Wednesday, April 15. Acts 8:4-25.

(this is a repost from the Acts study)

In the 1 st century the practice of the magic arts was widespread across the world. Even though it was officially illegal according to the Roman law, it was common practice among the people. The basis of magic was a belief in the spiritual forces of the universe. Each group had its own names for the spiritual realities. Some thought that they were gods and goddesses, others thought they were the spirits of Earth, Wind, and Fire (not to be confused with the 70’s band). The purpose of magic was to use rituals and incantations to harness the powers of the universe in order to accomplish the desires of the magician. In other words, the magician felt that he or she could manipulate the “gods” or the “forces” of the cosmos and bring them into submission to their desires.

Luke places this story in the narrative of Acts for a very specific reason. He wanted to make it crystal clear to his readers that the miracles – the “signs and wonders”—that were associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit were in no way, shape, or form a type of magic. This is important to note because the magicians were able to heal people and perform the same kinds of signs and wonders that the apostles experienced. At the experiential level the phenomenon of the apostles was not uncommon and they could be easily misinterpreted as common magic. Remember the story of Moses’ showdown with the magicians of Egypt. To them, Moses’ miracles were nothing more than simple parlor tricks.

Luke emphasizes that the work of the Holy Spirit is just that, it is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the magical incantations of the apostles. There are two important points to keep clear when attempting to understand the miracles of Acts and the work of the Holy Spirit. First, the miracles were always associated with the clear teaching of the Word of God and the message of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Secondly, the apostles did not conjure up the “magic” to “make things happen.” Instead, the apostles were simply humble servants who were willing to go where the Spirit led them and left the activity of the Spirit up to God. Do you see the difference? Magicians sought to control the forces for their own will through manipulation. The follower of Jesus is simply focused on the truth of Jesus’ Word and open to be used as a servant, following the will and agenda of God.

Before you dismiss this topic as irrelevant for our lives in the 21 st century, be aware that magic is alive and well. In many ways the 21 st century and the 1 st century are very similar. In both centuries we find ourselves in an extremely diverse, multicultural mixing pot of races, religions, and ideologies. We also find ourselves in a culture where there is no dominant philosophy that governs each person, but rather a general void in the area of real meaning and purpose in the world. People are scrambling to find meaning in a world that is bigger and more confusing than they can handle. In both centuries, given this religious vacuum, people flock to the experiential power that is readily available in the practice of magic.

Here’s the deal. There are spiritual forces at play in the universe that are intrinsically intertwined with the physical energy of the universe. In increasing numbers, through what we generically call the “New Age Movement,” people are learning that you can, indeed, tap into and harness the “energy” of the universe and use it for your own advantage. This is a reality. The dangerous thing is that the practitioners of this art use incredibly “spiritual” language. They even use Biblical language and speak of being followers of Jesus. There are many people in our world who are performing miracles, in the name of Jesus, but are actually functioning under the basic premise of magic, just like Simon.

So, as followers of Jesus, it is important that we learn the lesson that Luke intended with the story of Simon. A strong temptation that we face when we encounter the power of the Holy Spirit is to desire to harness that power, bottle it up, and sell it as our own. We want to be powerful and do great things. We want God to work through us the way he works through other people. We all want to be Peter who can heal people with his shadow and be the conduit of the Holy Spirit with the touch of our hand. The truth is, however, that we aren’t all Peter. Peter was simply a vessel that had been broken down by God and brought into submission to God’s will. So, too, should we be careful to not be seduced by the power that is available through the “truly spiritual” who seek to manipulate God to meet their own will. We are humble servants. If God wants to raise someone from the dead through our touch, then we need to be willing to obey that, if he wants us to clean toilets and care for the dying in Calcutta, then we need to be willing to do that, or if he wants us to change our children’s diapers and provide a nurturing environment for our family, then we need to be willing to do that as well.