“…and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.” Acts 19:17

Without a doubt, nothing has impressed me more, while reading through Acts, than the singular emphasis on the name of Jesus.  It starts at the ascension with the angels instructing the disciples about “this same Jesus” (1:11), it is developed in Peter’s Pentecost sermon where he says, “repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38), and it is powerfully reaffirmed in Peter’s speech before the Sanhedrin, “know this…it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed” (4:10).  In fact, in the first ten chapters of Acts, we see “the name” in reference to Jesus fourteen times.  It is as if the first disciples are seeking to establish, from the start, the supremacy of the name of Jesus Christ in the church.

But this emphasis can also be seen further on in Acts.  And one of the great examples is in Acts 19 where Jewish wannabes are seeking to mimic Paul’s Christ-powered authority over evil Spirits.  As we read in Acts 19:13-16:

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”  Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.  One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”  Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

I simply love the response of the evil spirit.  It’s right up there with “go ahead, make my day” and “I’ll be back.”  “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”

What is revealed, here, is that these “sons of Sceva” were not doing this “ministry” in order to make much of Jesus, but to make much of themselves.  It was self-importance that made them want to exercise authority in the spiritual realms, not unlike Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8).  But what they learned was a very painful lesson—and from the hands of a demon.  And that lesson serves as a warning to all of us—for we are all tempted, at times, to “do good” for self-glorification rather than to bring glory to Jesus.  Such a pursuit may look great from the outside, but we cannot fool God.  In fact, we cannot even fool demons!

Nonetheless, I love the results of this little lesson in verse 17, “When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.”  Funny, isn’t it?  Even though these Jews were seeking to honor themselves, in the end, it was Jesus who got the honor.

In a sense, this is a microcosm of what will one day be a global reality.  As we read in Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  One day, every tongue will bring honor to the name of Jesus.  Sadly, those who have refused to do so prior to that day will do so as a cry of despair.

But for us who have confessed His name, by grace through faith, this day will be the best day ever!  And yet, though this brings great comfort, this also brings a word of challenge.  For we are all tempted to do things which distract from the honor due Jesus’ name like acting out of anger or impatience with others, doing ministry out of a sense of self-importance, letting our own little kingdoms take precedence over Christ’s Kingdom, even performing religious acts for self-serving purposes.  But in the end, all that will matter is what we do to make much of Him to whom every knee, one day, will bow.

May we increasingly live our lives in view of this powerful reality, even as we look forward to the day of His return.  As Jesus promised, “‘Yes, I am coming soon.’  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).