So when the Samaritans came to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed there two days.
This was the first instance of cross-cultural evangelism that the Gospel evangelists recorded in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ ministry to Gentiles came later, according to their records. Jesus later charged the church to continue cross-cultural evangelism (Acts 1:8). Still later Philip evangelized in Samaria with great success, perhaps in this very region (Acts 8:4-8). Jesus’ ministry here was not only reaping but sowing. Philip reaped what Jesus had sowed.