In our passage today we find unbelievers attempting to cast out demons in the name of Jesus. It's true that the demons believe there is a God (James 2:19) and it's true that they are able also to recognize who belongs to Him and who doesn't. We may manage to fool our fellow man, but our spiritual condition is evident to both the faithful angels and to the fallen angels.
Luke concluded yesterday by telling us that Paul did extraordinary miracles at Ephesus. He did these miracles by the power of God through the name of Jesus Christ. Jewish exorcists, who perhaps have not been successful in casting demons out of some of their patients, decide to see whether they will have better luck if they command the demons to depart in the name of Jesus. "Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, 'In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.'" (Acts 19:13)
These men don't know Jesus. They have no personal relationship with Him. They don't say, "We command you to come out in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God." All they know about Jesus, or care to know about Him, is that the Apostle Paul has been able to cast out demons in His name. If using this same name will help them ply their trade in the superstitious city of Ephesus, they are willing to use it. But because they don't know Jesus, there is no power in their attempts to drive out demons in His name. They might as well have attempted to cast demons out in Paul's name, or in their own names, for all the good it does them.
"Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?' Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." (Acts 19:14-16) It's ironic that the very demon these men are trying to cast out actually testifies to the power of Christ when it exposes the exorcists as frauds. The demon knows who Jesus Christ is. If the exorcists had possessed faith and authority in the name of Christ the demon could not have stood against them. The demon knows Paul, for Paul has done much harm to the dark forces of the spiritual world through his faith and his power in the name of the Lord. But who do these guys think they are? The evil spirit is unconcerned with them. They pose no threat. The demon, by using the body of the man it has possessed, delivers a severe beating to all seven of these charlatans and chases them from the house.
"When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor." (Acts 19:17) The name of Jesus is not to be used casually. It's not to be used as a curse word either. The name of Jesus is the "name above every name" (Philippians 2:9b) and God has elevated Him to the highest place of honor because of His redemptive work on the cross. In our own hearts we should elevate Him to the highest place of honor and His name should be revered above all other names.
The attack on the seven sons of Sceva has a dramatic effect on the people of the region. "Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power." (Acts 19:18-20) Believers who are still holding on to old superstitions and practices repent and confess that they have continued to engage in magic arts or have consulted fortune tellers or have kept on repeating superstitious rituals that they believed would bring them good luck. They renounce all these things in the name of Jesus Christ. In addition, a number of the sorcerers themselves now believe and cast their books of spells and incantations into the fire. The incident at the possessed man's house has shown everyone that to dabble in the occult is not only foolish and useless but dangerous as well.
In our own times things such as Ouija boards are marketed as devices of entertainment and are sold in the toy aisles of our stores. Going to a fortune teller is considered a fun excursion to undertake with friends. Having Tarot cards read seems mysterious and interesting. Consulting the horoscopes in the newspaper is looked upon as harmless, even good for a laugh. Many of the people who engage in these things don't even believe in them, but this doesn't mean these practices are harmless. Satan may have wrapped them up in a package covered in shiny paper and tied with a big red bow, but there is nothing good inside this package. On the inside it's filled with darkness and deception and filth. We must have nothing to do with such things. The forces of darkness managed to beat the daylights out of the seven sons of Sceva and chase them from the house naked and bleeding. The forces of darkness can do the same things to us: leaving us bloody, exposed, and shamed.
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