Immer and Yedaiah, two of Sceva’s sons, wish to harness Paul’s power for their own exorcism practice. Eliezer has a moment of reckoning.
Acts 19:17-20; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Ephesians 6:10-18
With mouth agape, Paul stares back at Immer and Yedaiah. Not knowing how to respond, he finally blurts out, “You… are… exorcists, then. Wow!”
Immer and Yedaiah exchange looks of humiliation, when Immer finally mutters. “Not good ones though.”
Fascinated by the interruption only feet away, both Aquila and Sosthanes abandon their groups and slowly walk over so as to eavesdrop on the conversation. Aquila smiles after looking at Sosthanes shrug back at him, thinking that whatever story comes from these two ought to be juicy.
“Not good ones? What do you mean?” Paul asks the two young men still kneeling before him. They refuse to stand.
Sliding his outer garment down his shoulder, Immer reveals the day-old inflamed scratches around his upper torso. “You don’t want to see the rest.” He sighs.
Paul’s eyes widen when Immer hints at showing his bruised back as well. He winces and is immediately transported back to the incident when he and Silas were brutally beaten by the Roman Lictors, only before being dragged into a Philippian holding cell and left for dead. As if the wind had been knocked out of him, Paul comes to and takes a few deep breaths to recover.
“Have you been treated for these?” He finally asks.
The two young men look at each other and nod with some embarrassment. “Yes,” Yedaiah says. “Our mother helped with the wounds.”
Paul smiles and replies. “You’re blessed to have a loving mother nearby. I’m glad you were able to receive care from her.” He then looks over at the small groups of men and women intently watching the interaction. He then brings his attention back to the two sons of Sceva. “Why have you come, gentlemen?”
“Well…” Immer hesitates.
“We’re here to learn from you.” Yedaiah blurts out.
“Learn from me?” Paul asks. “Learn what?”
“The demon.” Immer speaks out. “He… he… said he knew you.”
Gasps erupt throughout the room.
“He knew OF him.” Yedaiah corrects Immer. “He had heard of him.”
Inching ever closer, Aquila turns back to Sosthanes, winks and remarks: “Oh this is getting good.”
Feeling Aquila’s breath on his shoulder, Paul turns around and asks. “Do you wanna pull up a chair?”
“Oh no no,” Aquila replies. “I’m good… Go on.”
Paul sighs and looks back at the young men. “He knew of me?” He chuckles as he further relives his days back in Philippi. “Cora.” He mutters.
“What?” Aquila tilts his head to the side. “What’s Cora?”
“Who.” Paul corrects. “Who is Cora? Cora was a slave girl to some unscrupulous business men. Made them a fortune with her divination practice.” Paul turns back to the young men. “Her skill of divination was sourced by something much more pernicious than she realized. After routinely consulting with a spirit, eventually this spirit made its home in her and, over time, consumed control of her altogether.”
“What happened?” Aquila asks.
Paul calmly explains, “Everyday she confronted Silas and me on the road leading out from Philippi. Everyday she yelled out from the top of her lungs, ‘These men are volunteer slaves of the most high God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.’” Paul shrugs. “At first, we ignored her, but she wouldn’t quit. So, we commanded her in the name of Jesus to come out from her.”
A glimmer of hope lights up in Immer’s eyes. He then asks. “What… What happened to Cora?”
“The demon vanished.” Paul replies. “And Cora? Well… she then became more involved with the ministry over time.”
More gasps and whispers rise to the ceiling.
Immer and Yedaiah smile at one another and then back at Paul. “Teach us, master. Teach us how to do that.”
“Teach you! Teach you what?” Paul replies. “Do you think for a moment that I know how to cast out a demon?
The new protogees nod their heads enthusiastically.
Aquila wryly smiles at Sosthanes and jokes, “Oh yeah. Now this I’ve gotta hear.”
Ignoring the sarcastic comment behind him, Paul sighs then says. “Guys, let me help you understand how this works. It’s not me, it’s not specifically chosen words, it’s not a ritual, it’s not a chant. It’s God working through me as the Apostle of the Messiah.”
Confused, Immer asks, “Yeah, but how does…”
Dismissing Immer’s formulating question with a wave of his hand, Paul continues. “Listen, God has chosen me for this role. If you were in synagogue when I shared my background, you would do well to remember that Jesus selected me for this role as Apostle to the Gentiles. He promised to place me before some of the most elite people in the world, which is why I am compelled to go to Rome at some point.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not me.” Paul says. “It’s Jesus operating through me. I was on my way to Damascus with my brute squad to persecute… ironically… the very people I serve to disciple today. The risen Jesus stopped me in my tracks, and blinded me for a time. He then commissioned me to do a totally new work representing the believers I was seeking to destroy.”
As if hearing this for the first time, Yedaiah’s eyes grow wide with awe.
Aquila guffaws and ribs Sosthanes. “This is sooooo good. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?”
Paul continues, “Guys, let me be clear. God has picked me to be his sanctioned representative. I have given up my life to follow him… everything that was previously important to me, I have thrown by the wayside. I am his doulos. Furthermore, I have suffered greatly at the hands of people who militantly persecute me, just like I had formerly done to others. I have worn a bullseye on my garment ever since Jesus got ahold of me. Many have tried to take my life, but well… evidently God has decided to keep me around for a while longer. So, I remain here for His purposes.”
Paul looks around the room to see every eye looking right back at him. “Back in Philippi, when I commanded the demon to leave, it was God who made it happen…not me.” He continues. “Outside of the Spirit of God dwelling inside of me and working through me, there is otherwise nothing I could do to go up against a demonic spirit. It is God who has chosen to use me and to operate through me when the situation arises.”
…
A slight draft nearly extinguishes the flickering flame, though the oil lamp stays aglow. Sitting at a small table with a jug of wine and an assortment of parchments piled around him, Eliezer stares mindlessly at the wall adjacent to the table. Amulets and curse tablets alike are strewn about the room. Motionless, Eliezer sits and thinks.
Replaying months of scheming, the numerous plots to do away with the evangelist, the secret walks of planning with fellow cohorts under the cover of darkness, the seeking of and being mentored by a sorcerer, the public ridicule of the Syrian… over and over and over… every plot, every attempt to do away with him has gone awry. Every decision has worked against him. His own supporters, even those who commissioned him to get rid of the guy, have turned their backs on him. They paid him to get the job done, and he failed.
“My Lord.” Eliezer pleads. “It’s like you’re not even on our side. My life has fallen into utter ruin, it’s rubble… and it all started with him, that rotten evangelist from Syria.” He mocks. “Oh, let me tell you that the Messiah has come.”
Feeling the heaviness of the wine, the room threatens to start spinning. “But what about Elam and…” He shivers with repugnant contempt. “Oh, that voice… it haunts me.” He relives as he imitates the painful sounding nasally voice. “Oh, an expert are we? Don’t believe him for a moment. He’s taken our money for his own sordid gain.” He writhes.
“These were my kinsmen, my family… And what did they do with me after all has been said and done?” He slurs. “Nothing. They’ve abandoned me. They don’t care about me. All this time… They have just used me to be their scapegoat. Eliezer? You’re an idiot!” He sighs. “You’ve been a pawn in their match, and when no longer useful, they have disposed of you like trash. Oh Lord, at what point did I forsake my God fearing values to do the bidding of those who didn’t want to get their hands dirty? I swear I would be better off by learning under the Syrian and his people than I would be under these conniving wolves.”
Eliezer shakes his head in disgust. “Look at this!” With a violent brush of his arm, he sweeps the parchments of spells, potions, and chants as well as the jug off of the table. Spilling onto the floor, the parchments scatter and the jug crashes to the ground with a thud and slowly drips out its remains. “My God, what has become of me?” He asks himself. Placing his hands over his face, Eliezer begins to sob.
…
The sun sits just over the western horizon, as Paul addresses a crowded room shadowed by waves of firelight. “My brothers and sisters,” he announces. “Know this: flesh and blood will not inherit the Kingdom of God. That which can be destroyed cannot be immortal. Your psuche is what lives on, my friends, not your bodies which will return to the earth. Yet, here is the ultimate mystery of God being revealed to you here and now… Not all of us will sleep. No, like a flash of lightning that streaks across the sky, we as mortals shall instantaneously be changed and raised as immortal beings. Only God can make this possible.”
Voices from the crowd shout out, “So be it!”
“Yes, may it be so.” Paul agrees. He then gestures for the crowd to quiet. “Yes, death will be done away with, as the psalmist cried, ‘Where O death is your victory? Where is your sting?’ But also know this: we do not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven in our frail human state. Adam, the first man, sealed our collective fate. But, Jesus, the perfect man from heaven, has reversed our fate by affording us the spirit that gives us life.”
More cry out from the crowd, affirming Paul to go on.
Keeping a low profile, Eliezer sits between two other men who press in on either side. Not knowing who they are, he becomes inwardly conflicted. “These are Gentiles.” He mutters under his breath. “What am I doing next to Gentiles?” He then takes notice of others nearby, and recognizes some fellow Jews that he knows, seated next to others he didn’t know. “Also Gentiles.” He assumes. He begins pushing the men away, but catches himself and says, “Guys, I’m sorry. I’m not in my right mind.”
One of the men next to him flashes a toothless grin back at him and replies. “You’re exactly where God wants you then. Glad you’re here.”
“Something has to happen within us. Something has to give… to change us from the inside out.” Paul continues. “Make no mistake, our sin keeps us from God. Make no mistake, those who practice sorcery, immorality, those who aim to cause others harm… Those people will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
Paul stares out at the crowd, as the sun fully sets over the horizon. “There’s the rub, right? Here we are needing to behave like God to be favored by God, yet our broken human state keeps us from doing so. It’s quite the conundrum.”
Someone yells out from the crowd. “Who can measure up? Who can find favor with God?”
“The prophet proclaimed that your righteous acts are as soiled rags in the eyes of God.” Paul replies. “Not even the most humble, innocent, and righteous one of us can gain God’s favor. As a former Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin who gave meticulous care to uphold the Law of God… I now understand my actions to have been utterly useless.”
“Who can be saved?” Another voice cries out nearby Eliezer who finds himself wondering the same thing.
“Pharisee? Sanhedrin?” Eliezer wonders, suddenly realizing how he has underestimated the Syrian. “He was a member of the Sanhedrin? If he couldn’t get close to God… who the heck am I?”
…
Acts 19:17-20; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Ephesians 6:10-18
We’re going to stop here for today:
Sitting in the middle of a crowd of men and women from all walks of life, Eliezer finds himself in a quandary, as he visits this new community in the Hall of Tyrannus. Why is he even there? What might be going through his head at this time? While Eliezer is a fictional character of my creation, real individuals similar to this Eliezer character, even some with strong Jewish backgrounds, engaged in the spiritual realm and would find themselves confronted by the same reality.
First, he’s Jewish:
Eliezer has been taught and knows the Law of God. He also knows that pursuing sorcery and engaging in magic is an abomination before the Lord. How so? Well, the Law of Moses was pretty clear on the matter. Here’s how the Law applied to Israel as it sought to enter into the Land of Promise.
“When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the LORD your God will drive them out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the LORD your God forbids you to do such things.”
– Deuteronomy 18:9-14
Here’s the thing: Both Jewish and Christian people as well have dabbled into the magical arts throughout the years. Individuals within both of these groups have had a fascination with the angelic/demonic realm that has been implied throughout Scripture. The bible makes it clear that there is a spiritual realm that goes beyond what we can empirically sense. There is a larger spiritual world out there. So, what makes up this world according to Scripture?
First, we have God. God shares his glory, his infinite being, his all knowing and all powerful capacity with no one. He is the creator and master of all things. From God’s perspective, there are no other gods. He alone is the only real God.
Then, we have His created order which includes all other spiritual beings, including Satan himself. Yes, God created Satan and his demonic horde, though that was not God’s intention. He did not create them that way. Originally, they were created along with the rest of creation as good. God, given his perfect and good nature, could only produce that which is good.
At this point, however, I suspect there are a number of theological questions about the origins of evil, the possibility of evil, the implications of evil, that begin to simmer at the tops of our minds. And, guess what? I’m not going to cover any of this here. What I can say is this: With a capacity to make decisions permitted within me, I am able to make choices to seek God out or to ignore him. To move towards him or away from him.
The difference between the angelic realm and the human realm is that humans were offered an opportunity for redemption, despite their tendency to move away from God and being self-serving. Whereas the angelic realm was not given such an offer. Once the choice was made to move away from God, those angels who made that choice would never be able to return. Those angels, we may call them ‘fallen angels’ or demons, would be under the authority of the chief fallen angel known as Satan himself.
This framework of understanding how the spiritual realm works shapes the minds of Christians and Jews alike, though maybe not with complete clarity. Consequently, the engagement within the spiritual realm has long since been a curiosity for both groups. Individuals from both groups have sought to engage the spiritual realm for their own personal gain and purposes. They have used a wide assortment of means to channel these spirits, including spells, potions, amulets, curse tablets, pharmacology, chants, divination, and a host of other channeling vehicles.
What starts out as a curiosity can easily deepen to a level of obsession, whereby a practitioner becomes consumed by the spirit he or she seeks to conjure. When conjuring, the spirit often acts as a negotiator between the conjurer and whatever the conjurer is looking to accomplish. Here in Ephesus, there were professional conjurers, known as magicians or sorcerers, who would be well paid to entreat the spirit realm to negotiate a good outcome for whoever paid them.
In the case of Eliezer and some of the leaders from the local synagogue, I created this scenario to point out how entreating the spirit realm was big business and quite pervasive here in Ephesus. This is why Luke gives attention to a huge book burning moment later on in Acts 19, whereby people were giving up their magic practices, coming to Christ, and adopting God’s perspective on things.
From God’s perspective, our attempts of channeling spirits are nothing more than entreating the demonic realm for personal gain. To align oneself with God’s way of thinking is to no longer engage with the spirits, but to fully engage and depend upon God to fight one’s battles. That’s why Paul explains how we as followers are to tap into God’s power by routinely “putting on” the armor of God.
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
– Ephesians 6:10-18
There is so much more Scripture that can be quoted here, but we need to wrap up soon.
But before doing so, we need to note one more thing about Eliezer: Eliezer was at the end of his rope. His own people turned against him and threw him under the proverbial bus, especially after he wasn’t able to accomplish what they commissioned him to do. After failing, his own people did not welcome him back. To make matters more challenging, Eliezer had the sense to back away from his interest in magic because he knew it went against God’s Law. In his situation, he was welcomed by nobody. Eliezer was now all alone. Maybe curiosity got the best of him, or maybe it was simply the realization that he was wrong and needed to swallow his pride. Whatever the motivation, Eliezer decided to check out what Paul was teaching. No doubt, he would’ve been supremely embarrassed to show his face, but then again God simply seemed to be with Paul every step of the way. And that was enough to move Eliezer to discover more.
Whatever it is that keeps you from discovering more about God, about God’s perspective, please know that we’re still offered the simple choice to move closer to him or further away from him. May you swallow whatever pride that might be there, whatever past you’ve engaged in, and may you seek God out and move towards discovering more. We’re all in this journey together, so please know you’re not alone. With that, let’s move forward… together.