Acts 19:13-20
13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!”
14 Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.
15 But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?”
16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.
18 Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.
19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So the word of the Lord was growing and prevailing mightily.
Seven Sons of Sceva (1)
Imitating Paul’s miracles
Paul’s ministry in Ephesus is recorded in a sandwich structure: (1) The episode of the twelve disciples (v 1-7). (2) Paul’s ministry in Ephesus (v 8-12). (3) The seven sons of Sceva (v 13-20). From here, begins the last section: “But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!’” (Acts 19:13). (1) This incident contrasts with the good miracles performed by God through Paul. It also serves as an example of something similar to what happened with Peter. In Acts 8:18-19, Simon the magician in Samaria attempted to buy the authority to bestow the Holy Spirit with money. (2) In Ephesus, there were those who attempted to imitate Paul’s miracles. Some of these were traveling Jewish exorcists. Even within Judaism, there were individuals who performed exorcisms. They misunderstood and believed that the name of Jesus carried a magical power. (3) Reciting magical names during incantations was a common practice at the time, especially in Ephesus, where such activities were widespread. People of that era generally feared the Jews, believing that the unuttered “Name of God,” which Jews refrained from pronouncing, was the source of their power.
Comparison with the episode of Luke 9:49-50
Let’s look at Luke 9:49-50: “John answered and said, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow along with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not hinder him; for the one who is not against you is for you.’” (1) One of Jesus’ disciples was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. This disciple may have been someone on the far end of the disciple group or one of John the Baptist’s disciples. The Twelve Apostles opposed anyone outside their group using the name of Jesus. However, Jesus said, “The one who is not against you is for you.” (2) The episode in Ephesus is fundamentally different from the one in Luke. In Ephesus, it was unbelievers who invoked the name of the Lord Jesus. For unbelievers, the name of Jesus was merely a “charm,” but for us Christians, it is a powerful name. Prayers offered in the name of the Lord Jesus reach the Father in heaven.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, to me, the name of the Lord Jesus is a powerful name. I thank You that my prayers reach You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.