which Simon ‘saw'. But there are only very minimal grounds for saying that this was the speaking in tongues. That had occurred only once, and then on an unusual occasion (Acts 2:5). There was no mention of tongues when the Apostles received the Holy Spirit in John 20:22. Nor has there been mention of tongues since Pentecost. Nor were any of the Samaritans likely to have needed the evidence of ‘other tongues'. They all spoke Aramaic. Thus what Simon saw may have been a new abounding joy (Acts 13:52), expressions of tumultuous praise, and spiritual prophesying (Acts 19:6). What Simon saw was the burgeoning of their new faith which found expression in exalted praise and worship beyond the norm, gifts which would ensure the maintenance of the church once Philip had left them.

Note.

This interesting passage destroys all attempts to tie God's activity in with man's ordinances. The Holy Spirit came neither on their being baptised, nor on their first believing. Nor is He said to have been manifested in tongues. What then does it reveal? It reveals that God gives the Holy Spirit as He wills. This is not referring to being born of the Spirit, which comes as a result of believing, but seemingly rather refers to the special indwelling of the Holy Spirit by which we become part of His body, and of His Temple, the new special gift at Pentecost. At Pentecost it had come on those already born of the Spirit, and even on those who had ‘received the Holy Spirit' in the Upper Room. And this, like that, was an unusual circumstance. It was at a time when the unity of the church as one had to be maintained. God did not want a fellowship of Samaritan believers which was not in fellowship with the fellowship of Jerusalem believers. (As we have seen the Samaritans hated Jerusalem. But now that they had learned that the church in Jerusalem were almost as hated in Jerusalem as they were, it was a different matter). Thus he ensured that the Samaritans recognised that their blessing only came once they were in fellowship with the church in Jerusalem.

End of note.