Acts 13:6
And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:
Paul and Barnabas, bringing Mark with them, came from Seleucia to Cyprus, preached in the Jewish synagogues at Salamis, and then went through the isle to Paphos, where they found Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas, a Jew who was a sorcerer and false prophet with Sergius Paulus, the prudent deputy of the country who called for the apostles to hear the word of God. Elymas withstood the apostles and sought to turn the deputy away from the faith and destroy their influence over him, using false reports and deceptive arguments that greatly hindered their work. His resistance was the work of Satan controlling him, showing how the fallen foe works in a special manner to keep persons of influence who could be of great service from embracing the truth and to thwart God's purpose, as the magicians in Pharaoh's court withstood Moses and Aaron. He belonged to the class who welcome satanic influence in order to obtain supernatural power, possessing the spirit of divination, and because he welcomed it he had no conflict with the demons, unlike those possessed with devils who are usually in great suffering. His temporary blindness exposed the powerlessness of his arts against Christ's teaching and was a just warning meant to lead him to repent and seek God's pardon, while the deputy was convinced by the apostles' doctrine and embraced the gospel.
Journey and Persons at Paphos
Paul and Barnabas, bringing Mark with them, sailed from Seleucia to Cyprus on their mission. At Salamis they preached in the synagogues of the Jews. From there they went through the isle until they came to Paphos.
The man they found at Paphos was Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas. He was a Jew, a sorcerer and a false prophet. He was with Sergius Paulus, the deputy of the country, a prudent man of repute and influence who called for the apostles that he might hear the word of God.
Opposition and Spiritual Lessons
Elymas withstood the apostles at Paphos and sought to turn the deputy away from the faith and to destroy their influence over him. He worked by false reports and deceptive, specious arguments, and by this means greatly hindered their work. His resistance was not merely human opposition but the work of Satan, by whom he was controlled. It illustrates how the fallen foe works in a special manner to keep persons of influence who could be of great service to the cause from embracing the truth, and thus to thwart God's purpose.
His course was like that of the magicians in Pharaoh's court who withstood Moses and Aaron. He belonged to the class who welcome satanic influence in order to obtain supernatural power, possessing the spirit of divination. Because he welcomed that influence he had no conflict with the demons, unlike those possessed with devils who are usually in great suffering.
His temporary blindness exposed the powerlessness of his arts against Christ's teaching. That blindness was a just warning meant to lead him to repent and seek God's pardon. At the same time the deputy was convinced by the apostles' doctrine and embraced the gospel. The chapter shows that the Lord does not encourage false theories or a low standard.