It's a fascinating chapter, not only because of Simon, but also because of all the questions it raises about the nature of faith and the place of the Holy Spirit's indwelling in all of this. Were the Samaritans believers before the apostles came or not? Was Simon ever a believer? Did Philip miss something in his preaching? And so on.
I tend towards the view that the faith expressed by the Samaritans was true, saving faith. When the apostle came they didn't preach again, they didn't point out anything that was flawed about the faith they found. What they noticed was a lack of experience of the presence of the Holy Spirit, which was rectified by the laying on of hands and prayer. Given the descriptive nature of Acts, I don't see here a pattern for the ongoing life of the church, so it's not a big problem, the big problem comes with Simon.
The same words describe his response to Philip's ministry as describe the general response. He "believes and is baptised". But maybe there's a hint that all is not well with his attachment to Philip. An underlying issue at work that becomes clear when the apostles arrive. Perhaps his faith response was motivated by bitter jealously because he was no longer the centre of attention.
Clearly Simon has used the right words but has not experienced transformation which is what becomes exposed when he tries to buy the ministry of the apostles, the real power sources as he saw it. If he was going to retrieve his position of greatness, these were the guys with whom he would have to compete.
Anyway, in the midst of the power struggle something gets overlooked if we're not careful. Having come to see what Philip has been up to, the apostles return to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in a series of Samaritan towns and villages as they go. One more barrier broken down by the power of the gospel, one more step along the way to fulfilling Jesus' words that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and now Samaria. Only the ends of the earth to go!
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