Daily Thoughts from Acts: Clear Vision (Acts 19:11-20)

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)

The demonstrations of power through Paul, some of which he didn’t initiate or perhaps even approve of, become so well known that some Jewish exorcists in Ephesus try his “technique,” because that is what they think it is, a technique.  Invoking the name of Jesus, however, is not the same as exercising the authority of Jesus that he has granted those who follow him.  The demon acknowledges both Jesus and Paul, confirming their authority, but does not submit to the exorcists the way he would have to submit to Jesus.  But their failure highlights the powerful message of Jesus and causes many to come to him for salvation.

It is fascinating that something many generations and cultures have acknowledged as real, demon possession, is something that many “western” cultures have relegated to superstition.  C.S. Lewis said that Satan’s strategy is to either make us totally fearful of his presence or to make us completely unaware of his presence.  He benefits either way.  But here was a man in Ephesus who was empowered by a demon to feats of abnormal strength and who had knowledge of Jesus and Paul having never met either.  We fail to recognize demonization of some people to our detriment.

In Ephesus, the fear that falls on all also works repentance in the lives of those who are believers but who have continued to cling to their sins or other strategies like magic to make their lives work.  Their confession and destruction of items related to false worship give further evidence of the Lord’s work in Ephesus. 

What are we still clinging to from our former manner of life that needs to be submitted to Him?  What are our “backups” if God doesn’t work (because that is how we think of it)?  Faith in Christ is all or nothing.  You cannot have some of him and some of something else.  You cannot, as he taught, serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13).

Now when [people] attempt to live a double life spiritually, that is, to appear pure on the outside but are not pure in the heart, they are anything but blessed. Their conflicting loyalties make them wretched, confused, tense. And having to keep their eyes on two masters at once makes them cross-eyed, and their vision is so blurred that neither image is clear.  Clarence Jordan, Sermon on the Mount