Acts 19:11-20 - The Lord Magnified, His Word Prevailing

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In vv. 8-10 Luke told of Paul preaching the Gospel in Ephesus. First it was in the synagogue and then in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years until, as Acts 19:11 says, “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”
But what evidence could Paul provide for the veracity of his preaching? How were the people in Ephesus to know that what Paul preached about Jesus was real?
The answer to that question came in the form of extraordinary miracles performed by the hands of the Apostle Paul.
Without a written NT by which to verify someone’s message, the preaching of the Apostles was often verified by the miracles they performed.
They preached that there was power in the name of Jesus to forgive sins and demonstrated the power in the name of Jesus by healing the sick.
2 Corinthians 12:12 NASB95
12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
Every miracle was about exalting the name of Jesus and saving lost souls through faith in Him. Perhaps someone would think, “If Jesus is powerful enough to heal that guy or raise that girl fro the dead, then He is surely powerful enough to forgive my sins and save me from the wrath of God!”
The message of the miracle was always larger than the miracle itself, but some never saw past the miracle.
Acts 19:10 NASB95
10 This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
This is the main thing—that people hear the word of the Lord.
This is the Gospel message, the Good News that God has provided salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
For by grace we are saved through faith (Eph. 2:8), and faith comes from hearing the word (the Good News) of Christ (Rom. 10:17, NLT).
So that more would hear the word of Christ as preached by Paul in Ephesus, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,” (Acts 19:11).
What are we to think of the miracles performed in Acts 19:11-20?
A miracle is, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, an “extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws”.
The miracles in this passage were surely extraordinary.
Miracles are extraordinary by definition, but Luke calls these “extraordinary miracles,” which means that they were rare works of divine power even when compared with other miracles.
Sometimes they are called singular, special, or unusual miracles.
What made these miracles extraordinary was that they were being performed indirectly through Paul’s handkerchiefs or aprons, which were the rags he used in his tentmaking labors.
These rags were taken by others to the physically sick and spiritually oppressed, and the result was that the diseases left and the evil spirits went out.
For the sick and oppressed this was a welcome result.
Nature nor science could explain this.
GOD was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands (and handkerchiefs) of Paul,” (Acts 19:11).
As extraordinary as they were, there are other miracles similar to them in the NT.
A woman had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years. She thought that is she only touched the fringe of His cloak she would be made well.
She was right. She touched the fringe of His cloak, and the bleeding stopped (Matt. 9:20-21).
When many people were believing in Jesus in the early days of the church, people brought their sick into the street so that perhaps Peter’s shadow might fall on them (Acts 5:15).
Luke doesn’t say specifically, but the implication seems to be that God healed some people just using Peter’s shadow.
Should this surprise us?
Our God is all-powerful! If He wants to use aprons and shadows to heal the sick and set free the oppressed, He can do it! Nothing is impossible for Him!
Our God is also supremely compassionate! Even if people are misguided in thinking that Peter’s shadow or Paul’s apron can heal them, God may still heal people through such means because He is so compassionate.
But theologically the focus of every miraculous event is on what God is revealing through the miracle. In other words, the miracle is making a point, but the miracle isn’t the point itself.
When the widowed woman’s son was raised from the dead by the prophet Elijah, she said afterward, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth,” (1 Kgs 17:24).
The widowed woman surely rejoiced when her son was raised, but the point of his raising was so that Elijah’s message would be recognized as the word of the Lord.
When John wrapped up his account of the life of Jesus, he says that Jesus did many other signs or miracles in the presence of His disciples but John recorded these miracles so that people would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in His name (John 20:30-31).
The miracles weren’t the point, but they were making a point about Jesus.
He is the Christ.
He is the Son of God.
If we believe on Him for salvation, we can have life in His name.
What’s the point of these extraordinary miracles here in Acts 19? What do they reveal?
They reveal that Paul is a man of God, and the word of the Lord in his mouth is true. And what is Paul’s message?
Jesus is the Christ.
Jesus is the Son of God.
If we believe on Him for salvation, we can have life in His name.
But the sons of Sceva did not preach that message because they did not believe that message, but they did try to commandeer the power of that message for their own gain.
It didn’t turn out well.
Acts (2) Overcoming Magic (19:17–20)

Ephesus was reputed as a center for magic. The famous statue of Artemis, the centerpiece of her temple, was noted for the mysterious terms engraved on the crown, girdle, and feet of the image. Referred to as the “Ephesian scripts,” this magical gibberish was considered to have great power.

Acts C. Sorcery at Ephesus (vv. 13–22)

This was Ephesus after all, where the bizarre seems normal.

The Power (vv. 11-13)
vv. 11-13 - Luke reports that God worked “extraordinary miracles” through Paul, but some unbelievers tried to commandeer the powerful name of Jesus for their own purposes.
The emphasis is on God performing these miracles by the hands of Paul.
Matthew 9:21 NASB95
21 for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.”
The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

Luke himself is not content to describe these events as mere ‘miracles’, dynameis, demonstrations of divine power; he adds the adjective tychousas, which is variously translated ‘special’ (AV), ‘singular’ (NEB), ‘remarkable’ (JB) and ‘extraordinary’ (RSV, NIV). He does not regard them as typical, even for ‘miracles’.

The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

Thirdly, the wisest attitude to the sweat-rag miracles is neither that of the sceptics who declare them spurious, nor that of the mimics, who try to copy them, like those American televangelists who offer to send to the sick handkerchiefs which they have blessed, but rather that of Bible students who remember both that Paul regarded his miracles as his apostolic credentials and that Jesus himself condescended to the timorous faith of a woman by healing her when she touched the edge of his cloak.

The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

Fourthly, as in the Gospels so in the Acts, demon-possession is distinguished from illness, and therefore exorcism from healing.

The Person (vv. 14-17)
vv. 14-17 - Luke tells of the seven sons of Sceva who were severely beaten by a demoniac after they tried to use the name of Jesus as a talisman in casting out the man’s demons.
It is not the use of the name of Jesus but a faith-relationship with Jesus that gives us access to the power of Jesus.
Jesus is not a good-luck charm or magical talisman
It is the name of Jesus that is to be magnified.
It might seem strange that the name of Jesus was magnified after the beating of Sceva’s sons because they had tried to used the name of Jesus (v. 13) to cast out the man’s demons.
Why then was it magnified?
It was magnified because the people saw that the name of Jesus (i.e., that Jesus Himself) could not be reduced to a cheap incantation or spell like so many others used by these Jewish exorcists.
There is real power in Jesus, and the only ones who could exercise that power were the Apostles to whom Jesus delegated it.
His power wasn’t to be wielded by everyone but by the Apostles only.
His power wasn’t for every purpose but for the spreading of the Word of God.

Ancient magicians were syncretists and would borrow terms from any religion that sounded sufficiently strange to be deemed effective. These Jewish exorcists of Ephesus were only plying their trade. Paul’s “spell” in Jesus’ name seemed effective for him, so they gave it a try. (The New American Commentary: Acts [Nashville: Broadman, 1992], 403)

Exorkistōn (exorcists) appears only here in the New Testament. It derives from a root word meaning “to bind with an oath”; ancient exorcists attempted to expel demons by invoking the name of a more powerful spirit being. Exorcists were common in the ancient world, even among the Jews (Matt. 12:27; Acts 13:6). Their fanciful spells and ritual formulas were very different from the absolute authority delegated by Christ and exercised by the apostles.

They addressed the demon with the incantation “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Unlike Paul, however, they did not know the Person they named nor have His power delegated to them.

seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. Nothing further is known of Sceva, and there was never a Jewish high priest by that name. Either he was a member of one of the high priestly families, or, more likely, he appropriated the title to impress his clients. That is not unlike those charlatans in our own day who falsely claim to be doctors or professors.

This story vividly illustrates the danger for any who assume messianic or apostolic power over demons and Satan and thus carelessly meddle in the supernatural realm.

[ILLUS] Crazy guy in college training to fight Satan
The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

Secondly, he does not regard them as magic either, for he sets them apart from the magical practices which Ephesian believers were soon to confess and renounce as evil (18–19).

The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

To be sure, there is power—saving and healing power—in the name of Jesus, as Luke has been at pains to illustrate (e.g. 3:6, 16; 4:10–12). But its efficacy is not mechanical, nor can people use it second-hand.

The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

We have already noted that Ephesus was famous for its ‘Ephesian letters’ (grammata), which were ‘written charms, amulets and talismans’.

Acts (1) Jewish Exorcists (19:13–16)

In the Greco-Roman world, Jewish exorcists were held in high esteem for the venerability of their religion and the strangeness of their Hebrew incantations. Magicians and charlatans were omnipresent in the culture, offering various cures and blessings by their spells and incantations, all for a financial consideration. The more exotic the incantation, the more effective it was deemed to be.

Acts (1) Jewish Exorcists (19:13–16)

A number of magical papyri from the ancient world have been discovered. These consist of various spells that often invoke the names of foreign gods and employ various kinds of gibberish. In the Paris collection of magical papyri, various Old Testament terms are found, such as Iao (for Yahweh), Abraham, and Sabaoth, terms which would have sounded exotic to Greeks and Romans. One spell reads, “I abjure thee by Jesus, the God of the Hebrews.” Another from the same papyrus reads, “Hail, God of Abraham, hail, God of Isaac, hail, God of Jacob, Jesus Chrestus, Holy Spirit, Son of the Father.”

Acts (1) Jewish Exorcists (19:13–16)

Josephus lists all the names of the Jewish high priests up to the fall of the temple, and none is named Sceva.

Acts (1) Jewish Exorcists (19:13–16)

With the extreme sense of modesty characteristic of Judaism, the nakedness of the Jewish exorcists was almost symbolic of their total humiliation in the incident.

They had been stripped of any pretense of power.
Acts (1) Jewish Exorcists (19:13–16)

Two lessons emerge from the story. For one, Christianity has nothing to do with magic. The name of Jesus is no magical incantation. The power of Jesus drives out the demonic, and his Spirit only works through those who, like Paul, confess him and are committed to him. Second, the demon did confess the power of Jesus over him, “Jesus I know.” Compare Jas 2:19, “Even the demons believe and shudder.” The people of Ephesus recognized this and extolled the powerful name of Jesus as a result (v. 17). What was true for them is still true. In the name of Jesus is all the power needed to drive out the demonic forces in every age.

Acts C. Sorcery at Ephesus (vv. 13–22)

Apparently the exorcism business can be rather dangerous, especially when one starts using Jesus’ name without being controlled by his Spirit.

The sons of Sceva used the name of Jesus in vain.
“Authorized Personnel Only”
The Ephesians heard the demon say, “Jesus I know.”
[ILLUS] John MacArthur entering a man with a demon, “Get him out of here!” MacArthur said, “At least I knew I was on the right side of things.” The Ephesians now knew that Jesus was on the right side of things.
The Point (vv. 18-20)
vv. 18-20 - Luke says that many believed and repented of their evil practices including occultists who burned their valuable books on the occult in devotion to Jesus.
Repentance can be costly but what’s gained is always worth the price.
The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Praxeis (practices) here refers to their secret magic spells, which were generally believed to be rendered useless if they were divulged.

They turned from their magic as the Thessalonians turned from their idols (1 Thess. 1:9).

The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas (19), the drachma being a silver coin representing about a day’s wage.

The Message of Acts c. Some Power Encounters (19:11–20)

That these young believers, instead of realizing the monetary value of their magic spells by selling them, were willing to throw them on a bonfire, was signal evidence of the genuineness of their conversion.

Acts (2) Overcoming Magic (19:17–20)

If the piece of silver concerned is the drachma, the most common Greek silver coin, that would come to about $35,000 in current silver value.

The Attic drachma contained 67.5 grains of silver, or approximately 14 percent of a troy ounce. With silver at $5 a troy ounce, the drachma would contain about 70 cents in silver value.

Acts C. Sorcery at Ephesus (vv. 13–22)

Luke, who loved this kind of detail, tells us that they burned 137 years worth of salary in collective sorcery scrolls!

Acts IV. Life Application: Demons in Haiti

One of my colleagues for the past fifteen years of ministry has been Walt Baker, former missionary to Haiti and for over twenty years an associate professor of missions at Dallas Seminary. Almost every summer, Walt and his wife Dottie take a group of students back to Haiti for intensive, short-term missionary activity.

While the team ministered in that country during the summer of 1987, a witch doctor trusted Christ and agreed to set a date for the burning of his devil house and all the implements of his craft. Walt arrived on the appointed day only to find the man drugged by his wife and sister who refused to surrender his body since they wanted to use it for further demon worship.

For nearly two hours Walt debated with the women outside the house, but to no avail. Legal right to the body was theirs of course; and failing to convince them otherwise, he had no choice but to leave. At the time of his departure, he literally banged his sandals against the house in the manner of the prophets and apostles and committed it to the curse of God, never to have contact with it again.

Christians tend to be too soft on issues of spiritism and demon worship. True, we don’t encounter the overt practices common to first-century life in Ephesus, but our culture is full of movies, video games, board games, astrology, ouija boards, and other paraphernalia which have distinctive connection with ancient demonism.

When we belong to Christ, he indwells us by his Spirit; and we go to war with Satan’s demon forces. Any yielding to their power sets up a dangerous point of vulnerability for those who want to live victoriously in Christ. Perhaps, like the godly Ephesian Christians, we should “burn our scrolls,” at least symbolically, and draw a very sharp line between God and Satan in our lives, our homes, our churches, and our society.

-----------------------
In different translations, Sceva is called a Jewish chief priest, the chief priest, or even the high priest. The Jewish historian Josephus provides us with a list of the high priest and none are named Sceva, so either Sceva belonged to one of the families of the chief priests or he and his sons were charlatans using titles like chief priest or high priest to fool some gullible Ephesians.
Sceva’s seven sons went to a man with an evil spirit and tried to cast it out by employing the name of Jesus. The demon within the man said, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15).
Then the possessed man beat these seven sons of Sceva leaving them bleeding, naked, and running for their lives.
God would not give credence to these frauds. He would not allow them to perform any miracles in the name of Jesus because they didn’t know Jesus; they did not believe the message of Jesus; and they certainly did not preach the message of Jesus.
Sceva’s seven sons had tried to use the name of Jesus in vain and had been exposed for the frauds they were.
No one who was witness to their embarrassment would believe anything they had to say.
But the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.
This is the result of every genuine miracle performed in the name of Jesus.
Peter performed miracles, but Peter’s name was not magnified.
Paul performed miracles, but Paul’s name was not magnified.
Miracles performed by the power of God in the name of Jesus Christ whether performed by Peter, Paul, or another Apostle always resulted in the name of Jesus being magnified!
We need to be honest about why we are seeking the miracle we are seeking.
A young woman’s husband was in terrible condition. It was cancer and the doctors said there was no hope. She had not given up hope, however, and publically requested that people join her in begging God for a miracle.
As I read the story, I prayed that God would heal her husband, but I also wondered why she wanted this miracle.
Did she want the miracle because she loved her husband and wanted him to be around for her in the years to come? Certainly.
Did she want the miracle because she wanted her husband to be there for their children in the years to come? Absolutely.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting her husband to be healed for those reasons.
But I hope you will not think me too callous for wondering if she ever thought about wanting the miracle so that the name of Jesus would be magnified.
I think we often say, “Oh yes, I want the miracle because I want Jesus to be glorified,” but if we are completely honest we often want the miracle for more self-serving reasons. We either want it for our joy, our happiness, our comfort, our ease, but rarely do we honestly want the miracle for His glory—for the magnification of the name of the Lord Jesus.
But to want a miracle for any other reason is to misunderstand the point of miracles.
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
Confirmation through miracles performed in the power of Jesus
veracity
Magnification of the Name of Jesus
clarity
Salvation and sanctification of those who believed on Jesus
charity (grace)
by grace these people were saved
by grace the Word grew and prevailed so that even more would be saved
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vv. 18-20
The people had heard about what happened to the seven sons of Sceva, and they heard about what the evil spirit said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15)
The Ephesians understood that Jesus had authority over evil spirits and had delegated that authority to His Apostles, specifically in this case to the Apostle Paul.
This meant that Paul’s message concerning Jesus was true, and having believed that message, they gave up their devotion to occult practices.
They burned their magic books. This was no small sacrifice because the books were worth about 50,000 pieces of silver or about 136 years worth of wages.
Salvation leads to sanctification, and sanctification is always worth is even if it is costly.
We shouldn’t hold on to something sinful just because we have money invested in it.
The financial hit is worth it to walk more closely with Jesus.
The extraordinary miracles, the occasion with Sceva’s sons, and the example of the repentant burning their magic books, led to the word of the Lord continuing to grow mightily and prevail over sin, sickness, and unbelief.
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