“Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 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. So there was much rejoicing in that city.”
Acts 8:5-8 NASB1995
As the scattering takes hold of the believers in Jerusalem, one of them, Philip, goes down to the city of Samaria and begins proclaiming Jesus. This Philip is NOT the same Philip who was a follower of John the Baptist and became one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Along with Stephen, this Philip was one of the first deacons; these deacons were appointed by the apostles to take care of the Hellenistic widows (see Acts 6:1-7 and my devotional). The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip and they saw and heard the signs he was performing. Obviously, the deacons (at least Stephen and Philip) were capable of remarkable acts of healing and the driving out of unclean spirits.
So what does it mean to be of one accord? This comes from the Greek adverb ὁμοθυμαδόν or homothymadón, with the following definition from the Outline of Biblical usage:
A unique Greek word, used 10 of its 12 New Testament occurrences in the Book of Acts, helps us understand the uniqueness of the Christian community. Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to "rush along" and "in unison". The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ's church.
This is an extraordinary reaction on the part of the Samaritans to a Jew who is preaching the Gospel. Of all the places that Philip could chose to go, Samaria should be last on the list because of the long-simmering animosity between the Jews and Samaritans. The map, below (from Precept Austin), shows the region of Samaria and Philip’s journeys, in relation to Judea and Galilee.
So, who were the Samaritans? Gotquestions.org has a good answer to that question:
The Samaritans occupied the country formerly belonging to the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The capital of the country was Samaria, formerly a large and splendid city. When the ten tribes were carried away into captivity to Assyria, the king of Assyria sent people from Cutha, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to inhabit Samaria (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:2-11). These foreigners intermarried with the Israelite population that was still in and around Samaria. These “Samaritans” at first worshiped the idols of their own nations, but being troubled with lions, they supposed it was because they had not honored the God of that territory. A Jewish priest was therefore sent to them from Assyria to instruct them in the Jewish religion. They were instructed from the books of Moses, but still retained many of their idolatrous customs. The Samaritans embraced a religion that was a mixture of Judaism and idolatry (2 Kings 17:26-28). Because the Israelite inhabitants of Samaria had intermarried with the foreigners and adopted their idolatrous religion, Samaritans were universally despised by the Jews.
Additional grounds for animosity between the Israelites and Samaritans were the following:
1. The Jews, after their return from Babylon, began rebuilding their temple. While Nehemiah was engaged in building the walls of Jerusalem, the Samaritans vigorously attempted to halt the undertaking (Nehemiah 6:1-14).
2. The Samaritans built a temple for themselves on “Mount Gerizim,” which the Samaritans insisted was designated by Moses as the place where the nation should worship. Sanballat, the leader of the Samaritans, established his son-in-law, Manasses, as high priest. The idolatrous religion of the Samaritans thus became perpetuated.
3. Samaria became a place of refuge for all the outlaws of Judea (Joshua 20:6-7; 21:21). The Samaritans willingly received Jewish criminals and refugees from justice. The violators of the Jewish laws, and those who had been excommunicated, found safety for themselves in Samaria, greatly increasing the hatred which existed between the two nations.
4. The Samaritans received only the five books of Moses and rejected the writings of the prophets and all the Jewish traditions.
From these causes arose an irreconcilable difference between them, so that the Jews regarded the Samaritans as the worst of the human race (John 8:48) and had no dealings with them (John 4:9). In spite of the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans, Jesus broke down the barriers between them, preaching the gospel of peace to the Samaritans (John 4:6-26), and the apostles later followed His example (Acts 8:25).
So Philip chooses these hated people for his first ministry outside of Jerusalem after he was forced to leave due to the persecution. He can be described as the first missionary. As noted in the Gotquestions.org article excerpted above, Jesus planted the seeds of belief in Samaria in John chapter 4, starting with the woman He meets at the well. Jesus also preached the parable of the Good Samaritan, forcing His disciples to listen to the story of an unlikely source of kindness and compassion. Those who claim Christianity is “white supremacist” or racist have no idea what our beliefs are all about.
So how would Philip proclaim Christ to the people of Samaria? Or how would anyone proclaim Jesus to those who don’t know Him? I like this outline from Charles Spurgeon in Precept Austin:
I. AS THE MESSIAH OF ANCIENT PROPHECY.
II. AS INCARNATE.1. Very man.
2. Very God.III. AS CRUCIFIED AND RISEN.
1. Atoning for sin.
2. Triumphing over death.IV. AS GLORIFIED.
1. For Himself.
2. For His people.V. AS JUDGE. Living to make Christ known: —
I wonder how many Christian people here could have their biographies condensed into this line, "He lived to make Christ known." Might it not be said of one, he lived to open a shop, and then to open a second? or of another, be lived to save a good deal of money, and take shares in limited liability companies? or of a third, he lived to paint a great picture? or of a fourth, he was best known for his genial hospitality? Of many a minister it might be said — he lived to preach splendid sermons, and to gain credit for fine oratory. What of all these? If it can be said of a man, "He lived to glorify Christ," then his life is a life. Every Christian man ought so to live. Oh that my memorial might be: "He preached Christ crucified"! (AND ALL THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CRY "AMEN AND AMEN!")
Philip was not preaching the specific details and membership requirements for any particular denomination. He was not preaching the need to recite liturgies or buy indulgences or purchase symbolic crosses or crucifixes. He simply preached the story of Jesus and what it means to believe in Him: Prophecy fulfilled, incarnation made, atonement for sin complete, death defeated, glory for God and His people - let us live to make Christ known!
My next devotional examines Acts 8:9-24 - The story of Simon the Magician; Peter and John come to Samaria.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Help me to live to make Christ known to people I meet. Help me to live to glorify Christ in every way. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 9/23/2024 to review the lexicon for one accord.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 9/23/2024 to review the answer to the question, “Who were the Samaritans?”
Precept Austin was accessed on 9/23/2024 to review commentary for Acts 8:5-13.