Scripture: And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Acts 19:11-20 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, traveling through Asia Minor while visiting his church plants, Paul veers away from the northern route of his last journey and heads east to Ephesus. Upon arrival, Paul connects with some disciples and inquires whether they have received the Holy Spirit. Learning they had only received John’s baptism of repentance, Paul explains the difference and baptizes them in the name of Christ, laying hands on them. Then, having received the Holy Spirit, they speak in tongues and prophesy. Over the next three months, Paul reseasons with the synagogue Jews about the kingdom of God. Still, some become antagonistic toward Paul and the fellowship. So over the next two years, Paul and his disciples proclaim the Gospel at the hall of Tyrannus to an audience of Jews and Greeks.
Today’s reading continues the storyline of the Gospel’s advance in Ephesus. Luke first highlights God’s miraculous work through Paul, citing those diseased of body and mind find healing in Paul’s absence by merely receiving clothing articles he has touched. The excitement surrounding these “extraordinary miracles” inspires some itinerate Jewish exorcists to try to cast out demons in the name of Jesus. In particular, seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva tried their hand at it. To their horror, the evil spirit speaks through the demon-possessed man and declares, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” (v.5), then accosts them (ripping off their clothes) and sending them fleeing for life.
The news spreads quickly throughout Ephesus, gripping its citizens (Jews and Gentiles alike) with a healthy fear of God and respect for Jesus and his Gospel. Consequently, converts confess their cultic practices. In particular, those indulging in the magic arts bring their books before fellow citizens and burn them as a sign of repentance. Luke then closes this segment with two highlights: the value of the books totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver, and the Lord’s word (i.e., the Gospel) continued to gain traction, prevailing over Ephesus’ mythological ethos.
Takeaway: In the words of Charles Dickens, from his Tales of Two Cities, “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times” for Paul. Paul alludes to his challenges in the closing remarks of his first letter to the Corinthians: while a great door opened to continue his work in Ephesus, many opposed him (1 Corinthians 16:8-9). Tomorrow’s Daily Focus will cover a particular hostile riot spurred by adversaries to the Gospel. Nevertheless, Luke’s account of Paul’s time in Ephesus illustrates that while Jews and Greeks oppose the Gospel, it prevails with power. Still, as the seven sons of Sceva learned, one must not attempt to manufacture the power lest evil would overpower them. Instead, it must flow through us as the Holy Spirit resides in and guides us.
Luke also wants his readers to see that true repentance leads to a radical purging of those idols that would otherwise impede our love and affection for the Father and Son and, hence, our growth in the faith. The current value of the books of magic arts would be approximately six million USD. That’s a lot to sacrifice, but nothing compared to the life of the Son of God. So we must not simply set aside our idols but reduce them to ashes.
What does this look like for us? Let’s take the example of pornography, which is tantamount to practicing magic arts—inviting demonic oppression. Having led recovery groups for those who struggle with pornography, I attest that if they do not take radical steps to distance themselves from the source, they will not experience the power of the Holy Spirit. Assuming they want to gain victory over the sense of powerlessness and crippling shame of their addiction, they must shut down all the portals to pornography through web monitoring and domain blocks and submit to accountability (to the group and a partner). If they persevere, the Holy Spirit will grow the fruit of self-control in them, spurring confidence and spiritual, emotional, and psychological maturity. But as with all spiritual warfare, it will be the worst and best of times. And that’s okay because we will prevail with power, and the best of times is yet to come.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who prevailed over evil perpetrated through religious leaders, ignorant crowds, and a corrupt governor to empower his and future generations of disciples with the Holy Spirit. And we rejoice in knowing that your Son triumphed over evil, setting us free from the penalty of sin. Still, we confess that we struggle with the present power of sin, whether of our making or that of others. So would you please motivate us to cooperate with your Holy Spirit to prevail with power, destroying the idols that compete for our affection toward you and cripple us with shame? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
Leave a Reply