Acts 19, Part 1
Notes
Transcript
1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.
2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”
5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 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.
13 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.”
14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
16 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.
17 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.
18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.
19 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.
20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
19:1. After Paul visited the churches of South Galatia founded on his first missionary journey, he passed through the upper or higher-lying regions on his way to Ephesus instead of taking the main road through the fever-ridden valleys.
At Ephesus he found a group of 12 disciples. There can be no doubt that these disciples were truly godly people, but there is much discussion whether they should be regarded as believers in the New Testament meaning (Christians), or if they still lived in an Old Testament relationship with God. Some writers believe they were disciples of John the Baptist, but one objection to this is that everywhere else in Acts, “disciples” means followers of Jesus. Others think these 12 men were won to Christ by Apollos, before Priscilla and Aquila instructed him (18:25), but then one may wonder why they were not more informed about the Holy Spirit at a later time.
19:2. The narrative implies Paul discerned something was missing in their spiritual life. His question, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” indicates they were missing the New Testament gift of the Holy Spirit. In this case, the implication is that belief (i.e., conversion) came prior to receiving the Holy Spirit. The answer to Paul’s question was quite surprising: “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” If these men were followers of John, it is difficult to understand why they would not have heard about the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5). It might be they probably knew about this element of John’s message, but word had not yet reached them that the Holy Spirit had come as Jesus promised He would.
19:3. Paul’s second question is interesting. It shows he assumed these disciples had been baptized. But as they told that they had no knowledge about the Holy Spirit, Paul naturally must have wondered what kind of baptism they had received. Since Christian baptism is in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19), they would have known of the Holy Spirit if this was the way they were baptized. So Paul asked, “Unto what then were ye baptized?” It hardly came as a surprise to him when they said they were baptized with the baptism of John.
19:4. Paul explained that John’s baptism was only preparatory, a baptism of repentance, that is, a baptism that testified to their repentance. John refused to baptize those who did not repent (Matthew 3:7, 8). John himself told the people they should believe in the Coming One, Jesus. Apparently, this is what these 12 men did; Paul said they “believed” (verse 2). Paul seems to have no doubt they were genuine disciples. Still he did not accept their baptism as the Christian baptism which Jesus ordained after His death and resurrection.
19:5. Then, having heard, “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” They not only listened, they understood and obeyed. This is the only occasion in the New Testament where it is recorded that people received two baptisms. Paul must have further explained the meaning of Christian baptism, including identification with Jesus in His death and resurrection. (See Romans 6:3, 4.)
The phrase “in the name of the Lord Jesus” means they were baptized into the worship and service of Jesus, making Him Lord of their lives. This short designation is used several times for Christian baptism. Because Jesus is the revealer of the Father (John 17:6) and the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11), the baptism “in Jesus name” should not be understood or interpreted as being opposed to baptism in the name of the Trinity. This expression in no way cancels the baptismal formula given by the Lord himself in Matthew 28:19. To do so would be like asserting that Romans 10:13 is in opposition to Acts 16:31 since the first says those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved, and the latter states salvation is based on belief in Christ.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
19:6. After Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them. What happened relates to earlier narratives in Acts which tell of an outpouring of the Spirit, variously referred to as a “baptism in the Spirit” (1:5), a “filling with” the Spirit (2:4), the Spirit “falling upon” believers (8:16; 10:44).
As in Samaria (8:17, 18) the Spirit was given through laying on of the apostle’s hands. In the house of Cornelius the coming of the Spirit was spontaneous (chapter 10). This shows that laying on of hands was not in itself the cause of the giving of the Spirit. However, one cannot diminish the importance of laying on hands as a means or medium of imparting spiritual power, authority, or gifts (see Numbers 27:15–18; Mark 6:5; 16:18; Acts 8:18; 13:3; 28:8; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6).
19:7. The number of these disciples was not large. It came to the sum total of about 12 men. There could have been 11 or 13. The exact number is not important, but their experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is. Women are not mentioned, and since Luke usually mentioned them when they were present, it may be assumed that all were men.
19:8. On the following Sabbath Paul went to the synagogue. He was following his usual practice of going to the Jew first. But in this case he was also fulfilling his promise that he would return to the Ephesus synagogue and speak to them further (18:21).
For 3 months he was able to speak to them boldly, freely, fearlessly, and openly. No one stopped him as he “disputed” (preached and conducted discussions), seeking to persuade of the things concerning the kingdom of God. He brought reasonable proofs from the Old Testament Scriptures to show that the kingdom (rule, authority) of God is revealed in Jesus, who was now ascended to the right hand of the Father, seated at the Father’s throne (2:30–33). Looking ahead to 20:24, 25, it is clear that the kingdom or royal rule and royal authority and reign of God is parallel to the gospel or the good news of the grace of God. Romans 14:17 shows that Paul must have dealt with righteousness (including righteous deeds, and the uprightness or righteousness based on faith and bestowed by God; the righteousness of Christ in which we stand), peace (harmony, order, and the well-being that comes with the salvation brought by Christ), and joy in the Holy Spirit (the joy that believers have as the result of the work of the Spirit in their lives).
19:9. It took a little longer than usual in Ephesus, but eventually some (a number, but not the majority) of the unconverted Jews became hardened (obstinate, unyielding) and disobedient (rebellious). They showed their rebellious spirit by publicly speaking evil of the Way, that is, of the Christian faith and way of life, before the crowds who gathered to hear the gospel and packed out the synagogue. (It may be implied also that they spread their insults and vile comments through the whole community at Ephesus.)
“The Way” is significant in that it includes the whole of Christian teaching and comprehends all that Christianity and the gospel means. It is truly the better way, the one and only way of salvation.
The opposition of the unbelievers did not discourage Paul. He had learned to expect it. So he simply withdrew from them, separating the disciples (the ones who had set themselves apart to follow Jesus and learn more of Him) and taking them away (from the unbelieving Jews in the synagogue).
Then Paul found a separate place for the disciples to meet, in the schoolroom or lecture hall of Tyrannus. There, instead of meeting only on the Sabbath, Paul preached and taught the gospel daily, conducting discussions with all who would come.
19:10. Paul continued these daily discussions and teaching sessions for a period of 2 years. It was his practice also to take the evenings (after 4 p.m.) as a time to go to various homes to teach and establish the believers and to help win their friends and neighbors to the Lord. (See 20:20.)
The result was that the whole of the Roman province of Asia was evangelized. Both Jews and Gentiles from all directions came in to the schoolroom and heard the Word.
Many other churches were established. Since Ephesus was a great center, people came from all over the province for business, trade, tourism, and various other reasons. Many of them were converted, filled with the Holy Spirit, and taught by Paul. Then they went back to their home cities and towns where the Spirit filled them with zeal and made them powerful witnesses for Christ, each one a nucleus for a new church which soon grew up in their homes.
19:11. An important factor in this spread of the gospel in the Roman province of Asia was that God did special (extraordinary) miracles (powers, manifestations of divine power, deeds which showed God’s power) by the hands of Paul. The Greek implies mighty miracles were an everyday occurrence in Paul’s ministry here.
Notice that the Bible gives first emphasis to Paul’s preaching and teaching of the Word. Paul was always wholly absorbed in the Word. Because he was, God confirmed the Word with these unusual miracles. The city of Ephesus was full of heathen priests and magicians, but these miracles so surpassed heathen trickery, overcoming the power of demons and evil spirits, that all were able to see that it was God who was with Paul.
19:12. So powerfully was the Lord working through Paul that people did not want to wait for him to minister to them in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. They would come to his workroom where he was busy at his tentmaking and would carry off handkerchiefs (actually, the sweat cloths he used to wipe away perspiration while he was working) and work aprons that had been used and thus had been in contact with his body (Greek, his skin). These they laid upon the sick who were then freed from their diseases. Even evil spirits (demons) came out of those who were possessed, and they too were released, set free.
It seems to be implied that the people took these sweat cloths and work aprons without asking Paul. He did not send them out. Yet he did not seem to mind when the people took them. He knew there was nothing magic about these items. He knew he was not causing the miracles anyway—God was. Paul was only a channel God was using, so he was happy for whatever means God used to bring His healing to others.
Actually, a sick person may not find it easy to express faith. If a person is helped to touch God by any means, it should be a cause for rejoicing. Such rejoicing brings glory to God.
19:13. The success of Paul’s ministry and the many complete cures and deliverances God gave caught the attention of a group of seven traveling (wandering, itinerant) Jewish exorcists who, for a fee, went about claiming to be able to cast out evil spirits or demons by magical formulas. Possibly following the example of other Jewish exorcists, they took it upon themselves to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon possessed in an attempt to bring deliverance.
The Bible does not imply they had been successful in their previous attempts to cast out demons by their magical formulas. What it does show is that they tried to make a magical formula out of the name of Jesus.
It seems that when they saw Paul cast out demons and heal the sick in the name of the Lord Jesus, they jumped to the conclusion that he was using a magical formula in the same way the heathen did. They thought they would add the name of Jesus to their list. What they did not realize was that Paul, in using the name of Jesus was recognizing Jesus for who He is. Moreover, Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and in touch with Jesus, doing the work Jesus had called him to do. He did not minister gifts of healing just for the sake of building a reputation for himself. He was preaching the gospel, the true Word of God, and the Lord was confirming the Word with signs following (Mark 16:20). Thus the Word, not the signs, had the important place.
19:14. These seven were sons of Sceva (possibly a form of shāvaʿ, “oath”) who was designated as a Jewish high priest. The title was used of those belonging to one of the high priestly families, especially if they belonged to the Sanhedrin. It was also used of the treasurer of the temple and the captain of the temple police. It could also be used of the head of one of the 24 orders or courses of priests who took turns ministering in the temple. Some writers suggest, however, that Sceva was the head of a company who made exorcism their business and that he took the title of Jewish high priest in order to impress the heathen who would buy their services.
19:15. The attempt to use the name of Jesus as a magic formula failed. The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know (recognize, know about), and Paul I know (I know of, I understand who he is), but as for you, who are you?” (Two different words for “know” are used here.) Thus, the demon recognized that these sons of Sceva only knew Jesus as the name of someone whom Paul was preaching. They did not know Jesus for themselves. They had never come to a place of faith in Jesus as their own Lord and Saviour. The devil knows when there is faith. He is not deceived by ritual or formulas or mere words. It takes the power of Jesus made manifest by the Holy Spirit for evil spirits to tremble and flee.
Notice here also there is a clear distinction between the man in whom the evil spirit was and the evil spirit itself. The man was no longer in control of his senses. The evil spirit or demon who possessed him had taken charge and was able to use the man’s speech organs to answer these sons of Sceva.
19:16. Then the demon-possessed man leaped upon the sons of Sceva and overpowered them all. Some ancient Greek manuscripts say he leaped on (amphoterōn, which in earlier Greek usage, before New Testament times, meant “both”). In view of this, some writers suppose that only two of the seven sons of Sceva were involved in this attempt to cast out the evil spirit. However, in New Testament times amphoterōn was used in everyday speech to mean “all.” Many ancient Greek papyrus manuscripts from secular literature confirm this. So it is most probable that all seven sons were involved.
The demon-possessed man used his strength so effectively against the seven brothers that they all fled out of the house naked (stripped of their outer garments) and wounded. (The Greek indicates the wounds were severe enough to affect them for a while.) TRAUMATIZO, where we get the word trauma, a serious wounding.
It is important to notice that this evil spirit had such power over this man that it was able to use the man’s strength in a superhuman way. Casting out demons is not something to be undertaken lightly or casually. When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, He found His disciples unable to cast an evil spirit out of a boy. After bringing the boy’s father to a place of faith, Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the boy. But the demon did not come out without a struggle. It used the boy’s speech organs to give a last rebellious scream or shriek, tore him with severe convulsions, then came out leaving the boy to all appearances dead. Jesus then reached down His hand, lifted the boy, and completed the healing. (See Mark 9:25–27.) Quite clearly, evil spirits are not to be faced unless believers are sure they have the power of Christ.
19:17. The sight of the seven sons of Sceva running out into the street naked and wounded surely must have caught the attention of bystanders. They must have inquired, learned the facts, and soon the news of what had happened spread throughout Ephesus. The result was that a fear (an awe inspired by the supernatural) fell upon Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) alike. This caused the name of the Lord Jesus to be magnified (glorified, praised, held in high esteem). The “name” means the person and authority of Jesus.
It may seem strange that the people felt this way when the attempt to use the Name failed. But it let the people know that such charlatans as these sons of Sceva could not make the name of Jesus a part of their bag of tricks. They saw a great contrast between the sons of Sceva and the apostle Paul. When Paul prayed in the name of the Lord Jesus things happened. People were set free from sickness, disease, and demons, as the case might be. So they saw that the power of the name of Jesus was a revelation of His holy nature as well as of His divine love and grace. His power was nothing to be trifled with. Moreover, His holy name demanded a holy people.
Believers do need to “try the spirits” putting them to the test of God’s Word (1 John 4:1). But genuine outpourings of God’s Spirit always bring glory to Jesus no matter how the devil tries to hinder. The Holy Spirit will always make people know that the name of Jesus is a name above every name.
19:18. All this had an important effect on the believers also. Many of them came confessing and publicly reporting their deeds. The Greek indicates they now came out and out for the Lord (with a total commitment). They realized their need for holiness and righteousness as well as for salvation.
19:19. Another result was the fact that they now realized the true power over evil was only in Jesus. Ephesus was a center for the practice of magical arts, especially the putting of spells on people or things. A considerable number of the new believers had practiced magic, including attempts at foretelling or influencing the future. Most of them still had the books they used hidden away. (Archaeologists have discovered books of this kind.)
Now the believers saw that these books with their formulas, spells, and astrological forecasts, were of no value whatsoever. In fact, they were purely heathen, even demonic, in their origin. So they brought together all their books and burned them publicly. Books were very expensive in those days, and when they reckoned up the total price of the books it came to 50,000 pieces of silver (no specific coin is mentioned, though some believe it was the drachma). This was as much as 200 day laborers or soldiers would earn in a year.
19:20. Luke’s account of this incident concludes the story of the success of the gospel in Ephesus. But it was the Word of the Lord (the Word concerning Jesus) that grew mightily (with divine might and power) and prevailed (in a healthy, vigorous way). The fact that later (20:17) there was a large number of elders in the church at Ephesus shows there were many house churches and that the whole church there continued to grow in a healthy way.
Harris, Ralph W., ed. 1991. Acts. The Complete Biblical Library: Study Bible. World Library Press.
