Acts 19:13-20·~1 min

Seven Sons of Sceva

Some itinerant Jewish exorcists begin invoking the name of the Lord Jesus over the demon-possessed, and seven sons of Sceva are among them. But the evil spirit answers that it knows Jesus and Paul but not them, and the possessed man attacks them so violently that they flee naked and wounded.

N¹³ow there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵But one day the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.

When this becomes known in Ephesus, fear falls on Jews and Greeks alike and the name of the Lord Jesus is held in high honor. Many believers openly confess their deeds, practitioners of magic burn their books at great cost, and the word of the Lord keeps spreading and prevailing in power.

¹⁷This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸Many who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds. ¹⁹And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. ²⁰So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.

Section summarySome itinerant Jewish exorcists try to use the name of the Lord Jesus as a formula, including the seven sons of Sceva, but an evil spirit exposes their lack of relation to Jesus and Paul and violently overpowers them. The event spreads fear through Ephesus, magnifies the Lord Jesus' name, and leads many believers to confess their practices and burn expensive magic books, so that the word of the Lord continues to spread and prevail.

Role in the chapterThis movement shows that Jesus' name cannot be handled as borrowed power. False use of the name ends in public humiliation, while true reverence produces confession, costly renunciation, and stronger witness.