“Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”
The full verse · Acts 19:15 · KJV
the and , I , I ; ?
Asked by
Demons: here one evil spirit, speaking through the man it possessed at Ephesus (Acts 19:15-16)
Asked to
Sons of Sceva: seven sons of Sceva, "a Jew, and chief of the priests," who were among the traveling Jewish exorcists trying to cast out evil spirits by "Jesus whom Paul preacheth" (Acts 19:13-14)
The Scene
At Ephesus, where God "wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul," seven sons of Sceva tried to cast out an evil spirit by saying, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth" (Acts 19:11-14).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe evil spirit was mocking men who used a name that did not belong to them. They did not speak of Jesus as their own Lord but as "Jesus whom Paul preacheth" (Acts 19:13). The spirit knew Jesus and knew Paul, but these men had no standing with either. Barnes gives the sense: "You belong neither to Jesus nor Paul; you are not of their party; and you have no right or authority to attempt to work miracles in the name of either." Gill similarly reads the spirit as saying, "you are not the disciples of Jesus, nor the servants of God."
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe sons of Sceva gave no answer. Instead, "the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded" (Acts 19:16). The news spread to all the Jews and Greeks at Ephesus, "and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified" (Acts 19:17). Many believers confessed their deeds, and those who used "curious arts" burned their books, worth "fifty thousand pieces of silver" (Acts 19:18-19). "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed" (Acts 19:20).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe KJV calls these men "vagabond Jews, exorcists" (Acts 19:13), people who traveled about trying to drive out spirits. Their father Sceva is called "a Jew, and chief of the priests" (Acts 19:14). Matthew Henry describes them as men who "made use of Christ's name profanely and wickedly in their diabolical enchantments."
The spirit uses two different Greek verbs for "know." For Jesus it uses ginosko, "I know." For Paul it uses epistamai, "I am acquainted with," which is why the ESV says "Paul I recognize." Both say the spirit knew who they were.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe name of Jesus is not a magic word. It belongs to a living Lord, and it carries His authority only for those who belong to Him. At Ephesus God was working "special miracles" through Paul (Acts 19:11), and these men tried to copy the outward form without the relationship. Even an evil spirit could tell the difference.
God turned the failed exorcism into a witness. Fear fell on the city, "the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified" (Acts 19:17), and people gave up their magic arts. The spirit's question, "who are ye?", left the true answer standing: the power belonged to Jesus alone.
Look Closer
How did the sons of Sceva speak of Jesus when they tried to cast out the spirit?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You know those who belong to You; is there any place where I am leaning on someone else's faith instead of knowing You for myself?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The sons of Sceva spoke of "Jesus whom Paul preacheth." What is the difference between knowing about Jesus through others and knowing Him yourself?
- In Ephesus, people gave up their magic books after this. Tell about a time when seeing God's power led you or someone you know to let go of something.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
You cannot borrow someone else's relationship with Jesus. The sons of Sceva used the right name, but it was "Jesus whom Paul preacheth," not Jesus whom they knew and obeyed. Saying the right words is not the same as belonging to Him.
This is not meant to make you afraid of using Jesus' name. His name is powerful, and in Ephesus it was "magnified" (Acts 19:17). The warning is against treating His name like a tool while ignoring the Lord who bears it. Matthew Henry says, "This is written for a warning to all those who name the name of Christ, but do not depart from iniquity."
The believers in Ephesus responded by coming, confessing, and burning their magic books (Acts 19:18-19). Real faith turns from what competes with Jesus.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Unto what then were ye baptized?”
“What man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?”
“What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us?”