Simon Magus misunderstood the authority of the apostles. These were men—represented here by Peter and John—who had a special authority to be able to lead the church at this time, to be foundational figures in the church at this time, who, on the day of Pentecost, were able to call upon God to work miraculously through his Holy Spirit, which manifested itself in miracles. Simon wanted some of that. But he was not an apostle. He had not been commissioned for such a role by Christ. So, until he saw the error of his ways, he had no place in church.
We need to understand the importance of the apostles and their unique role in manifesting these gifts of the Spirit which were present at that time. Simon thought that anyone could possess such gifts if the price was right. He didn’t understand that there were twelve—at most thirteen—men commissioned with this specific role of being witnesses to Christ, given the gifts of signs and wonders, set up as the foundation of the New Testament church.
