The apostles returned to Jerusalem because Jerusalem was the divinely appointed center of authority for the twelve, and their work in Samaria was an extension of Jerusalem, not a departure from it.
In Acts 8, the Samaritan believers did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. Les Feldick explains this deliberately showed the Samaritans that Jerusalem, not Samaria, was the place of worship. Samaria was only a few miles north of Jerusalem, and the apostles, even under persecution, would not leave Jerusalem because they knew they had no God-given right to.
Acts 8:14-15 — The apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God and sent Peter and John, showing Jerusalem's oversight.
Acts 8:25 — After testifying and preaching, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching in many Samaritan villages on the way.
Acts 1:8 — Jesus commanded the disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, with Samaria as the current stage.
After Stephen's martyrdom, the believers in Jerusalem were scattered throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles (Acts 8:1). Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ to them (Acts 8:5). When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John, who came down and prayed for the Samaritan believers that they might receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:14-15). For as yet the Holy Spirit had fallen on none of them; Peter and John laid hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:16-17). After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans along the way (Acts 8:25). Jesus had earlier told the disciples they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Les Feldick sees the apostles' return to Jerusalem as deliberate, not accidental. He points out that the Samaritan believers were saved from Philip's preaching but did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. That told the Samaritans that Jerusalem was where they had to worship, not Samaria — the authority was in Jerusalem and in the twelve. Les also emphasizes that the apostles remained in Jerusalem even under intense persecution, which would be unthinkable if they were embracing the Great Commission; they knew they had no God-given right to leave. He notes that Samaria was only a few miles north of Jerusalem, so going there was not leaving the world. Even after Peter's experience among Gentiles, Peter went back to Jerusalem instead of heading into Syria, Cilicia, Asia Minor, Greece, or Egypt. Les says the twelve never had a ministry among the nations because Israel never accepted the King, and that opportunity was taken from them.
Les teaches that the believing Samaritans were saved from Philip's preaching, yet they did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. This was a deliberate indication to the Samaritans that Jerusalem was where they had to worship, not Samaria.
Les asks why, if they were embracing the Great Commission, the apostles were still in Jerusalem six or seven years after Pentecost instead of being throughout the Roman Empire. He says they would not leave even under intense persecution because they knew they had no God-given right to. Their ministry was to the nation of Israel.
Les notes that Israel is a small country and everything is close. Samaria is only a few miles due north of Jerusalem, so Philip going there was not leaving the world. The King James language of going 'down' to Samaria reflects elevation: Jerusalem sits at about 1400 feet and Samaria around 1000 feet.
Acts 8:25 records that after testifying and preaching the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, and on the way they preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Their destination was still Jerusalem.
Philip, Not One of the Twelve, Preaches in Samaria
Les sets the context: Samaria receives the Gospel for the first time through Philip, one of the seven, about seven years after Pentecost and before the Jerusalem apostles arrive.
The Holy Spirit Through Peter and John's Hands Shows Jerusalem's Authority
Les explains that the Samaritans did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came from Jerusalem, which was a deliberate indication that Jerusalem, not Samaria, was the place of worship.
The Twelve Never Had a Ministry Among the Gentiles
Les challenges the idea that the twelve fulfilled the Great Commission among the nations: they went as far as Samaria but never had a ministry among Gentiles because Israel rejected the King.
The Apostles Stayed in Jerusalem Because They Had No God-Given Right to Leave
Les reasons that if the Great Commission were in view, the apostles would have been across the Roman Empire within six or seven years; instead they remained in Jerusalem, even under persecution, because their commission was to Israel.
Samaria Is Only a Few Miles North of Jerusalem
Les explains that going to Samaria did not mean leaving the world, since Samaria was just a few miles due north of Jerusalem and still within the land of Israel.
Even After the Gentile Experience, Peter Went Back to Jerusalem
Les asks why Peter, after witnessing Gentiles receive the Spirit, returned to Jerusalem instead of heading into Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, or Egypt, underscoring that Jerusalem was still the place of the twelve.
The Twelve at Jerusalem Sent Peter and John to Samaria
Les identifies the apostles at Jerusalem as the twelve and shows that they dispatched Peter and John when they heard Samaria received the word of God, keeping authority in Jerusalem.
The Twelve Were Continuing Christ's Earthly Ministry to Israel
Les says the apostles were to be an extension of Christ's earthly ministry, dealing with the nation of Israel and meeting in the temple, which explains why Jerusalem remained their base.
Acts 1:8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jesus establishes the ordered witness: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Acts 8:1: And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
The believers were scattered, but the apostles remained in Jerusalem.
Acts 8:5: Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
Philip brought the Gospel to Samaria before the apostles came from Jerusalem.
Acts 8:14: Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
The Jerusalem apostles responded to the Samaritan revival by sending Peter and John.
Acts 8:15: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
Peter and John came down from Jerusalem and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Spirit.
Acts 8:16-17: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit came upon the Samaritans through the laying on of the apostles' hands.
Acts 8:25: And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
After their Samaritan ministry, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem.
Yes, according to Acts 8:16-17 and Les Feldick's teaching, the Samaritan believers did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. Les says this was a deliberate indication that authority rested in Jerusalem and in the twelve.
Les says the apostles stayed in Jerusalem because they knew they had no God-given right to leave. Their ministry was to the nation of Israel, and Samaria was only a few miles north of Jerusalem, so the work there was still within that same commission.
Les says the twelve never had a ministry among the Gentiles. They went as far as Samaria, but Israel's rejection of the King meant that the opportunity for the twelve to go to the nations was taken from them.
Watch the Teaching: What Did the Ethiopian Eunuch Actually Believe? Acts 8