7 Sons of Sceva

7 Sons of Sceva

Dec 16, 2021

In Acts 19, we come across a story that I find provoking. It starts by saying that God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul (vs 11). Power display has a draw, doesn't it? There has never been a time that I've witnessed a miracle when I did not wish to be the one through whom God's power flowed. Not unlike admiring a professional athlete who can do amazing physical feats, few would turn down the opportunity to trade their physique if given the opportunity. But with both the athlete and the miracle worker, the visible outcome represents much hidden sacrifice. There are cases where shortcuts seem possible. To prolong the athlete example, most of us have heard stories of the walk-on to the college football team by the guy who never played in high school, or the professional player that was recruited from the streets to perform in a pinch. These make for great stories, but rarely, if ever, did these players survive the long-term rigors of their craft because they ultimately did not possess the experience and conditioning required to endure. In a sense, this is what happened to a group of men who were all sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva.

Act 19:13-16
(13)  Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
(14)  Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
(15)  But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
(16)  And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

I have heard it said many times, especially pertaining to the deliverance ministry, that all demons bow to the name of Jesus. The statement is dangerous, at best, assuming it is simply a poor choice of words. At worse, it's wrong. Demons respect Jesus, and demons respect those who have a close relationship with Him. Beyond relationship, to direct an exorcism based alone on the infamy of Jesus is likely to transform a person from cocky, clothed and whole, to humbled, naked and wounded. image

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