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 (4)
Paul’s battle against evil spirits
Before moving forward, let us review the confrontations Paul faced with evil spirits during his missionary journeys. Luke records three instances of Paul’s encounters with evil spirits:
(1) Acts 13:6-12: During Paul’s first missionary journey, he visited the island of Cyprus. Paul encountered a false prophet, a Jewish magician named Bar-Jesus, also known as Elymas the magician. Elymas attempted to turn the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, away from the faith, obstructing the proclamation of the gospel. When Paul rebuked him, Elymas was struck blind. Witnessing this, the proconsul was astonished and came to faith in Jesus.
(2) Acts 16:16-18: During Paul’s second missionary journey, he visited Philippi. In Philippi, Paul was harassed by a young slave woman possessed by a spirit of divination. This interference continued for many days until Paul cast out the evil spirit from her. The woman’s owners, having lost their source of profit, brought charges against Paul. As a result, Paul was imprisoned. However, a miraculous event of prison doors opening occurred. This led to the salvation of the jailer and his household.
(3) Acts 19:13–20: During Paul’s third missionary journey, he visited Ephesus. In Ephesus, some attempted to imitate Paul’s miracles. The seven sons of Sceva, a chief priest, tried to cast out an evil spirit but were instead attacked by the possessed man. This incident led to repentance and spiritual awakening among the believers in Ephesus.
(4) Summary: (a) In each of the three missionary journeys, there was a confrontation with evil spirits. It seemed to follow a pattern, occurring when Paul entered new mission fields. (b) Paul did not focus his ministry on battling evil spirits. Rather, he responded to their preemptive attacks as necessary. (c) Ultimately, Jesus Christ is victorious. In Him, we too can triumph in spiritual battles. Our focus should not be on evil spirits but on the risen and living Lord Jesus.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, Your Son Jesus has already overcome the world. Please help me overcome today’s spiritual battles through Him. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.