What does Simon Magus’s attempt to buy apostolic power reveal about his understanding of the Spirit, and why does Luke place this episode where he does?
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04107 Luke is a careful and purposeful narrator, and he places the Simon Magus episode immediately after the account of the Samaritans receiving the Spirit. This is not loose sequencing. Luke is doing what good historians do: following a remarkable account of genuine gospel advance with an equally instructive account of what counterfeit interest…