Glacial Transformation: In Defense of Simon Magus

A Barely Inaugurated Conversion

This is posting #2 in a series on Glacial Transformation. In looking at the process of conversion in three settings within the New Testament, I believe we can learn much about why the way in which we live as Christians is in discord with the life of an apprentice of Jesus described in the Scriptures. Our first setting is with a hapless character known to us as Simon Magus:

It doesn’t look good on one’s resumé.

Accomplishments:

• · There is a form of ecclesiastical corruption named after me.

The story of Simon Magus gave the term “Simony” to the ecclesiastical lexicon nearly 1,500 years ago because of some injudicious behavior a half millennia before that. In brief, Simony is the practice of paying for (i.e. bribing someone) for a position in the Church, whether ordination or a specific post. The original story is as follows:

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city. But there was a man named Simon who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all gave heed to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is that power of God which is called Great." And they gave heed to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power, that any one on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. (Acts 8:4-25 RSV)

The takeaway from several commentaries is that Simon’s conversion was fake. Had it been real, he would never have thought of offering money for the power of the Holy Spirit. And if Acts (and all the Gospels) are simply one-dimensional stories for our edification, perhaps that would be an accurate dismissal. Certainly Simon disappears from the narrative after Peter’s rebuke. He gets no other mention in the New Testament. In the decades and centuries following the assembling of the New Testament canon there have been some speculation about whether he was the inspiration for an odd cult that honored him as a god, but that has long since been dismissed.

If we allow Luke to be writing of real human beings with real histories and real practices, then dismissing Simon’s conversion is not only inaccurate, it blocks us off from a more complete understanding of conversion and the challenges any new believer faces.

When Philip shows up in Samaria, Simon is already well established with a good local following. We are not told whether he is admired or merely feared, but we are told that the Samaritans gave heed to him. The question that no one seems to be asking is how he achieved that status. If he had strange powers, where did he learn them? If he was merely a con artist, who taught him the tricks of the trade? To attain his exalted position he would have bought books (very expensive in that era – note the value of the books on magic dumped by the Ephesian believers, detailed in Acts 19:18-19). And of course, he had to pay teachers who would induct him into the secrets of magic or legerdemain. This would have been Simon’s understanding of the way the world works. Thus, when Peter and John show up and start laying hands on new converts with the resultant manifestation of the Holy Spirit, Simon’s thinking naturally follows the path (rut?) well worn in his years as a magician. “Wow! This is really cool! How much do you guys charge?” I would expect that Simon was shocked at the vehemence of Peter’s response. And Peter’s vehemence would have been essential in the work of Simon’s ongoing conversion, disrupting his view of the world where he had been an adept and sending him back to pre-school.

What happened to Simon after this dramatic encounter? Luke gives us no hint and thus leaves us free to speculate a bit, so long as we don’t take our speculations seriously. For my part, I would hope that Simon, duly chastened, began a journey of discovery learning new ways of thinking and behaving and unlearning old ones. Simon’s journey of conversion was barely inaugurated. He had been a heeded expert, but now the simplest laborer in town was as far advanced in following Jesus as he, and probably much further on.

Simon’s story is actually much closer to our own, though we may have a hard time recognizing it. In my own life the journey of conversion has had many setbacks, hit many potholes, and the wheels have come off more than once. I had a great advantage over Simon. I was raised going to church and my church had a Sunday School program that was based in the stories of the Bible. I am ever grateful for that, not least because, thanks to my Sunday School teachers, I knew a great deal more of the content of the New Testament than did my seminary instructor!

But Sunday School was not where my character or my understanding of the world and its workings were formed. That occurred among the kids in my neighborhood, the experience of public education, and the television shows (and commercials) I watched. Now this was all nearly 70 years ago, and television was still in its adolescence. Blessedly, there was no screen to haunt me every waking hour or social media to fill me with misinformation, anger, and fear. Nonetheless, my early formation was more due to the culture of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s that it was to the 45 minutes I spent with the Bible once a week. Unfortunately, that upbringing was normal in those days. When I came back to faith in my late teens and started to follow Jesus, I was dragging this enormous weight of cultural formation which kept distorting how I was being formed as an apprentice. And by the way, I’m not “all better now.” The unlearning and new learning keeps on as I push 73 (or drag 72 behind me!).

That’s the first thing we need to know about Glacial Transformation. We do not come to Jesus with a blank slate. The pilgrimage challenges and sometimes discourages us in the journey. That’s why it is glacial, and that’s why it cannot be done alone.

Up next in Glacial Transformation is the problem of a barely converted community.