God
worked special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the evil spirits went out. But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this. The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Acts 19:11-17
Acts 19 [9.] But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
Acts 19 [11.] God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the evil spirits went out. But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.
Acts 19 [15.] The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds. Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.
Acts 19 [21.] Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
Meaning:
Ephesus was famous in the ancient world for magic. Spells, charms and written formulas were bought and sold there, and people believed that the right words could control spiritual powers. Into this city God sent unusual signs through Paul, and then a dramatic event that showed the difference between faith in Jesus and the use of his name as a magic word.
- “God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul”
Luke is careful: God worked the miracles; Paul’s hands were only the means. The miracles were “special,” unusual even by the standards of Acts. They confirmed the message, as Paul wrote: “the signs of an apostle were worked among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty works” (2 Corinthians 12:12). The Lord had done the same at Iconium, “granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands” (Acts 14:3).
- “Even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick”
These were probably the sweat cloths and work aprons Paul used at his trade of tent making. Similar things happened with Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15) and with the woman who said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well” (Mark 5:28). God met people at the level of their faith in a city that believed in objects of power, but the cloths had no power of their own. Luke presents these as exceptional events, not as a method to repeat.
- “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches”
The traveling Jewish exorcists treated the name of Jesus as one more formula. They did not know Jesus; they only knew of him through Paul. Jesus had warned that some would say, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons,” and he would answer, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:22-23). Calling Sceva “a Jewish chief priest” may mean he belonged to a high-priestly family, or it may have been a title used to impress customers; no high priest of that name is known.
- “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”
The evil spirit recognized Jesus, as demons did during Jesus’ ministry (Mark 1:24), and recognized Paul as his servant. “The demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19). But the sons of Sceva had no relationship with Jesus and so no authority. The name of Jesus is powerful because of who he is, not because of the sound of the word. The same name that freed people through Paul (Acts 16:18) could not be borrowed by those who did not belong to him.
- “Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified”
The humiliating defeat of the seven became known throughout Ephesus. People learned that Jesus was not a power to be used but a Lord to be honoured. The result was reverence, and it led many believers to confess and abandon their magical practices (Acts 19:18; Acts 19:19).
The Significance of Acts 19:11-17
- Power belongs to God
Miracles, gifts and words have no power apart from God. Believers are servants through whom he works, never owners of his power.
- Knowing Jesus, not just his name
It is possible to speak about Jesus without knowing him. True authority comes from a living relationship with him, and that is offered to all who believe. “There is salvation in none other” (Acts 4:12).
- Holy reverence
God sometimes uses even the failure of false religion to make his name honoured. A healthy fear of the Lord leads people to turn from what is false.
Cross-References:
Mark 5:28: "If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well." Healing through faith in Jesus.
Matthew 7:22: "Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons," Using Jesus’ name without knowing him.
James 2:19: "The demons also believe, and shudder." Evil spirits recognize who Jesus is.
Philippians 2:9: "God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;" The true power of Jesus’ name.
Conclusion: God worked unusual miracles through Paul in Ephesus, but when Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of Jesus as a formula, the evil spirit overpowered them. The event made Jesus’ name honoured throughout the city and showed that his power cannot be used by those who do not know him. The passage calls believers to humble dependence on God and to a real relationship with the Lord Jesus.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible