And God wrought no ordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
In Ephesus, magic, demon-possession and the worship of Diana were at home. Here God chose to display His power through Paul as He did nowhere else. The verse raises two questions at once: why such unusual works, and what they were meant to prove.
The verse is careful about who did the miracles. One writer notes the phrase "by the hands of" and compares it with the same wording used earlier of Peter and the others:
"God was doing extraordinary miracles ('no ordinary miracles') by the hands of Paul." Compare this with the account of the Spirit's extraordinary energy flowing out through Peter and the other apostles in Acts 5. Note that there, as in Ephesus, the same phrase appears — "by the hands of the apostles." Whoever the servant, he was only the instrument or channel of the divine power.
The strength of the display matched the strength of the opposition. Ephesus was not neutral ground:
What characterizes the whole account of Ephesus as we have it here is the uniqueness of power shown. It is at the very seat of the enemy's power. You see this in the notorious idolatry there — the worship of Artemis or Diana, in her image that fell down from heaven — and in the demon-possessions, sorcery and magic that filled the place. For this very reason God had to put His power forth in a decisive way.
The next verse names what was used. One commentator sees meaning in the objects themselves — the cloths of hard work:
The power of God is now shown in an extraordinary way in connection with Paul, the minister of this new and heavenly grace. Napkins (or sweat-cloths) and aprons from his skin — both signs of a toil that sin has made necessary — not only healed disease but drove demons out of those who had them. So has love's labour worked through Him who came under the penalty of sin to heal spiritual disease and destroy the power of Satan.
Healing at a distance was the striking feature here:
This did not happen only when the apostle was present or when he spoke. What had touched him still worked for the sick who could not come to him. The faith that carried handkerchiefs or aprons from him to them had its reward: the diseases left them, and evil spirits (a distinct class) went out.
These works were not an end in themselves. They pointed to a victory already won and a kingdom still to come:
These works attested the kind power of God in man and for man. Later that power will triumph in the kingdom, where all things will be put into the hands of the glorified Son of Man... They were testimonies to His defeat of the devil in man's favour, powers of the world to come — though of course only samples of what will then be universal. Neither the church nor any individual saint has had ground to boast about this through the long centuries since.
One writer links this display to a promise the Lord made about greater works:
He certainly was a vessel to carry the knowledge of grace, and just as surely a vessel that displayed divine power... Ephesus had never seen such miracles before, and nowhere else were greater ones done. The Lord's words, "Greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12), had abundant fulfilment through Paul as well as Peter.
This was exceptional, not a pattern to copy. One writer notes that the episode stands alone:
This is so unusual that it is the only case of its kind recorded in Scripture. Many people were healed before this by simply touching the edge of the Lord Jesus' garment. Certain would-be healers have tried to imitate this, but this is not faith.
Another observes the direction such gifts faced, and the plain fact that Paul did not always heal:
Gifts of healing showed that the gospel of God was not words only, wonderful as they were, but active love to men. Handkerchiefs from Paul's body healed the sick in Ephesus, as a witness alongside the word that all Asia heard. Yet Paul left Trophimus, himself an Ephesian, sick at Miletus — and that was while he was begging Timothy to come to him... such gifts pointed outward, to the world.
- Source — God did the work; Paul's hands were only the channel, as with Peter in Acts 5.
- Setting — Ephesus was the seat of idolatry, magic and demons. So God acted decisively.
- Sign — work cloths and aprons carried healing to the sick who could not reach Paul.
- Substance — the miracles were samples of the world to come. They witnessed to Christ's defeat of Satan for man.
- Scope — such works faced outward to the world. They stand alone in Scripture, and even Paul left Trophimus sick.
so that even napkins or aprons were brought from his body [and put] upon the sick, and the diseases left them, and the wicked spirits went out.
In Ephesus God worked through cloths carried from Paul's body to the sick. The verse raises two questions: why such an odd method, and what these healings proved.
Verse 11 calls these "extraordinary miracles." One writer shows how rare they were even in the Bible, and warns against copying them.
At this time in Ephesus God backed His Word by working special miracles through Paul. People brought napkins and aprons that had touched him to the sick, and that contact alone healed them. Some also had evil spirits driven out. This is so unusual that it is the only case of this kind recorded in Scripture. Many were healed before this by only touching the hem of the garment of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 14:36). Certain would-be healers have attempted to imitate this, but this is not faith.
One writer compares this moment with an earlier one in Acts, where the same wording appears.
"God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul." It is worth comparing this with the account of the extraordinary energy of the Spirit flowing out through Peter and the other apostles in Acts 5 (verses 12, 16). There, as in Ephesus, we find the same phrase — "by the hands of the apostles" — showing that, whoever the servant, he was only the instrument or channel of the divine power.
The two items named are not religious objects. They are the cloths of a man at work, and one writer finds meaning in that.
God now shows His power in an extraordinary way through Paul, the minister of this new and heavenly grace. Napkins (or sweat-cloths) and aprons from his skin not only healed disease but drove demons out of the people who had them. Both cloths are signs of the toil that sin has made necessary. So has love's labour worked through Him who came under the penalty of sin to heal spiritual disease and destroy the power of Satan.
These healings settled a question about Paul himself. In a city that had never seen the like, God put His signature on His servant's work.
God attested the apostle in a special and generous way. All who were willing to see could see that God owned Paul as a servant of the God of heaven. He certainly was a vessel to carry the knowledge of grace; he was just as surely a vessel that displayed divine power... Ephesus had never seen such miracles, and nowhere else had they been greater. The Lord's words, "Greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12), had abundant fulfilment through Paul as well as Peter.
The healings pointed forward. Both sickness and evil spirits gave way. That tells us who has already won.
In this way God attested His kind, beneficial power in man and for man. In time to come it will triumph in the kingdom, where God will put all things into the hands of the glorified Son of Man... Meanwhile the Spirit is here on earth to bear witness of Him and of the victory He achieved in righteousness over Satan. This is the principle behind those early displays of divine energy in man. They were testimonies to His defeat of the devil in man's favour. They were powers of the world to come — only samples, of course, of what will then be everywhere.
The same apostle whose handkerchiefs cured strangers later left a sick friend behind. That tells us who these gifts were for.
God did not forget bodies: gifts of healing showed that the gospel of God was not words only, blessed as they were, but active love to men. So handkerchiefs from Paul's body healed the sick Ephesians (Acts 19:12), a witness alongside the word which all Asia heard. Yet Paul left Trophimus, himself an Ephesian, sick at Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20) — and that while he was begging Timothy to come to him. Some in the Church were healed, as Dorcas was; but the aspect of such gifts was toward the world.
Another writer presses the point further: the power was never Paul's to spend as he pleased.
The servant never chose when to use this gift or gifts like it. God showed them only at the fitting time, and they could only work effectively by His immediate will. Power is His, and always in His hands.
- Source. The power came from God. The hands were Paul's, but he was only the channel.
- Sign. The cloths were a working man's sweat-rag and apron — signs of toil, turned into tools of healing.
- Seal. These uncommon miracles stamped Paul as God's true servant in a city that had never seen the like.
- Scope. These gifts faced the world. They backed the word all Asia heard. They were not a private benefit for believers — Paul left Trophimus sick.
- Sample. They were foretastes of the coming kingdom and proof that Satan is beaten. God alone decides when such power works, so copying the method is not faith.