“But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon [the sorcerer] himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.” –Acts 8:12–13
Simon the sorcerer had a reputation of being someone great, and all the people of Samaria were amazed by his magic. But when Philip came to town proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God, the people’s attention and amazement turned to Jesus. As a result, many believed and were baptized—including Simon himself.
At first, Simon seemed like an ideal convert, shadowing the preacher Philip day and night, amazed by a power greater than himself. But something serious was amiss. Simon may have believed in Jesus, but what he desired was power and control. Simon wanted a magical shortcut to godlikeness. Next thing we know, Simon is trying to purchase the power of the Spirit from Peter (who, interestingly, used to also be named Simon).
Simon’s vain attempt to bribe his way into spiritual authority has earned him a notorious place in early Church history, so much so that the shameful practice of buying or selling spiritual or sacred things became known as “simony.” By the end of the 2nd century, Irenaeus described Simon as the author of “all sorts of heresies” (Against Heresies, 1.23.1-5).
The core of Simon’s heresy, and thus the anti-gospel this passage warns us against, is “short-cut spirituality,” or what Andy Crouch refers to as “the dream of magic.” This heresy goes all the way back to the Garden when the serpent told Adam and Eve that if they just ate the fruit, they would have a fast-track to godliness. It is Satan’s oldest and favorite trick—to get us to seek the gift more than the Giver, to pursue godlikeness without God. Rather than take the relational path to growth which God intended for them, Adam and Eve chose the quick and easy path offered by the magical fruit of the tree.
And just like Adam and Eve, and Simon, we too can desire the accouterments (even the fruit) of God more than we desire God himself. When we do that, we succumb to simony.
But the good news of the gospel is that God is not into magic; he is into relationship. Eternal life is participating by the Spirit in the relationship of the Father and the Son. And so, as always, Jesus shows us the way to be a child in the Father’s Kingdom. In the desert, when Satan tempts Jesus to take short-cuts to godliness, Jesus shows us that his Father is not interested in “fruit” apart from intimacy.
While we, like Simon, may love the hype of fruit, while we may long for signs and wonders, while we may dream dreams of revival, Jesus reminds us that the Father’s Kingdom is not an empire but an orchard. God is growing people, and God knows people only grow at the speed of love. As Tyler Staton says in his book Praying like Monks, Living like Fools, “Intimacy leads to fruitfulness, not the other way around…. Our lives are about intimacy; fruitfulness is the collateral gain of that intimacy.”
Response:
Take a few minutes to reflect on the current place of prayer in your life.
Read through the two lists of words below. If you are honest, which words or phrases most accurately describe your recent experience in prayer?
Seeking gifts Seeking the Giver
Lists Agenda free
Obligation Freedom
Short-cut Wide open
Talking Listening
Performance Authentic
Transactional Formative
Rote Receptive
Production Playful
Hurried Honest
Functional Love
Utilitarian Intimate
Driven Responsive
Controlling Consenting
Anxious Peaceful
Alone With Jesus
Tell God what you notice. Ask God what he notices.
Speak to God about what you desire your life of prayer to be like. Remind yourself that the goal of prayer is not to master prayer, but to be mastered.
If you’d like to receive a PDF of this entire devotional series sign up here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Geordie Ziegler joined Novo staff, along with his wife Sharon, in March 2022 and serves on the resource team of Imago Christi as a spiritual formation coach and teacher. In 2021, Geordie and his wife Sharon co-founded The Table Retreats in Sunriver, Oregon, to help couples in ministry rediscover their why while reconnecting with God, themselves, and one another. https://gsziegler.novostaff.org/