Now Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.
And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he was delivering them into prison.
Philip Preaches in Samaria
4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word. 5 Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them. 6 And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was doing. 7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city. Acts 8: 1-8 LSB
Acts 8: 1-8 On the Waves of Persecution
- PA
V. 1 Now Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death - This is Saul of Tarsus, who later becomes Paul, and he was present at the stoning of Stephen previously discussed.
V. 1b And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem - We can become very settled in our comforts and locations. You can live somewhere that the weather is nice, you are close to family, the jobs pay well and the cost of living is fair, so it's very hard to picture leaving, much less wanting to. This is the great thing about persecution, it's like pruning, you cut to cause something to grow where you want it to. Remember the tower of Babel, the people did not want to leave as God told them to, to spread out and fill the earth. He confounded their languages and so they finally moved. We need to start seeing God's hand in all these things, even the persecution of the church, it removes the fruitless branches, exposes the tares, and drives off many a wolf.
25It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.…
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.… Matthew 10: 25-29
…49Because of this, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.… Luke 11: 49-51
Derek Thomas - There is a vital principle at work here, one that Luke was intent on ensuring we understand as he tells us the story of the church. In commenting on 1 Peter 1:11, Calvin puts it this way: “The government of the Church of Christ has been so divinely constituted from the beginning that the Cross has been the way to victory, death the way to life.”...It is the principle that dying in one produces life in another. This is what Saul will later learn when (as Paul) he will write to the Corinthians, “So death is at work in us, but life in you” (2 Cor. 4:12). - PA
V. 1C - They were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles - This is like seed being broadcast away from the city of Jerusalem. Remember though, Christ had already started this work in Samaria. Many Samaritans believed even back then, and so now these people of the early church, who were staying in Jerusalem, are being sent out to discover their brothers and sisters elsewhere. They will be able to provide them sound teaching and a connection with the Apostles as word of God is being finalized.
7 A woman of Samaria *came to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman *said to Him, “How do You, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, being a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 She *said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst—ever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
15 The woman *said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come back here to draw.” 16 He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come back here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman *said to Him, “Sir, I see that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman *said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when He comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus *said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they were marveling that He was speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar, and went into the city and *said to the men, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; is this not the Christ?” 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Even now he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.” John 4: 7-38
V. 2 And some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him - They went into deep mourning. He was quite a man, a rarity even among men, that God had made this way. Those are always missed because they bring so much to the table, yet God needs no man, and in fact will make good of this great sorrow.
…34“Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. 35 Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”… John 11: 34-36
12“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” 13So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.… Joel 2: 12-13
V. 3 Saul began ravaging the church - He thought he was doing the Lord's work.
1“I have told you these things so that you will not fall away. 2They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.…
4But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. 5Now, however, I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’… John 16: 1-5
V. 4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word - See how that worked out. They took the word of God into new areas as they were being pushed out. Now they will travel roads made by a pagan Rome, bringing the gospel to the world. A seed must die in the ground in order for a plant to grow. We have to go out in order for them hear.
…6Therefore My people will know My name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who speaks. Here I am!” 7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 8Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, together they shout for joy. For every eye will see when the LORD returns to Zion.… Isaiah 52: 6-8
V. 5-8 Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them - Jesus had been through these parts and performed miracles, with many believing. Philip comes in the same power, preaching Christ. Samaria is an interesting place, it is in the northern kingdom of old Israel, and it has a bastardized form of Judaism. The Jews of Jerusalem saw the Samaritans as unclean sort of half breeds.
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