Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.  (Acts 8:5)

Philip was a common Greek name, Φίλιππος (Philippos) a compound of philos and hippos, it meant ‘lover (of) horses’, and features several times in the New Testament.  Matthew (14:3) tells us that Herod the Tetrarch’s brother was called Philip and also that one of the twelve disciples is a Philip (10:3).

However, in the book that is commonly known the Acts of the Apostles, it is not this Philip but another that occupies Luke’s narrative because the Philip he features was a man chosen by the apostles to administer poor relief to the widows of the church, along with six other men, including Stephen.   

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.  Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.   But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’  (ibid 6:2-4)

Yet while God ‘promoted’ Stephen to deliver the Holy Spirit’s verdict and condemnation of the Sanhedrin, rewarding him with the distinction of being the first martyr of the church, it fell to Philip to be recorded as the first to enact the Great Commission.  

Jesus had promised divine assistance:

‘… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)

But despite this, it was not until the persecution instigated by Saul of Tarsus (who would himself be converted as an apostle, Paul) that Jesus’ final instructions were acted upon:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  (Matthew 28:19-20a)

The early church had not left Jerusalem but God was about to force a change on the very day of Stephen’s murder; however, Luke notes that the apostles remained rooted:

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 8:1).

It was Philip the deacon (from the Greek for those that serve food), not Philip the apostle then who goes to Samaria to bring the gospel of hope.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. (ibid 8:5-6)

Now the Greek here is ambiguous because it can be read as ‘the’ city of Samaria or ‘a’ city of Samaria, and it tempting to think that he may have gone to the region of Sychar where Jesus met with an enthusiastic response (John 4:39-40).

Irrespective, the significance of ministering to the Samaritans cannot be overlooked.  This was not merely extending the message of hope to the nations, but to the nation that was utterly detested by Jews.

When John recounts Jesus coming to Sychar where he asks the woman at the well to draw water for him to drink, the gospel parenthetically adds ‘for Jews had no dealings with Samaritan’ (John 4:9).  This is accurate but does not come close to describing the antipathy and racial bad blood between Jews and Samaritans.

There may have been many reasons why God had to ‘eject’ the early church, almost exclusively Jewish, from Jerusalem, but it seems likely that being a witness to Christ in Judea was one thing, but do the same in to a despised people in Samaria was too great an ask.

Notwithstanding, Philip, a Hellenistic Jew, was obedient; but clearly his ‘successes’ troubled the apostles back in Jerusalem.

 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 8:14-17)

Now this is curious.  While Paul says (Ephesians 2:20) the church was ‘built on the foundation of the apostles and (Old Testament) prophets’, growth would have ground to a halt if only the twelve could engender saving faith.  Some have suggested that the apostles attention was required because the Samaritans were so heretical, having claimed to be rightful descendants of Jacob, while pursuing a fake, or folk, religion and building a rival temple on Mount Gerizim (John 4:20).  

But there is another possibility. Could it be, that as the beneficiary of ministry is reflected upon the minister, not the ministered to (for only God grants salvation, Romans 1:16) that the Holy Spirit was withheld from those Philip evangelised in order to propel Peter and John out of Jerusalem and Judea?

Later in Acts, Luke tells us how Peter was initially resistant to associate with the Gentiles and it would need visions and enacted miracles before he gained sufficient revelation and was able to declare:

‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea…’ (Acts 10:34-37)

Thus he came to realise that what had begun in Judea must now be taken beyond Judea – but this resistance was not unique to Peter:

And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. (ibid 10:45)

In any case, after visiting Philip, the apostles overcame any reticence in evangelising the Samaritans, at least.

Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.  (ibid 8:25)

Philip undaunted then meets a eunuch, who we are told is a courtier to Queen of Ethiopia (ibid 8:27), and clearly a high-ranking and influential individual.  Here we see Philip again obeying the Great Commission by agreeing to baptise a Gentile and an incomplete man at that! 

Luke then tells us that on rising from the water, the eunuch finds Philip has been ‘spirited away’, such was the pressing need for divine service in Azotus (Ashdod) and all the coastal region up to Caesarea. 

Philip may have been given the name ‘the lover of horses’ but it he did not need the speed of the horse, for his evangelistic efforts were propelled by God; and through his faithful ministry was the Great Commission inaugurated.