Why did Peter and John have to go to Samaria in the Book of Acts 8:14

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onlinebuddy

Senior Member
Sep 1, 2012
1,115
24
38
#1
Have heard many viewpoints. Some of them are below:
1. So that the Jews may end their animosity with the Samaritans and accept them as their brothers and sisters. The baptized Samaritans were saved and had received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Laying of Hands was just a symbolic gesture.;)
2. So that the Samaritans may receive the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit.":)
3. So that Peter and John may lay hands and impart the Gift of Miracles to them. Simon the Sorcerer wanted that gift and offered money. :cool:
4. Because Peter was the Supreme Pontiff and no church can be started without him:mad:
5. This was an isolated incident when the Holy Spirit wasn't given at Baptism, and God delayed the Holy Spirit till Peter and John came and sorted things out between the Jews and the Samaritans.:unsure:
6. Any other viewpoint :geek:

Please explain your understanding, giving scripture references. Thanks.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,726
13,522
113
#2
here's something related to think about:

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John — although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples. So He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
Now He had to go through Samaria.
(John 4:1-4)
after this is of course, the meeting with the woman at the well.

verse 4 there, that He '
had to go' through Samaria, may seem like nothing but simple geography: He was in southern Israel, in Judea, and meant to go to Galilee, which is in the north; Samaria lays right in-between. but it may be useful to recognize that the custom of the Jews was - and among many still is - not to pass through Samaria at all, as a matter of principle. it would take two or three extra days of walking, but by and large any self-respecting Jew of the time would have skirted Samaria rather than walk through it ((see John 4:9 for example, and also Luke 9:52-53 for the converse)).

Jesus didn't '
have to go' through Samaria because it was the only route. there was a well-traveled road - which any Pharisee would have taken instead - through Peræa, to the east. so this tiny little statement, "He must needs go through Samaria" speaks volumes about our Lord: He didn't 'need to go' because it was simply the way to get there; He needed to talk to this woman at Jacob's well in Shechem. He needed to demonstrate that His way is not to avoid some ethnic group or caste or type of 'sinner' -- but to bring light to them, just as He is the light to the whole world and not only the Jew, though the Jew, having been chosen, was first to receive it.

maybe this correlates with your puzzle :)
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,726
13,522
113
#3
6. Any other viewpoint :geek:
per my post previous (()) i would say someone in Samaria had been decreed of God to hear them, just as He knew there would be the particular woman at the particular well and that He should tell her exactly what He told her ;)
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
1,881
720
113
#4
Have heard many viewpoints. Some of them are below:
1. So that the Jews may end their animosity with the Samaritans and accept them as their brothers and sisters. The baptized Samaritans were saved and had received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Laying of Hands was just a symbolic gesture.;)
2. So that the Samaritans may receive the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit.":)
3. So that Peter and John may lay hands and impart the Gift of Miracles to them. Simon the Sorcerer wanted that gift and offered money. :cool:
4. Because Peter was the Supreme Pontiff and no church can be started without him:mad:
5. This was an isolated incident when the Holy Spirit wasn't given at Baptism, and God delayed the Holy Spirit till Peter and John came and sorted things out between the Jews and the Samaritans.:unsure:
6. Any other viewpoint :geek:


Please explain your understanding, giving scripture references. Thanks.
I would go with #2 for both biblical and practical reasons.

As for the biblical reason, Acts 8:15 directly states the reason they were praying for them as "that they might receive the Holy Ghost" (because they hadn't yet<--even though this goes against some people's belief / church doctrine) And it says they received the Holy Ghost at laying on of hands in verse 17....not earlier in the chapter when they "believed" or "received the word of God" or "were baptized". Receiving the Holy Ghost is a specific thing and the early church knew this.

A practical reason for the need for someone to pray with them is that sometimes it is difficult to receive spiritual things (like speaking in tongues, or the ability to prophesy, or receiving a healing) because our mind has a hard time comprehending how these things can occur. We may say we know God can do it (on paper) but its another matter to allow it to happen real time...to us. For some reason laying on of hands helps with this (and is biblically stated as being used for such).

So that's why I give the Answer of #2 that they might receive the Holy Ghost.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,771
113
#5
Please explain your understanding, giving scripture references. Thanks.
Your Scripture reference is in Acts 1:8:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
 

Beckworth

Active member
May 15, 2019
597
199
43
#6
Have heard many viewpoints. Some of them are below:
1. So that the Jews may end their animosity with the Samaritans and accept them as their brothers and sisters. The baptized Samaritans were saved and had received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Laying of Hands was just a symbolic gesture.;)
2. So that the Samaritans may receive the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit.":)
3. So that Peter and John may lay hands and impart the Gift of Miracles to them. Simon the Sorcerer wanted that gift and offered money. :cool:
4. Because Peter was the Supreme Pontiff and no church can be started without him:mad:
5. This was an isolated incident when the Holy Spirit wasn't given at Baptism, and God delayed the Holy Spirit till Peter and John came and sorted things out between the Jews and the Samaritans.:unsure:
6. Any other viewpoint :geek:


Please explain your understanding, giving scripture references. Thanks.
Perhaps it was because in verse 26 we see that Phillip, the evangelist that had been preaching in Samaria was sent on a special mission by God to leave Samaria and go teach the Ethiopian Eunuch who was traveling back to Ethiopia in his chariot. Some one needed to continue with the work in Samaria and yes perhaps it was because the Apostles needed to impart the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the answer may be in another place in scripture. For instance, on one of Paul’s missionary journeys, he said he wanted to go preach in Bythinia and the upper regions of Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let him. Then we read in 1 Peter 1:1 that Peter preached in those regions so it would be logical to assume that the Holy Spirit did not want Paul to go there because Peter was already there working.
 

Mezame83

Well-known member
Mar 18, 2019
291
316
63
#7
I agree with statement 2 So that the Samaritans may receive the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit” simply because it’s what the next few verses talk about.

What comes to mind is Acts 1:8 when Jesus says

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Perhaps it was necessary that the Apostles went and laid hands so the Samaritans could also receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon them. Maybe the Philip mentioned in Acts 8 is the Philip in Acts 6 not the apostle Philip mentioned throughout the gospels and Acts 1, so apostles Peter and John were sent. In John 4 the disciples marvelled that Jesus spoke to the woman (v.27) but I like how after witnessing how Jesus (in John 4) didn’t show partiality to the woman of Samaria, the apostles had obviously learned and didn’t show partiality and went down there. Reminds me of Eph 2:18-22.

In John 4, the “theme” of Acts 1:8 Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria is mentioned. They had been at the feast (v.45), Judaea (v.3) then travelling to Galilee Jesus must needs go through Samaria (v.4). I just thought it was interesting.
 

Adstar

Senior Member
Jul 24, 2016
7,577
3,615
113
#9
I will go with the simple answer.. They had been given orders from God to go out and spread the Gospel message to all nations... So they went to Samaria early because it bordered them..
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#10
Because God said the gospel would first be preached in Jerusalem, THEN IN SAMARIA, then the rest of the world.

It was through Gods order. And also, like brother posthuman said, Because their were peopel there that needed to hear Gods word.
 

Dan_473

Senior Member
Mar 11, 2014
9,054
1,051
113
#11
Have heard many viewpoints. Some of them are below:
1. So that the Jews may end their animosity with the Samaritans and accept them as their brothers and sisters. The baptized Samaritans were saved and had received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Laying of Hands was just a symbolic gesture.;)
2. So that the Samaritans may receive the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit.":)
3. So that Peter and John may lay hands and impart the Gift of Miracles to them. Simon the Sorcerer wanted that gift and offered money. :cool:
4. Because Peter was the Supreme Pontiff and no church can be started without him:mad:
5. This was an isolated incident when the Holy Spirit wasn't given at Baptism, and God delayed the Holy Spirit till Peter and John came and sorted things out between the Jews and the Samaritans.:unsure:
6. Any other viewpoint :geek:


Please explain your understanding, giving scripture references. Thanks.
This verse came to mind
Galatians 2: 9. and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.