Sceva’s seven sons

“Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.” (1) Sceva was a “self-proclaimed chief priest” and not an authentic one. Engaged in sorcery, he was likely expelled from Jerusalem and arrived in Ephesus during his travels through the province of Asia. (2) They went to the house of a man possessed by an evil spirit and said, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

Evil spirit’s counterattack

“But the evil spirit responded and said to them, ‘I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?’ 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.” (1) The “man possessed by an evil spirit” was indeed possessed by a demon. (2) In Greek, the evil spirit referenced Jesus and Paul as, “the Jesus” and “the Paul.” In other words, it said “the Jesus and the Paul you are mentioning.” (3) Here, Luke uses two different verbs to convey different nuances of “knowing.” The Greek verb used for “recognize Jesus” is “ginosko,” which refers to experiential knowledge. On the other hand, the Greek verb for “know Paul” is “epistamai,” which refers to knowledge gained through hearing or awareness. As we read, NASB2020 distinguishes the two verbs, by translating them as “recognize” and “know.” (4) “But who are you?” Here, the emphasis is on “you.” The evil spirit is not asking for their names but is effectively saying, “Who do you think you are?” (5) “Subdued all of them and overpowered them.” ASV translates as “and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them.” The Greek word “amphoteroi” can be translated as “two” or “all.” As the expression, “Half-baked knowledge leads to trouble,” the situation escalated disastrously. The demon-possessed man exhibited supernatural strength and retaliated. The seven exorcists were stripped, injured, and fled the house naked and wounded. They were fortunate to escape with their lives. Even as Christians, it is often difficult to completely let go of the old things. In Ephesus, many people were saved from the world of magic and the occult, yet they struggled to break free from their former practices. As we will see next time, the episode of the seven sons of Sceva prompted them to make a decisive break from their old lives. What about us? Are we walking in the light?