BIBL 104
Name: Timothy Harvey
BIBLE STUDY PROJECT: INTERPRETATION TEMPLATE
Passage: Acts 19:11-22
A. Summarize: Determine the author’s main point. In 1-2 paragraphs (200-400 words)
explain what you think the author is trying to communicate in this passage. Remember
two things. First, the focus of this summary is theological and not narrative. In other
words, your summary should highlight what this passage communicates about who God
is and what God is doing. Second, words like “I,” “We,” “Us,” and “Our” are application
words and not interpretation words. Thus, they should not be used in your answer for this
question. Interpretation is about “then and there” and not “here and now.” We were not
there so the passage is not about us. Our “part” in the passage is the application or how
we will respond to God’s Word.
The main point that the author of the passage in Acts chapter 19, verses 11
through 19 is that God used Paul to perform extraordinary miracles. One important
miracle was that items such as handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul so much as touched
were taken to the sick and the illness had left them, but not only were they cured of their
illness the evil spirits left them. Some of the Jewish people including the seven sons of a
Jewish priest called Sceva tried to invoke the name of Jesus to drive out demons.
There was a day that the sons tried to cast out demons, calling on the name of
Jesus whom Paul had preached. The evil spirit answered the sons by saying “Jesus I
know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”. This was important as
the Seven sons had no authority to invoke the name of Jesus to cast
out demons. It also was important because it meant that the evil spirit
recognized that Jesus had the power and authority to cast the evil spirit
out. The demon-possessed man jumped on them and beat them so
badly that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. The news of
the beating spread throughout Ephesus and the name of Jesus was
held with high honor because both the Jews and Greeks feared the
Lord Jesus. Many new believers came and repented of their
wrongdoings and others who had practiced sorcery publicly burned
their scrolls. The narrative tells the story of how God used Paul to help
spread Christianity.
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B. Identify: Based on your answer above, write out one principle from this passage. What is
the one thing the whole thing is saying? You should be able to express this principle in 1-
3 sentences. As with the previous answer, this principle should be theological and rooted
in who God is and/or what God is doing. Please remember that words like “I,” “We,”
“Us,” and “Our” are application words and not interpretation words.
The principle I took from this was God used Paul to help spread the good
news by calling on the name of Jesus to cast out demons.
C. Check: Consult at least one scholarly resource to offer support for the theological
principle that you believe the passage is teaching. In 1-2 paragraphs (200-400 words),
quote, properly cite, and interact with this scholarly resource to demonstrate that it
supports your theological and interpretive conclusion.
You must consult the “Commentaries” and the “Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks” tab
found on the research guide provided by the Jerry Falwell Library to access the approved
academic and scholarly resources. These resources are the only approved resources.
Using unapproved resources may result in a score of “0” for this assignment . The
research guide can be found by following the link on the Bible Study Project:
Interpretation Assignment under Bible Study Project: Interpretation Resource.
On page 311 of Gangel, Kenneth.Holman New Testament Commentary –
Acts it is states that “In a situation where people were grouped by superstition,
perhaps the only way for Christianity to spread was by the demonstration that the
power of Jesus was superior to that of the demons” Luke, points out that the
Greeks and Jews in Ephesus repented because they saw that the name of Jesus
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was far superior to the sorcerers of the time. The incident with the sons brought
fear to Jews and Gentiles alike; people thought twice before misusing the name
of Jesus. Even Christians openly confessed evil deeds. Some of them had
previously been sorcerers, so they brought their magic materials for a public
burning. Luke, conveyed to us that the sorcerers burned 137 years' worth of
salary in scrolls. Magic had been a part of life for these people before trusting
God before the Sceva incident, new Christians did not necessarily consider their
former behavior to be that evil. Now, seeing how they should revere the name of
Jesus, and how his people should avoid contact with the occult and anything that
has a connection with demons,
The commentary confirms what I feel that the author is trying to convey because
the author (Luke) had shown that the people of Ephesus had repented they
heard of the incident with the seven sons of Sceva, because they had realized
that even the demons fear the Lord Jesus!
,
Work Cited
Gangel, Kenneth.Holman New Testament Commentary - Acts, edited by Max Anders, B&H
Publishing Group, 1998.ProQuest Ebook Central,
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