Acts 8:14-19 - And they received the Holy Spirit

8:14-17

This is an interesting little section. The apostles heard that people in Samaria were accepting the word of God. So Peter and John were sent to Samaria. Remember there are two key facts here. The first is the long standing animosity between Israel and Samaria, the second is that Jesus sent them to “Jerusalem, Samaria and the ends of the earth”. Peter and John had no problems with the Samaritans accepting the gospel, for they immediately prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.  Now why had the Holy Spirit not yet come upon the Samaritan believers? It is probably because of the long standing animosity, and the need to ensure unity. The Holy Spirit coming upon them only when Peter and John prayed with them showed that the Jerusalem church accepted them, and that God accepted them as equals. If they had received the Holy Spirit immediately, then they may have been tempted to continue their separate existence from Israel. Note also the implication that there was visible evidence of the Holy Spirit coming upon them.

8:18,19

While this good work was going on, we come back to Simon the Sorcerer. He witnessed the giving of the Holy Spirit, and then offered the apostles money in return for them giving him the same ability. Simon clearly had little understanding of the gospel or of what was going on.