When Jesus told his disciples they would be his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8), Samaria was not simply another place on the map. (5 Minute Read.)
It represented a boundary.
For generations, Jews and Samaritans had lived near one another while remaining deeply divided by religious, political, and cultural hostility. John states it plainly:
“The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” — John 4:9
And yet Jesus went there.
Years before Philip arrived, Jesus stopped at Jacob’s well near Sychar and spoke with a Samaritan woman. She returned to her town telling others about him, and many came to hear Jesus for themselves. He remained among them for two days, and many believed.
So when the gospel later entered Samaria in force, the ground was not entirely new.
Philip Crossed the Boundary
After Stephen’s death, persecution scattered believers from Jerusalem. Instead of silencing the gospel, the persecution carried it outward.
Acts tells us:
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.” — Acts 8:5
Philip appears to have gone alone. Peter and John would come later, but Philip was the one who first entered the city preaching Christ.
And the people listened.
Crowds gathered. Unclean spirits came out. The paralyzed and lame were healed. Luke summarizes the result simply:
“And there was great joy in that city.” — Acts 8:8
That sentence is easy to pass over.
A city divided from the Jews by generations of bitterness suddenly experienced great joy because one follower of Jesus crossed the boundary and preached the Messiah.
Philip had no army, political authority, or great earthly position. He went, he preached, and an entire city began to pay attention.
Philip Continued What Jesus Began
There is a remarkable continuity between John 4 and Acts 8.
Jesus had crossed into Samaria before him. Now Philip carried the gospel across that same divide on a far greater scale.
He did not stop there.
God next sent him south toward the road to Gaza, where he encountered the Ethiopian official. Afterward, Philip was found at Azotus and continued preaching through the coastal towns until he reached Caesarea.
Again and again, Philip went where he was directed.
Samaria. The Gaza road. The coastal cities. Caesarea.
The pattern Jesus had given—Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and outward toward the nations—was unfolding.
Sometimes the Most Important Thing Is to Go
It is easy to speak with people who think as we do, worship as we do, and share our history. It is much harder to cross into the world of people generations have taught us to distrust.
Philip did that.
He could not know everything that would happen when he entered Samaria. He did not need to.
He went.
That may be one of the simplest and most powerful lessons of Philip’s life: sometimes we are not asked to see the entire road ahead. We are asked to take the next step.
And sometimes a great crossing begins with one person willing to go.
Gratitude,
Anthony Barbera
October 5, 2026
