Who were the seven sons of Sceva?

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 acknowledged that he knew Jesus and Paul, but demanded "Who are ye?" and then by means of the possessed man attacked them, so that they fled away naked and wounded. Acts 19:14-16. Here Satan showed his power as the 'strong man.' The One stronger than he would not let His power be used by these men.

Satan ever copies and imitates. Certain wandering Jews, exorcists, attempted to imitate the miracles of Paul. They called upon an evil spirit, saying, “We adjure thee by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, did so. The evil spirit in the man answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

The man possessed of the evil spirit then leaped upon these seven men, and with superhuman strength fell upon them, and overcame them, so that they fled from the house naked and wounded. This striking incident was known to all the Jews and Greeks dwelling at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord was magnified. Thus was Satan defeated as ever, spite sometimes of appearances to the contrary. We have to wait to the end, and we shall ever find Satan an absolutely beaten foe, and good finally triumphant.

But these displays of miraculous power brought prominently to the front the question of exorcisms. And the marked effect of Paul's miracles led to attempts to rival and to equal them in the casting out of demons. Among the heathen there were those who professed to exorcise demons; among the Jews there were those who really did it. This the Lord distinctly owned when He was on earth (Matt.12:27); and Josephus tells us ( Ant ., VIII. ii. 5) that Solomon had left for future times different forms of exorcising, which were in use, we suppose, in that historian's lifetime. For he relates a case which he himself had witnessed, of one Eleazer, a Jew, casting out a demon in the presence of Vespasian. At Ephesus, it seems, there were such people, wandering Jews, as Luke describes them, and among them were found sons of one Sceva, a Jew, who did this, using doubtless some old and recognised formulas thought suited for that purpose. But now it was seen that without the use of any of the prescribed charms, simply in the name of the Lord Jesus, demons were exorcised by Paul. This was something quite new at Ephesus. And certainly, by the admission of all, that name was efficacious in this work. For these exorcists, accustomed to charms or incantations which any who knew them could use with effect, supposed that Paul was introducing a new charm, to which others could equally resort. For the name of the Lord Jesus, when used by him, had a power which no demon evidently had resisted.

Here the Lord displayed His resentment of those who, without owning Himself, sought to avail themselves of the apostolic action in His name as a charm to which divine energy must be attached. Seven were concerned in a general way, two (it would seem) directly, on whom consequently the blow fell. Their position too, as sons of a Jewish chief-priest, drew the more attention to so solemn a discomfiture. In vain did they call over any the name of the Lord, indeed their daring to adjure 'by Jesus Whom Paul preaches' brought out the more distinctly His vindication of His servant, and their own impotence, as well as the reality of the enemy's power. For the wicked spirit attested at once his acquaintance with Paul and his knowledge of his Master, not only with withering contempt for the hollow profanity of those who abused His name, but with the most practical demonstration that the evil power could tread down and put them to shame, instead of submitting to a victory at such unholy lips.

It is interesting to note how the wicked spirit identifies himself with the one whom he possesses, just as the Spirit of God is graciously pleased to work in those who are made, by His dwelling in them, vessels to magnify the name of Jesus. It is He Who effects all that is blessed; yet is it all blended with their minds and affections; so that it is as a whole set to their account. Thus here the demoniac, 'leaping upon them and mastering both, prevailed against them, so that they fled out from that house naked and wounded.' It was his doing, though he could not by any means have done it save by that terrible power. The moral impression of this defeat was great on all outside in Ephesus. Nor was it only that fear fell on them all, but 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.

(3) The power of God is now manifested in an extraordinary manner in connection with Paul, the minister of this new and heavenly grace, so that napkins (or sweat-cloths) and aprons from his skin — both the signs of a toil which sin has necessitated — not only healed disease but expelled demons from the possessed. So has love's labor wrought through Him who came under the penalty of sin to heal spiritual disease and destroy the power of Satan. So manifest was the power of the Name of Jesus that certain wandering Jews, exorcists, undertook to use it as a charm, to conjure with. Seven sons of a Jewish high-priest, named Sceva (or Skeua, "implement, instrument"?) did this, but with a result for them as unfortunate as unforeseen. "Jesus I know," answered the demon, "and Paul I am acquainted with; but who are ye?" And the demoniac fell upon them, mastered and drove them, naked and wounded, from the house. Thus a startling witness from another side caused fear to fall upon all who dwelt at Ephesus. The effect was great in the confession and abjuring of their magic arts on the part of numbers who brought and publicly burned their books. "It was precisely in Ephesus that magic, strictly so called, held its seat. It had been originally connected with the worship of Artemis" (Lechler).

'And certain ones of the Jewish exorcists that went about took in hand to call upon those that had wicked spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. And there were seven sons of Sceva, a certain1 Jewish chief-priest, doing this. But the wicked spirit answering said to them, Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with, but who are ye? And the man in whom the wicked spirit was, leaping upon them and mastering them both,2 prevailed against them, so that they fled out from that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that inhabited Ephesus. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many too of those that had believed came confessing and declaring their deeds. And not a few of those that practised curious arts brought their books and burnt them before all. And they summed up the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So with might the word of the Lord increased and prevailed' (vers. 13-20). {1 So it stands in the Vatican and other good authorities. The ordinary text has 'certain ones, sons of …", and much the larger support. 2 The better reading is ἀμφοτέρων (ℵABD, et al.), not 'them', as in the common text, a change to suit the 'seven', whereas two only were concerned in this case.}

The first move was to oppose by way of imitation. 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," omitting His title as Lord. 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 seven men were utterly discomfited, and their disgrace was known to all. In result the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

When God works, the enemy is watchful, and endeavouring to spoil what God is doing, yet his intervention is often to his own confusion. The magicians of Egypt sought to imitate the divine power displayed by Moses, only to be exposed when they failed to create life. Here, the Jewish exorcists "Took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the Name of the Lord Jesus." They had no living link with Jesus, and could only speak of Him as "Jesus whom Paul preacheth." They knew not for themselves the power of the Name of Jesus, and would profanely use that holy Name to call attention to themselves, only to be rebuked and exposed in shame.

The intrusion of the sons of Sceva not only brought about their own discomfiture, but was turned by the Lord to His own glory, for the matter "was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." Many who believed unburdened their hearts in the confession of their deeds and of the Name of the Lord, and this citadel of Satan must have been shaken to its foundations when "Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all." Such was the triumph of the Gospel: "So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed." The outcry of Demetrius and his fellows only attested to the rage of Satan at the despoiling of his goods.

Was that name, then, just a charm, only more potent than other charms in vogue in the province of Asia? That it was more powerful in exorcising, these sons of Sceva confessed. They would, then, use it. If Paul worked by it, why should not they? If it was all-powerful when used by one Jew, it would be equally so when used by others. Thus they had evidently reasoned. Two conditions, however, were requisite for any one 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. 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. "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth," was their word to the evil spirits. "Whom Paul preacheth." True, Paul did preach the Lord Jesus, for he believed on Him. But there is not a word here of acknowledgment on their part 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, distinctly showed that they did not own Him as the Lord. What right, then, had they to speak with any show of authority in that name. Could they deceive demons, and make them believe they were disciples of Christ, when in truth they were not?

Of two sons of Sceva we now learn, who attempted to use the name of Jesus as a charm. But the man possessed with the demon overcame both of them, as we should here read (Acts 19:16). Supernatural power worked in him - demoniacal power, and the would-be exorcists fled the house naked and wounded! Moreover the demon spoke, definitely refusing compliance with their demand, and his words must have struck all who heard of them: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know (or, am acquainted with), but ye, who are ye?" (15). The demon knew Jesus, he said, and by his language evidently meant to distinguish between the Lord and his servant Paul, as the second verb translated "I know" in the Authorised Version is different from the first in the original. Then that name was not a charm which just any one could use. The effect of this on the public was marked. Fear fell on all, both Jews and Greeks, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Under the shadow of the magnificent temple of Diana, where real demon worship was carried on (1 Cor.10:20), the evil spirit confessed that he knew Him, whom Paul called the Lord. And many others had already left their victims, when commanded by Paul in the name of the Lord Jesus. Conflict with demoniacal power on the part of Paul ended with the signal discomfiture of the former.

This became still more remarkable when others, who pretended to cast out demons, undertook to make use of the name of Jesus. This placed the reality of the Lord's power over that of the devil in the clearest light. Certain Jews sought to profit by the power of the name of Jesus preached by Paul, but without having faith in His person. But the devil knew well with whom he had to do. He knew Jesus, and did not dare to resist Him; and he also well knew that Paul was His servant. But under what pretence did these unbelievers exercise authority over the power of the devil? The man possessed by the devil rises up against these Jews, and drives them out, so that they flee from the house naked and wounded.