Acts 8:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus Simon had planned a wicked deed. Therefore the apostle said to him, "Perhaps it may be forgiven you," knowing that he was incorrigible. Simon, for his part, feared the people and did not dare to repent. If he had not been troubled, he would have said, "I did not know. I acted thoughtlessly."

But he was struck first by the signs being performed before him, and second because what was hidden in his soul had become manifest. Therefore he went far away, to Rome, where the apostle had not yet arrived.

For Simon said, "Pray to the Lord for me," not because he had repented and turned, but merely for propriety's sake. Otherwise, where is the lamentation? Where is the remorse and confession of sins?

"For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." These are words full of wrath. But Peter does not punish him, lest his faith afterward appear to have been forced by necessity and fear, and lest this action appear cruel.

In answer to this criminal simony, as all attempts to obtain the grace of the priesthood by purchase came to be called, the apostle Peter addressed Simon with a stern rebuke. It affected the magician so deeply that he began asking the apostles to pray for him.

Nevertheless, the apostle finds both repentance on Simon's part and the forgiveness of his sin by God possible. This rests on the fact that Simon had, after all, turned to Christianity and been baptized. Therefore in baptism he had received the remission of sins. Consequently, further development of Christian life became possible for him, on condition of repentance for what was impure and sinful in his faith.

He had not yet received the Holy Spirit. He had not experienced His action upon himself, and therefore in a certain sense he did not know what he was doing. Deep repentance would have blotted out this sin and set Simon on the straight path, and prayer would have confirmed him on that path.

"The thought of the heart" means a conscious course of action, a plan, or an undertaking. The expression can denote either a good or an evil undertaking, as determined by the context (cf. 2 Macc 12:45). Here it is clearly evil and sinful.

It is evident that this thought points to the depth of what Simon had conceived. It was not a fleeting and quickly passing feeling in him, to buy the grace of apostleship with money. It was, so to speak, a reflection of his whole worldview. This made his understanding of Christianity grievous, as though everything in it could be bought with money, even the gift of ordination.

According to Saint John Chrysostom, "The sickness had been in Simon for a long time, and therefore he is not freed from it even at baptism. How, then, did they baptize him? In the same way that Christ chose Judas." From this it follows that baptism does not act by grace upon the unworthy, and that Simon's sin is like that of Judas.

See what the disposition of the heart means, and what a thought issuing from it according to a certain disposition means. Judged by this, a man outwardly may be one thing, while inwardly he is something entirely different. This inward state is seen only by God and by those to whom the Spirit of God, Who searches hearts, reveals it.

With what fear and trembling, then, we must work out our salvation. And how sincerely and fervently we must pray to God: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps 50).

At the judgment there will be something fearful and astonishing. The Lord will say, "I do not know you," to those who not only were certain themselves that they belonged to God, but also appeared so in everyone's eyes. What remains for us? Only to cry out: "By whatever judgments You know, save us, O Lord!" As You know, grant our heart a saving disposition.