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.
And certain of the Jewish exorcists also, who went about, took in hand to call upon those who had wicked spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches.
God had worked unusual miracles through Paul at Ephesus. Men who made a living from evil spirits noticed the power in the name he used. This verse shows a group trying to borrow that name second-hand — and it raises the question of who may use it at all.
Casting out demons was already a trade in that city. One writer describes how it was done, and what made Paul different.
These displays of miraculous power brought the question of exorcisms to the front. The marked effect of Paul's miracles led to attempts to rival and equal them in casting out demons. Among the heathen there were those who claimed to drive out demons; among the Jews there were some who really did it... At Ephesus, it seems, there were such people. Luke calls them wandering Jews. Among them were sons of a Jew named Sceva, who did this work. No doubt they used old, well-known formulas thought suitable for the purpose. But now people saw something else. Paul used none of the prescribed charms. He drove out demons simply in the name of the Lord Jesus. This was something quite new at Ephesus.
Older translations call these men "vagabond" Jews, where the ESV says "itinerant." A reference work explains the older word.
A term not used as an insult in Scripture, but meaning a "wanderer"... In Acts 19:13 the Revised Version has "strolling."
When God works, opposition often comes as copying rather than open attack. One writer links this moment to Egypt.
When God works, the enemy is watchful. He tries to spoil what God is doing. Yet his interference often ends in his own confusion. The magicians of Egypt tried to copy the divine power Moses displayed. They failed to create life, and that exposed them. Here the Jewish exorcists "undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits." They had no living link with Jesus, and could only speak of Him as "Jesus whom Paul preaches."
Their own formula betrays them. They anchor the name not to their own faith but to another man's preaching — and one commentator points out what is missing from the title they use.
The seven sons of Sceva thought that they too might cast out demons by using the name of the Lord Jesus. But they did not know Him. He was not really Lord to them, and so they could only speak of Him as "Jesus whom Paul preaches," leaving out His title as Lord.
The same writer who described the local exorcism trade draws out what would have been needed for the name to work in their mouths.
Anyone who would use it with effect, however, needed two things. These men had neither. The one was genuine saving faith in Christ; the other a true confession of His Lordship. No one can use that name in conflict with demons unless he is a real believer and confessor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the language of these men betrayed where they were and what they were... And the very way they spoke of Him, simply as Jesus, with no title of honour, showed plainly that they did not own Him as Lord.
Why did they think this would work? One writer explains their reasoning.
These exorcists were used to charms and spells that anyone who knew them could use with effect. So they supposed that Paul was introducing a new charm, and that others could use it too. For the name of the Lord Jesus, when Paul used it, had a power that plainly no demon had resisted.
The Lord's answer showed that the name is no charm.
Here the Lord showed His displeasure at those who did not own Him, yet tried to use the apostle's action in His name as a charm — a formula they assumed divine power must follow... They called the name of the Lord over people, and it was all in vain. Their daring to command "by Jesus whom Paul preaches" only brought out three things more clearly: the Lord's defence of His servant, their own powerlessness, and the reality of the enemy's power.
This failure is not just an old story. One writer turns it on preachers today.
There were seven of them, and they used the name of Jesus as the apostle had done. Even so, the demons exposed their deceit, and they had to flee in confusion (Acts 19:13-16). Could preachers today fall into the same error as these "vagabond Jews"? They may think that simply retelling the facts of the gospel, eloquently or not, is enough to save the soul. The failure of such men will be a striking parallel to that of the exorcists.
- Borrowed. These wandering exorcists had no living link with Jesus. They knew His name only second-hand, as the name Paul preached.
- Imitated. As the magicians of Egypt copied Moses, the enemy answers a work of God by copying it — and ends in his own confusion.
- Untitled. They spoke of Him simply as Jesus, with no title of honour. That showed they did not own Him as Lord.
- Required. Two things were missing — genuine saving faith in Christ, and a true confession of His Lordship. Without both, no one can use that name against demons.
- Vindicated. Treating the name as a charm left them powerless and brought out the Lord's defence of His true servant. Preachers who only retell the facts risk the same exposure.
And there were certain [men], seven sons of Sceva, Jewish high priest, who were doing this.
Ephesus was famous for magic. Paul cast out demons there in the name of the Lord Jesus, and others wanted his secret. Verse 14 names the men who tried to borrow it. They were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest — men with rank in religion and no personal link to the One whose name they used.
The trade these men practised already existed. What was new in Ephesus was a name that worked without any formula attached to it.
At Ephesus, it seems, there were such people — wandering Jews, as Luke describes them. Among them were sons of one Sceva, a Jew, who did this. No doubt they used some old and recognised formulas thought suitable for that purpose. But now people saw Paul cast out demons in the name of the Lord Jesus alone, without any of the prescribed charms. This was something quite new at Ephesus. Everyone had to admit that the name worked. These exorcists were used to charms that anyone who knew them could use with effect. So they supposed that Paul was bringing in a new charm, one that others could turn to as well.
Being sons of a chief priest gave these men a platform. It gave them no power, and it made their collapse public.
Here the Lord showed His displeasure at these men. They did not own Him, yet they tried to use the apostle's action in His name as a charm — as if divine power had to follow it. Seven took part in a general way, two (it seems) directly, and the blow fell on those two. Their position too, as sons of a Jewish chief priest, drew all the more attention to so solemn a defeat.
Their own words gave them away. They spoke of Jesus as somebody else's subject matter, and they never gave Him His title.
But anyone who used that name with effect needed two things. These men had neither. One was genuine saving faith in Christ; the other, a true confession of His Lordship... "Jesus whom Paul proclaims." True, Paul did preach the Lord Jesus, for he believed on Him. But there is not a word here of any acknowledgment on their part that they also believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the way they spoke of Him showed that they did not own Him as Lord. They said only "Jesus," with no title of honour.
The Lord Himself set the limit on who may use His name in conflict with evil powers.
A Jew at Ephesus, a chief of the priests, whose seven sons sought by the name of Jesus to cast out a demon. The demon admitted that he knew Jesus and Paul, but demanded, "Who are you?" He then attacked them through the man he held, and they fled away naked and wounded. Here Satan showed his power as the "strong man." The One stronger than he would not let these men use His power.
The same danger has a modern form. A man can repeat true things about Christ and still stand where these seven stood.
Could preachers today fall into the same error as these wandering Jews? They may think that a mere retelling of the facts of the gospel, polished or not, is enough to save the soul. The failure of such will be a striking parallel to that of the exorcists.
The story does not end with their defeat.
The intrusion of the sons of Sceva brought about their own defeat. But the Lord turned it to His own glory, for the matter "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." Many who believed unburdened their hearts by confessing their deeds and the name of the Lord. This stronghold of Satan must have been shaken to its foundations when "a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all." Such was the triumph of the gospel: "So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily."
- Credentials. Seven sons of a Jewish high priest had religion, rank and a trade in exorcism — and none of it gave them authority over an evil spirit.
- Copy. Their move was imitation. They took the name of Jesus for a new charm, one that anyone who knew it could use.
- Confession. They lacked real faith in Christ and never owned Him as Lord. "Jesus whom Paul proclaims" was a borrowed phrase, not their own confession.
- Collapse. The stronger One would not let men who did not know Him use His power. The two who faced the demon fled the house naked and wounded.
- Consequence. God turned their defeat into glory for Christ. Fear fell on the city, the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled, magic books went into the fire, and the word of the Lord kept spreading.
But the wicked spirit answering said to them, Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with; but *ye*, who are ye?
Paul's preaching at Ephesus carried real power over evil spirits, and others wanted the same results without the same faith. Jewish exorcists there borrowed the name of Jesus as a formula. The spirit answered them with a question that exposed everything they lacked.
The enemy's opposition here took the form of copying, as it did in Egypt:
When God works, the enemy is watchful, and tries to spoil what God is doing, yet his interference often ends in his own confusion. The magicians of Egypt tried to imitate the divine power displayed by Moses, only to be exposed when they failed to create life. Here, the Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over people who had evil spirits. They had no living link with Jesus, and could only speak of Him as "Jesus whom Paul preaches."
The spirit's reply is not one claim repeated. In the original there are two separate verbs, and the choice is deliberate:
The demon spoke, refusing to do what they demanded. His words must have struck all who heard them: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know (or, am acquainted with), but you, who are you?" The demon knew Jesus, he said. By his language he meant to distinguish between the Lord and His servant Paul. The second verb translated "I know" in the older English version is different from the first in the original. So that name was not a charm which just anyone could use.
Two things were missing, and their own words showed it:
Two conditions were needed for anyone to use it with effect. Both were lacking in these men. One was genuine saving faith in Christ; the other, a true confession of His Lordship. No one can use that name against demons unless he really believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and confesses Him... "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches," was their word to the evil spirits. "Whom Paul preaches." True, Paul did preach the Lord Jesus, for he believed on Him. But there is not a word here that they also believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the very way they spoke of Him, simply as Jesus, without giving Him a title of honour, clearly showed that they did not own Him as Lord.
Recognition did not run both ways:
The demon at once showed that he did not know them, and he was not deceived by their second-hand use of the name of Jesus.
The failure was not a technical mistake. The Lord Himself refused to let His name serve as a charm for anyone who wanted power:
Here the Lord showed how He resented those who tried to use the apostle's action in His name as a charm, without owning Him. They acted as if divine power had to attach itself to that name... Their daring to command the spirits "by Jesus whom Paul preaches" only showed three things more plainly: He stood by His servant, they themselves were helpless, and the enemy's power was real. For the wicked spirit declared at once that he was acquainted with Paul and knew his Master. He spoke with withering contempt for the hollow profanity of those who abused His name. He also gave the most practical proof of it. The evil power could trample them down and shame them, instead of handing a victory to such unholy lips.
The demon's knowledge was accurate and useless. Writers note the same of evil spirits generally:
A real faith is in view here — certainty of knowledge and conviction — the kind the devils have about the oneness of God. They do not doubt it; but there is no link at all between their heart and God through a new nature — far from it.
Public humiliation of the imitators turned into public honour for Christ:
The moral impression of this defeat was great on everyone outside in Ephesus. And it was not only that fear fell on them all; the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. It was not simply that God and the enemy were brought before men's consciences; there was a testimony to the Deliverer also.
- Imitation. The enemy answers real power with a copy of it; like the magicians of Egypt, the copy runs until it breaks down.
- Recognition. The spirit's two verbs marked off the Master he knew from the servant he knew about — and left the imitators unknown.
- Omission. They said "Jesus," never "Lord." They spoke of a Christ Paul preached, not one they believed in. Their words showed what they lacked.
- Refusal. Christ will not let His name work as a charm for those who do not own Him; the failure was His vindication of His servant.
- Magnification. The exposure ended in more than fear across Ephesus: it magnified the name of the Lord Jesus.
And the man in whom the wicked spirit was leaped upon them, and having mastered both, prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Ephesus was full of magic, and some travelling Jewish exorcists tried to use the name Paul preached. Why did that name work in Paul's mouth and wreck them in theirs?
The account names seven sons of Sceva. The ESV says the man "mastered all of them," but older translations read "both of them."
In Acts 19:16 it is "both of them" — not the seven, but two of them. "Both" is easily turned into "all," but not the other way round.
William Kelly reads the beating as an answer from the Lord, not an accident.
Here the Lord showed His anger against men who did not own Him, yet tried to use the apostle's action in His name as a charm that God's power was bound to follow. Seven were involved in a general way; two, it seems, were involved directly, and the blow fell on them. They were sons of a Jewish chief priest, and that drew all the more attention to so solemn a defeat.
Their reasoning was simple: if the name works for Paul, it will work for us. Two things were missing.
But two things were needed before anyone could use that name with effect, and these men had neither. The first was real saving faith in Christ. The second was a true confession of His Lordship. No one can use that name against demons unless he truly believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and confesses Him... And the way they spoke of Him — simply as Jesus, with no title of honour — showed plainly that they did not own Him as Lord.
Their own words gave them away. They called Him "Jesus whom Paul proclaims" — not their own Lord.
Notice that the apostle used the name of One he knew, and whose lordship he never doubted. The exorcists were only imitators. They said, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul proclaims" — One they knew nothing about for themselves.
The verse says the man leaped on them, though the power was not his own. William Kelly sets that against the way the Spirit of God works in believers.
Notice how the evil spirit makes himself one with the man he controls. In His grace the Spirit of God works in the same close way: He lives in believers and makes them vessels to magnify the name of Jesus. He is the One who does all that is good, yet it is all mixed with their own minds and affections, so that the whole is put down to them... It was the man's own act, though he could never have done it except by that terrible power.
This attack shows what a demon can do to a body.
The demons were also strong, as we see from the way they handled the people they controlled, and from one of them overcoming seven men and making them flee out of the house naked and wounded.
That strength still has a limit.
Here Satan showed his power as the 'strong man.' But the One stronger than he would not let these men use His power.
Satan's attack on Paul's work backfired.
This plot was defeated. Satan's agents were put to shame by the very evil spirit they were trying to drive out. The result was to advance the gospel in three ways. First, the news of what had happened to the sons of Sceva spread through the city; fear fell on both Jews and Greeks, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Next, those who believed were so moved that they cut themselves off completely from their old magical practices, and some brought their costly books of magic and burned them in front of everyone. Last, we are told, "the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily."
The same danger reaches the pulpit today.
Is it not possible for preachers today to fall into the same error as these wandering Jews? They may think that simply telling the facts of the gospel, in fine words or plain ones, is enough to save the soul. Anyone who does will fail as strikingly as the exorcists did.
- Borrowed — They used a name they had never believed in: "Jesus whom Paul proclaims." Borrowed authority is no authority.
- Bare — They had no faith in Christ and no confession of His Lordship. The demon exposed the gap, and they fled stripped and hurt.
- Beaten — The strong man's power was real, and it crushed them. But the Stronger One refused to let His name work as a charm.
- Broadcast — The whole city heard. Fear fell on Jews and Greeks alike, and the name of Jesus was magnified.
- Burned — Believers destroyed their magic books, and the word of God grew and prevailed. Satan's counterfeit ended by advancing the gospel.
And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who inhabited Ephesus, and fear fell upon all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
The scene is Ephesus, a city famous for magic. Seven men had just tried to use the name of Jesus as a magic formula, and the evil spirit they spoke to turned on them and beat them. News of that failure ran through the city. It produced two things at once: fear on everyone, and honour for the name they had abused.
The failure of these intruders did not damage the work at Ephesus. It advanced it.
The intrusion of the sons of Sceva not only brought about their own defeat, but the Lord turned it to His own glory... Many who believed opened their hearts and confessed their deeds and the name of the Lord. This stronghold of Satan must have been shaken to its foundations when many who had practised magic arts brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. Such was the triumph of the gospel.
One writer names two things these men lacked.
Was that name, then, just a charm, only more powerful than other charms in use in the province of Asia?... Two conditions, however, were required for anyone to use it with effect. Both of them were lacking in these men. The one was genuine saving faith in Christ; the other a true confession of His Lordship... The very way they spoke of Him, simply as Jesus, without giving Him a title of honour, clearly showed that they did not own Him as Lord.
The same mistake can be made without any magic at all. Repeating true words is not the same as knowing the One they name.
Is it not possible for preachers today to fall into the same error as these wandering Jews? They may think that simply reciting the facts of the gospel, whether eloquent or plain, is enough to save the soul. Such preachers will fail, in a striking parallel to the exorcists.
That fear reached the whole city, and it also reached the believers in it.
News of these things soon reached both Jews and Greeks who lived at Ephesus. It awakened a serious fear of God, as they recognised the holiness of the name of the Lord Jesus. It made believers realise that faith in Christ was no light matter. Ephesus was a famous centre of magic arts, and this no doubt had attracted the sons of Sceva.
The ESV says the name was extolled; other translations say magnified. One writer shows how far that reaches.
In Acts 19:17 the name of the Lord was magnified in Ephesus: it was shown to be great and mighty. And Christ may still be magnified today, in the body of the humblest and weakest believer, for His strength is made perfect in weakness. Christ may be magnified with praise, prayer, and witness to Himself... Yes, Christ may be magnified even in our daily work in the house, or shop, or office, or the care of the children.
That defeat did more than frighten the city.
The moral impression of this defeat was great on all outside in Ephesus. It was not only that fear fell on them all, but the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. This did not simply set God and the enemy before men's consciences. There was a testimony to the Deliverer as well.
The fear outside the church produced honesty inside it.
It was the word of the Lord that grew so powerfully and prevailed... How precious to see more than the fear of His name overawing Jews and Greeks! Those who believed were so eager for His glory that they told out their own shame and worst degradation now that they were converted. They took vengeance on everything they owned, however costly, that carried the mark of the enemy's power and schemes.
- Exposed — the exorcists failed in public. Their own words gave them away: they spoke of Jesus with no title of honour, and never owned Him as Lord.
- Feared — the report reached Jews and Greeks alike. It awakened a serious fear of God, and taught believers that faith in Christ is no light matter.
- Magnified — the name was seen to be great and mighty. It gave the city a testimony to the Deliverer, and it can still be magnified in the daily work of the weakest believer.
- Confessed — believers who had dabbled in magic told out their own shame. They burned their books, however costly, and Satan's stronghold was shaken.
- Prevailed — what Satan meant to spoil, the Lord turned to His own glory, so that the word of the Lord grew and prevailed.
And many of those that believed came confessing and declaring their deeds.
In Ephesus, some Jewish exorcists — the sons of Sceva — tried to use the name of Jesus as a magic formula, and the demon they addressed turned on them. Fear fell on the city, and then something unexpected happened: people who already believed came forward and said out loud what they had been doing.
What moved these believers to speak? God had shown His power in public, and that display reached their consciences.
It also works on the conscience of the believers. They come and confess their deeds. They bring the books of their magic arts, for which Ephesus was famous, and burn them in front of everyone. The books were worth fifty thousand pieces of silver. When God reveals Himself in power, the heart opens before Him. It honestly confesses everything the conscience knows, and does so openly for His glory. This is a special effect of the showing of His power. A person no longer thinks of himself or of his shame, but is overcome by the presence of God.
Ephesus was famous for magic, and these believers still carried that past. New life gave them a standard their old practices could not meet — unlike Paul, who had nothing to bring into the open.
They must have revealed things that astonished many in the crowd who knew nothing of these arts. Paul had nothing to hide or to confess. But those now converted saw what their past ways had been. Light shone on them, and confession followed on their part; for clearly the magical arts they had used were not of God. A new life received made them real and true, and they had to give up the past. It did not fit, to say the least, with what was now true.
Two things happened at once in Ephesus. Fear of the name fell on outsiders, and the same name moved believers to speak.
How precious to see the fear of His name overawing Jews and Greeks! And more than that: those who believed were so eager for His glory that they told out their own shame and worst degradation now that they had turned to Christ. They took vengeance on everything they owned, however costly, that carried the breath of the enemy's power and tricks!
Words were not the end of it. They burned the books, and the loss was deliberate — they could have sold them.
These events made believers realise that faith in Christ was no light matter. Ephesus was a renowned centre of magic arts, which no doubt attracted the sons of Sceva. But believers now confess their unholy involvement with these things. Many bring their books and burn them in public. The books had cost fifty thousand pieces of silver. They were right to take that loss instead of selling the books to others.
Speaking of past sins in front of others is not the starting point. Commentators put the matter right with God first, before a word goes to anyone else.
If the occasion arises, we can speak to others about our sins — but only once we have laid everything clearly before God. The Christian converts at Ephesus brought their books of magic. By the power of the Holy Spirit they confessed all their actions. If the love of God is poured out in our hearts, we feel more shame for our sins before God than before other people.
Some use this verse to make open confession to one another a regular practice. One writer answers that the text will not carry it.
There is confession here, but no "sharing." They were troubled sinners who came to Paul and his companions, confessing their deeds. They would do it once, and rightly so, but there is no hint of a system of "sharing."
- Power — God showed His hand in public, and that display, not argument, reached the conscience. "When God reveals Himself in power, the heart opens before Him."
- Light — new life showed up their old practices as impossible to keep. What conversion reveals, confession admits.
- Speech — they told out their own shame in public. The honour of the name of Jesus mattered more than their reputation.
- Cost — they burned books worth fifty thousand pieces of silver. They took the loss instead of passing the evil on to someone else.
- Order — lay it all before God first, where the shame is deepest. Speak to people when the occasion calls for it, once, not as a standing system.
And many of those that practised curious arts brought their books [of charms] and burnt them before all. And they reckoned up the prices of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Ephesus was famous for magic. When the word of God took hold there, people who had traded in charms did something drastic with their books. The verse counts the cost of that fire, and asks what conversion costs — and what it is worth.
Older translations call these practices "curious arts." The ESV calls them "magic arts." A Bible dictionary explains what they were:
Sorcerers in Acts used magical arts (called "curious arts" in Acts 19:19) and bewitched the people. Revelation uses another word for sorcery, pharmakeia. It refers to drugs, "to stupefy with drugs," and then to any system of sorcery by spells. Sorcery ranks among the worst of sins.
One writer describes what was written in the books, and what the believers did with them:
Quite a few brought their books, which recorded the spells and charms, and burned them in public. It was a complete burning — the effect of the word of God working in their consciences.
The fire did not come out of nowhere. One commentator traces it back to God's power at work in Ephesus:
God's power also works on the conscience of the believers. They come and confess their deeds. They bring the books of their magic arts, for which Ephesus was famous, and burn them in front of everyone — books worth fifty thousand pieces of silver. When God reveals Himself in power, the heart opens before Him. It honestly confesses all that the conscience knows, and does so openly, for His glory. Man thinks no longer of himself, or of his shame. The presence of God overwhelms him.
They had a cheaper option. The books could have been sold on. One commentator notes what they refused to do:
Ephesus was a famous centre of magic arts... But now believers confess their unholy links with these things. Many bring their books and burn them in public. The books had cost fifty thousand pieces of silver, but they were right to take that loss instead of selling the books to others. Such was the precious power of the Word of God.
Another writer sees the fire as proof of how they now felt about their old trade:
They gave the best proof of the disgust they now felt at their meddling with the wicked one... Living facts brought home the power of the word, and conscience responded at once.
The verse names the sum. One writer explains how heavy that loss really was:
They were genuine, and so gave proof of their sincerity, for the sacrifice they made was no small one. Money was worth far more then than it is now, so their financial sacrifice was greater than the same sums would be for us.
Another writer sets that loss against what they gained:
From one point of view this was a big sacrifice. From another it was not a sacrifice at all. It was a blessing to be rid of these books of "curious arts," which held things contrary to God and to His mind... The loss of fifty thousand pieces of silver — the gain of the riches of God's grace. That was something worthwhile! There was ample recompense for what they had given up. How sad it is when we are reluctant to give up what is wrong in the sight of God. Yet to turn away from what is wrong is the pathway to spiritual blessing.
Verse 20 follows immediately: the word of the Lord grew and prevailed. Writers connect the two directly.
This stronghold of Satan must have been shaken to its foundations when many who used magic arts burned their books in front of everyone. Such was the triumph of the gospel: the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed. The outcry of Demetrius and his companions only showed Satan's rage at the plundering of his goods.
Another writer brings the same pattern into our own day, with a warning:
Many others moved away from this dreadful evil. They burned the books that dealt with these things in public, despite what they were worth. The Word of God grew and prevailed, and this Satanic evil grew less and suffered defeat. It is a sad thought for us that in our day people pay less attention to the Word than they once did, while spiritist practices are on the increase.
- Power. God's power at Ephesus reached consciences first; the fire was the effect, not the cause.
- Confession. Hearts opened before God. They confessed openly and stopped thinking about themselves.
- Cost. The books were worth real money. They burned them instead of selling them on, and took the loss on purpose.
- Contrast. Fifty thousand pieces of silver went up in smoke. The riches of God's grace came in — ample repayment.
- Consequence. Satan's stronghold was shaken, and the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed.
Thus with might the word of the Lord increased and prevailed.
Ephesus was the capital of Asia and a famous centre of magic. Luke closes Paul's two years there with one summary line about the word. The verse credits nothing to the preacher. So what does it mean for a message to grow, and what proof was there that it had?
Notice what Luke makes the subject of his sentence.
It was the word of the Lord that grew mightily and prevailed. Not merely a company of saints, but the word of the Lord — that word which He has magnified above all His name. It is now the holiest answer on earth to Christ in heaven.
A message is not a living thing, so how can it grow? One writer answers that Scripture often speaks this way, naming the result by its cause.
So it says "the word of God increased" (Acts 6:7). The connection is "and the number of the disciples multiplied." In the same way, "the word of God grew and multiplied" (Acts 12:24). So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed (Acts 19:20). I never heard of these passages being a difficulty to anyone. These passages mark the mighty effect of His word made known in preaching. The effects produced are identified with their source.
(Some quotes here use an older translation, which reads "the word of God" where the ESV reads "the word of the Lord.")
The verse sums up a long stretch of patient work, not a sudden event.
So in Ephesus the word of the Lord grew and prevailed "with might," to use Luke's striking phrase. Every testimony had been at full tide there. There was the clear power and presence of the Spirit, shown by tongues and prophecies. There was bold preaching of the kingdom of God for months in the synagogue. There was freer daily discussion in the school of Tyrannus for two years, and in that time the disciples took up their own separate position. So not only the people of Ephesus but, broadly speaking, everyone living in the province of Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.
The word reached consciences, and the change showed in what people destroyed.
A new life received made them real and true. They had to give up the past as inconsistent, to say the least, with what was true. Many brought their books, which held the spells and charms, and burned them in public. It was the effect of the word of God working in their consciences.
They could have sold the books on and kept the money. Another writer weighs what that fire cost them.
The books had cost fifty thousand pieces of silver. They were right to accept that loss instead of selling the books to others. Such was the precious power of the Word of God.
The word did not stay in the city where Paul preached it.
Paul himself stayed in Ephesus. Yet from there the Word went through all Asia Minor (Acts 19:10), no doubt carried by others. Colosse and Laodicea were not far away, yet the believers there had never seen Paul's face (Col. 1:2).
The triumph did not go unchallenged.
At Ephesus, the capital of Asia, the gospel won some of its greatest triumphs through Paul's preaching. There "mightily grew the Word of God, and prevailed" (Acts 19:20). And there too, as a result, the devil made one of his fiercest attacks as a roaring lion. He hitched his chariot, as he so often does, to the greed of men. Demetrius the silversmith and his friends were his ready tools. The fierce riot in the Ephesian theatre, murderous in spirit, was the result.
The open sorcery of Ephesus is rare today. One writer warns that the enemy has quieter methods, and that the word still does its work.
Whatever these dark arts and devilish energies may be, the god of this age does his widest and most destructive work by methods that seem quite ordinary. He fits his deceptions to the passions and desires of the flesh… Most people perish, not in the terrible displays that appear here and there or now and then, but under the calm surface of what is respected. But the word of the Lord accomplishes the gracious purpose of Him who sends it out. It does so widely too, in the conversion and blessing of souls, if no longer with the might of apostolic days.
- Word, first. What grew in Ephesus was the word of the Lord, not a movement named after a preacher. It is the word He has magnified above all His name.
- Word, at work. Scripture names the result by its cause. When the word "grows," Scripture is counting people changed by preaching.
- Word, costing. The proof of growth was a fire worth fifty thousand pieces of silver. The owners burned the books instead of selling them on.
- Word, travelling. From one city it reached the whole province, carried by others while Paul stayed put.
- Word, opposed. The greatest triumph brought the fiercest attack. The same word still accomplishes the purpose of the One who sends it.