As Paul and Barnabas spent time on the island of Cyprus (see previous lesson), we find that they ran into some resistance in the city of Paphos, despite receiving an audience with the local proconsul (a government leader).
They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
Acts 13:6-8 NIV
If you’ve been following along with these articles for a while, you may remember a guy from an earlier chapter in Acts, who has been called Simon the Sorcerer, in Acts 8:9-24. That Simon appears to have become a believer, but still struggled with understanding the gift of the Holy Spirit. It seems that he was close to the truth, but still had more to learn.
This sorcerer (or “magician”, per NASB) in Paphos who is described in Acts 13:6-12, whether we call him Bar-Jesus or Elymas (the latter being a translation of his “magician” role, per Reese, p.463), appears to have been pretty far from the truth.
It sounds like Elymas here had gotten in good with Sergius Paulus, but when the proconsul called for Barnabas and Saul to hear from them, Elymas tried to make trouble. However, it wasn’t a mere human teaching that Elymas was opposing. Saul (i.e., Paul) rebuked Elymas and pronounced blindness upon him (see Acts 13:9-11). With Paul’s ministry being enabled by the power of God, Elymas was indeed blinded, and had to fumble around and ask for help to find his way.
However, this isn’t just a story of someone opposing the word of God and being punished. For one thing, notice that Saul / Paul didn’t curse the sorcerer merely because Paul was getting irritated at him, or because Paul wanted revenge for being contradicted. Paul could have also tried to be like Elymas, maybe thinking that Sergius Paulus was used to seeing “miraculous” tricks from Elymas, and seeking to “out-miracle” Elymas’s signs of magic or sorcery. But he didn’t.
Instead, we find that the Holy Spirit had filled Paul, and so Paul acted according to a purpose. In fact, I don’t think that the power of God would have been with Paul if he wasn’t doing God’s will. We also see that Paul condemns Elymas in the name of the Lord, making it clear that it was God’s word that Elymas was trying to refute, and that it was God who was rendering him blind. This wasn’t some sort of contest between two competing ideologies. Instead, like when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:16-40, there was no contest when God stepped in to show His power.
The Lookout reminds us that Saul / Paul had also been blinded for a time. Saul’s blindness was part of his conversion story (see Acts 9:1-22). We’re not sure what Elymas did after the events recorded in Acts 13, but we can hope that it was the same outcome as Saul’s. And, regardless of Elymas’s future decisions, Sergius Paulus believed (see Acts 13:12). The proconsul was an intelligent guy, after all (see verse 7). So, there was a constructive result of this event, rather than merely having someone be pronounced as a “winner”.
The next time that you find the word of God receiving pushback in this world (which is to be expected, since evil forces exist that oppose the distribution of the good news), consider this account from the book of Acts. When God wills it, there are immediate consequences for those who oppose Him, but this is His doing and it is more than just punishment: it has a purpose. If our goals for opponents of God’s word aren’t in line with His love for the world (see John 3:16), seeking harm for others rather than help and healing, perhaps we should return to Him and ask for a fresh perspective!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for November 12, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, November 12, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese. © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner. © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 