Paul had a long ministry by first
ministering in the synagogue. He spoke boldly for three months. To be able to
reason and persuade the Jews concerning the Kingdom of God for three months,
suggested that they were open to Paul. Overtime however, some of the Jews
became hardened and disobedient. They maligned Paul’s message concerning the way
of life as shown by the Lord. So Paul took some of the disciples and they
withdrew and met instead at the school of Tyrannus. For two years he reasoned
and persuaded the disciples daily. During this period all who lived in Asia, both
Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord.
Here, Paul was the agent through whom
God did many extraordinary miracles. So miraculous that even Paul’s handkerchief
and apron, taken from him had the power to heal the sick and drive out demons.
Evidently Paul must have used the name
of Jesus in driving out demons. This caused some Jewish exorcists to think that
the name of Jesus was a kind of magical device to drive out demons. They would
go from place to place attempting to drive out evil spirits in the name of the
Lord Jesus. Their formula was, “I adjure you by the name of Jesus whom Paul
preaches.”
Verse 14 tells us that the seven sons of
Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were using this formula to drive out demons. The
spirit responded to them by saying, “Jesus I recognize, Paul I know but who are
you?” These sons of Sceva were horrified when the demonized man leaped on them,
subdued and overpowered them. So they fled from the house naked and wounded.
The incidence became known to all living
in Ephesus, both Jews and Greek. Fear came upon all of them. What happened
magnified the name of the Lord Jesus. And many came to faith in Christ and still
many others were coming to the faith. Many who had indulged in the occult openly
confessed their practices. They willingly removed their books of magical practices
and built a bond fire and burned them in the sight of everyone. What they destroyed
had a net value of 50,000 pieces of silver.
As a result of what had happened, the
word of the Lord spread and more and more people came to know the Lord.
From the account of the seven sons of
Sceva, we see that the name of Jesus has power only with those who have a
committed relationship with Him. The power to deliver is not in the words one
uses, as the sons of Sceva must have realized, it is in knowing and being
committed to the Lord. Paul had such a tremendous relationship with Christ that
demons could identify him with Christ. What about us?
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