Calling Evil Out

Acts 13:1-12
1Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
4So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
6When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
10and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
12Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Now our story turns from the ministry of Peter to the ministry of Paul and will remain with him for the rest of the book. His impact upon the Christian faith is huge and cannot be overstated. Previously we have known him as Saul but now we see the author of Acts [Luke] use Saul’s Roman name which is Paul. Paul had a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Thus he had a Hebrew name and a Roman name. Since his ministry as defined by God was to the Gentiles he is henceforth known as Paul.

After the Holy Spirit makes it clear that Paul and Barnabas are being called out into the mission field they head to Cyprus. At this point they meet a false prophet named Bar-Jesus (also called Elymas-magician). Bar-Jesus just means “son of Joseph” and is in no way related to Jesus Christ. Paul recognizes that this magician is in no way speaking for the Living God and calls him out on his apostasy. He is blinded, just as Paul himself had been blinded before his conversion, and Elymas is lead away by the hand. The story ends well as the proconsul for Cyprus become as believer and receives even more instruction in the ways of the Lord. Paul’s mission work has begun.

I have always envied and admired Paul’s ability to see evil and deal with it. There have been times when I’ve known that I was in the presence of evil but I’ve rarely been brave enough to call it out. But God is willing to help us realize that we are in a bad situation if we are attentive to Him. It’s tough to name evil for what it is because, well, what if you’re wrong? That can be uncomfortable at the very least. So I take the coward’s way out and back up, leaving them to themselves. That’s probably the wrong approach but it has served me over the years. I guess if God wants me to be bold like Paul He’ll have to put the words in my mouth the courage in my heart to speak them.

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