Hot tempered Peter was livid! He had lost his cool and blown his top. He turned on Simon and said, "Your money perish with you for thinking God's gift can be bought. You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right before God. Turn from this great wickedness and pray. Perhaps God will yet forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that there is jealousy and sin in your heart" (Acts 8:20-23).

I don't think too many clergy are preaching on this text today when they preach their stewardship sermons, for this text really says to some people that they can take their money and go to hell. Actually that is how the Today's English Version translates this verse. "Peter answered him, 'May you and your money go to hell, for thinking that you can buy God's gift with money'!"

The Phillips translation says much the same thing, for it has Peter saying, "To hell with you and your money." Phillips feels a little embarrassed that Peter used such strong language, and with an asterisk, he adds this on the bottom of the page, "This is really what the Greek says. It is a pity that modern English usage obscures the literal meaning."

Simon was a magician who was well known throughout Samaria, and who had quite a following. Our Scripture lesson says that "He was a very influential, proud man because of the amazing things he could do -- in fact, the Samaritan people often spoke of him as the Messiah." That's how well known and highly respected he was. The Messiah!

Philip came preaching that Jesus was the Messiah and Simon and many others believed and were baptized. Simon not only believed but became something of a "camp follower," for the Bible says he then followed Philip wherever he went, and "was amazed at the miracles that he did."

John and Peter heard that Philip was having great success in Samaria. Since this was the first time the gospel had spread outside of Jerusalem, they decided to come and have a closer look. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for the new disciples, and the Holy Spirit came upon the new Christians. Nothing here extraordinary in the life of the church, but the former magician, Simon, was watching all of this very closely. These two people from Jerusalem had some kind of power that he never had, and he wanted it, so "He offered money to buy this power." Peter was so indignant to think that the Holy Spirit was for sale that he told Simon where to go. He told him what he could do with his money. The gift of the Holy Spirit was not for sale for any amount of money.

While Simon claimed to believe in Christ, he only believed half-heartedly. His was not a full conversion. He was still more interested in what he wanted than in what God wanted. He was still seeking to use God rather than to have God use him. He thought he would use the power of the Holy Spirit to become a better magician, not a better person.

Simon's name has gone down in the history of the English language, for today we call the purchasing of an ecclesiastical office "simony." The very word is a word of contempt. Simon was one of those who approached life with the belief that everything can be bought. Everybody has his price, he thought. So he offered to buy the power of God, for then he would use it in his magic show.