The Acts
Acts 13:6-12
The missionary efforts of Paul and Barnabas on the island of
Cyprus brought the gospel to the attention of the Roman proconsul, Sergius
Paulus. The proconsul was a "prudent" man (v 7) who sought truth, but he was
unfavorably influenced by Elymas, an apostate Jewish sorcerer (vv
6,8).
As he listened to Barnabas and Saul, meanwhile observing the
interest shown by his benefactor, Elymas (or Bar-Jesus) began to fear the loss
of his position and influence. So, interrupting the two preachers, he began to
engage them in debate. This assault was so rude and blasphemous (and coming from
a "wise" Jew, who should have known better!) that Paul severely rebuked
him;
"O full of all subtilty, and all mischief, thou child of the devil (diabolism),
thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways
of the Lord? And now, behold, thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a
season" (vv 10,11).
Immediately the Apostle's words took effect, and the blinded
Elymas began to stumble about, groping with outstretched hands for someone to
lead him. Sergius Paulus was impressed by the spectacle, and believed the gospel
preached to him.
"Bar-Jesus" signifies "son of salvation". Casting off the
wonderful heritage implicit in such a name, the false Jew had become a devotee
of the "moles and bats" of human "wisdom". His acquired name -- Elymas, or "wise
one -- reflected his new philosophy. It is easy to see this man as a typical
representative of the Jewish race in their apostasy (of which Saul of Tarsus had
been a prime example!). Elymas was a "child of the devil", a description
recalling Christ's words about the Jews:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do" (John
8:44) --
all, of course, directly traceable to the serpent's "seed" of
Gen 3:15! Compare also the serpent's "subtilty" (Gen 3:1) with that of Elymas
(Acts 13:10).
Like the Jews described by Christ, Elymas had lost sight of
the characteristics of a true son of Abraham. Like the Jews, he had become an
"enemy of all righteousness" (Acts 13:10) and an enemy of the gospel (Rom
11:28).
Elymas' main concern was the preservation of his source of
wealth (the munificence of Sergius Paulus), his power over the proconsul (who
was himself an important man -- so much the better!), and his pride at his own
presumed "wisdom". In short, Elymas was motivated by the "lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1Jo 2:16)!
The sentence of blindness passed upon Bar-Jesus suggests, in
this typical parable, the spiritual "blindness" decreed upon Israel because of
their rejection of God (Deu 28:28; Isa 6:10). However, just as the sorcerer's
blindness was temporary ("for a season" -- Acts 13:11), so Israel's blindness
will be temporary:
"Blindness in part is happened to all Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles
be come in" (Rom 11:25).
The final act in this miniature "play" is the conversion of
Sergius Paulus -- which surely signifies the initiation of the Gentiles into the
hope largely abandoned by Israel. The opposition of the apostate Jew provided
the very opportunity for the Gentile to believe!
This one incident, then, is seen to set the pattern of Paul's
work as a missionary to the Roman world: the unbelief of the Jews and the faith
of the Gentiles. Thus is summarized, for that matter, the broad outline of two
thousand years of ecclesial history. It appears that, in recognition of God's
expanding purpose with the Gentiles and the instrumental part he was to play in
it, Saul of Tarsus then and there adopted the new name "Paul" from his Gentile
convert.
Acts 9:5; 26:14
Luke recounts three times the miraculous conversion of Saul;
two of these passages give the words of the glorified Jesus to Saul:
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick ('laktizo')
against the pricks ('kentron')."
"Laktizo" (which only occurs in these two passages) signifies
literally to "lift up the heel". The "kentron" was a goad used on cattle, but
the word also signifies a "sting", as of a serpent! Other than the two verses in
Acts, "kentron" appears twice in Paul's joyful exclamation:
"O death, where is thy sting?... The sting of death is sin" (1Co
15:55,56).
The only other instance is Rev 9:10, a description of the
Apocalyptic "locusts" with their tails like scorpions, and "stings in their
tails".
The most obvious meaning of Christ's words to Paul was that it
was as useless for him to resist the power of the gospel as for an ox at the
plough to kick against the master's goad.
But there is a deeper meaning: The Pharisee Saul, steeped in
the law, proud of his own "righteousness", had undertaken to crush underfoot the
"serpent" of sin. His endeavor to destroy the infant ecclesia of Christ was the
next logical step for a man who put all his trust in the law. To such a man, the
religion of Jesus of Nazareth was an evil "serpent" to be trodden under
foot.
However, Saul discovered on the road to Damascus that Jesus
was no "serpent" who could be crushed by him. Jesus had once been the "serpent"
lifted up on a stake (Num 21:9; John 3:14,15), but no more was that so. He was
now alive for evermore, his victory over sin and the grave complete. In his
intense pursuit of the Nazarene's followers, Saul had placed himself squarely in
opposition to this marvelous fact; he was attempting to "tread underfoot the Son
of God" (Heb 10:29).
And in trying throughout his early life to conquer the
sin-power by his own strength -- lifting up his own heel against its "sting" --
Saul was foredoomed to failure. He was failing to recognize that the despised
prophet of Nazareth had already accomplished what the Pharisee could never do --
bruise the serpent's head! The only thing left for the proud young Jew was to
humble himself, and accept in faith the forgiveness of sins through Jesus
Christ:
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts
9:6).