Today’s readings: Acts 18-19, Psalm 133
Acts 19:11-20
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 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. 17 And this 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. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Many years ago, a woman in a congregation I served made it very clear that she refused to give any offerings. “My daddy gave. So I don’t have to.” She was 70 years old and still relying on her father’s giving.
There is a more dangerous kind of spiritual borrowing that we see in the almost humorous story of the sons of Sceva. It’s the attitude of claiming to be a disciple of Jesus simply because we were brought up in a Christian family. That’s what John the Baptizer warned against when he said, “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3:9). A faithful family is a great blessing, but spiritual lineage is no substitute for faith in Jesus.
The sons of Sceva learned that lesson the hard way. They tried to borrow the authority they associated with Paul, invoking the name of Jesus as though it were some sort of talisman – a formula for casting out demons. They attempted to command an evil spirit “by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” But the evil spirit knew Jesus and recognized Paul. The sons of Sceva? Not so much! The possessed man overpowered them, leaving them wounded and fleeing.
There are eternal dangers in trying to live on borrowed faith. I can’t imagine how terrible it would be to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23), after presuming that someone else’s faith could somehow secure our place in his kingdom.
So what hope do we have? If we cannot claim a place in the kingdom of Christ by a lineage of faith or perfunctory religion, how can we be saved?
We look to Jesus in humility and trust. According to Jesus, the kingdom belongs to those who are poor in spirit, not rich in pedigree. Rather than relying on our heritage or religious credentials, we rely on his grace, love, redemption, and faithfulness.
And he will not disappoint.
Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.
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