Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

‘Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble’ is one of the most famous lines in English literature. They are the words spoken by three witches in William Shakespeare’s play predicting the future of the character Macbeth.  Shakespeare lived during a time when witchcraft, alchemy and magic were widely accepted practices in London, both among the monarchy and commoners. The church, however, considered magic to be the work of the devil.  It was not just a matter of faith, but public safety. In the century that followed the writing of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, hundreds of men and women across Europe were charged, tortured, prosecuted and executed for magic either by hanging or burning.  In the American colonies this fear of magic and witchcraft led to the great Salem Witch Trials in the 1690’s where nineteen individuals were executed, fourteen women and five men.

This was not the first time that there was public concern for magic and witchcraft. In 33 BC, astrologers and magicians were explicitly mentioned as having been driven from Rome. Twenty years later, Caesar Augustus, the very same emperor who declared that all the world should be enrolled, ordered all books on the magical arts to be burned. Practicing magic was labelled a capital offense.  Practitioners, the Empire argued, were setting aside their trust in the gods and trying to effect and get their way through incantations, potions and magic. The great city of Ephesus in particular was known for harboring magicians, astrologers and exorcists, both Jewish and Greek. It was the emporium for rare ingredients used for elixirs, and of course, entrepreneurs who profited from the sale of their services.

In the Book of Acts, St. Luke writes that, in Ephesus God was performing “extraordinary miracles through Paul.”  These miracles were to demonstrate the truthfulness and veracity of the Apostle’s message. Some of these miracles involved casting out demons from those who were possessed, just as Jesus had done and this given authority over demons to his twelve disciples.  Paul, as an apostle, had received that authority as well. Curiously, even the handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his skin had miraculous properties. Paul’s disciples brought these to the sick and their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. These miraculous feats in Ephesus made some critics label Paul as a magician.  This was their criticism of Jesus as well.

There were, however, some religious charlatans in the city, who saw a possibility to capitalize on Paul’s amazing gift.  They were itinerant exorcists who believed they possessed special, miracle-working powers. Sceva, who is identified as “a Jewish chief priest,” had seven sons “who went around driving out evil spirits.” Exorcism was not new.  There was an ancient Jewish tradition that Solomon was an exorcist and had power over the demons in the world.  When a demon named Ornias harassed a young man by stealing half of his pay and drawing out his strength, Solomon prayed and received from the archangel Michael a magic ring with the seal of God on it which enabled him to command the demons. Solomon threw the ring at the demon Ornias, which stamped him with the seal and brought him under control. Then Solomon ordered the demon Ornias to take the ring and similarly imprint the prince of demons, Beelzebul.  With Beelzebul under his command, Solomon now had all of the demons at his bidding to build the temple. So from ancient times, holy Jewish priests and rabbis, using incantations from the psalms, drove the demons and evil spirits out of possessed individuals.

Well, seeing the success that Paul had in exorcising demons with just his handkerchiefs and aprons, the seven sons of Sceva began using a new incantation invoking the name of Jesus. They would say to the demon, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” One day, however, the ploy of Sceva’s seven sons backfired.  A demon they were trying to cast out refused, saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” The demon then turned on them viciously. The demon-possessed man “jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.” The seven sons of Sceva were no match for the demonic power. And what was the result of the demon’s attack?  Everyone in Ephesus was “seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.”  The work of Paul was more than magic. The Ephesians could readily see the difference between the power of Christ as proclaimed by Paul, and the impotence of the pretenders who were mere magicians.  So at the end of the day a number of those who practiced magic collected their outlawed books and burned them.

At first glance, we can surmise several things from the story of the seven sons of Sceva which were true in the ancient world and maybe just as true today. First, demons, however they may defined, as spirits, mental illness, or addiction, they are all dangerously powerful beings who can cause the people they control to do incredibly violent and unmanageable things. It is why we need the spiritual armor of God to protect ourselves. Second, demons recognize true authority, and they fear God. It’s important to note that the authority over demons belongs only to Jesus and to those to whom Jesus gave it. The demons refused to acknowledge any other authority in Ephesus. Third, demons cannot be cast out via a formula or a ritual or simply invoking Jesus’ name. The power belongs to Jesus alone. Probably the greatest mistake the seven sons of Sceva made was their failure to realize that Paul was not doing the exorcisms. Jesus Christ was the source of power and authority through Paul.

Now, you may be wondering, so what does this story of Paul’s miraculous deeds and magic have to do with my life and yours? After all, I’m not sitting around some ghoulish cauldron chanting. ‘Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.  Nor do I believe that you are storing up, “Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog.”  Surprisingly, the descendants of the seven sons of Sceva are still active and present in the world. They still sell their wares – crystals and tarot cards, amulets and pendants, stars and angels, horoscopes and predictions of the end.  They are trying to lure seekers away from God, and encouraging them to believe that they can acquire what they want apart from God. All too often, however, we see what happens when the work of the devil, and the vanity of humans interact. It is disappointment, mistrust and a fractured faith. The sons of Sceva thought they could cast out demons just by invoking the magical name of Jesus. What they failed to realize is that, without a God-given authority they were just weak humans destined to fail.

Curiously, the most encouraging and yet disturbing words in today’s passage from the Book of Acts are the words spoken by the evil spirit to the sons of Sceva, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”  Mind you, there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. The Apostle Paul came to Ephesus to preach and to  make Jesus known.

What does it mean to know Jesus?  Some might answer that it is to accept Jesus personally and to make a commitment to him as a savior.  Others might say that to know Jesus it is to be born again. For most believers growing up in a Christian home, there is seldom a special time or place they can mark as the moment of faith.  Faith is a process of growth, so I appreciate the answer given on the website, Got Questions. “It is one thing to know about a sports hero, and quite another thing to be a friend of that athlete. You can read every news article on your hero, memorize every stat, and collect every piece of memorabilia yet never really know the athlete himself. To truly know a sports hero, you would have to do more than watch him play. You would have to have a relationship with him, based on time spent together and regular conversation. When a person truly knows Jesus, they spend time together and talk with him regularly. And, when they know Jesus, they also know God.”

Faith is not magic, nor is it knowing the right incantations and phrases that produce effects upon God.  Faith is not intended to affect God’s ways, so that you can have your way. Faith is knowing and living in God’s care, so that you may experience his love, encounter his benevolence and enjoy his presence. Faith is a living relation with God. That is what Paul wanted to share with the Ephesians during his three-year sojourn there.  It is also what allowed him to write five years later from a prison in Rome to the church in Ephesus, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Yes, so that you may know him better.

My friends, do you know Jesus or have you settled on just knowing about him?  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.