Acts 13:13 In the Antioch congregation were prophets and teachers — Bar-Nabba, Shim‘on (known as “the Black”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Menachem (who had been brought up with Herod the governor) and Sha’ul. 2 One time when they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Ruach HaKodesh said to them, “Set aside for me Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 After fasting and praying, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
4 So these two, after they had been sent out by the Ruach HaKodesh, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. 5 After landing in Salamis, they began proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues, with Yochanan (Mark) as an assistant; 6 and thus they made their way throughout the whole island.
They ended up in Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and pseudo-prophet named Bar-Yeshua. 7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. Now the governor had called for Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul and was anxious to hear the message about God; 8 but the sorcerer Elymas (for that is how his name is translated) opposed them, doing his best to turn the governor away from the faith. 9 Then Sha’ul, also known as Paul, filled with the Ruach HaKodesh, stared straight at him and said, 10 “You son of Satan, full of fraud and evil! You enemy of everything good! Won’t you ever stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 So now, look! The hand of the Lord is upon you; and for a while you will be blind, unable to see the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over Elymas; and he groped about, trying to find someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then, on seeing what had happened, the governor trusted, astounded by the teaching about the Lord.
Ah, Paul. I have a sneaking suspicion you’ve heard of this guy.
There are a few things I’d like to discuss here: un-miracles, Paul, and false prophets.
Properly speaking, a miracle doesn’t need to be positive.
When we hear the word “miracle” we naturally gravitate towards a life-giving perspective. In all of the examples we’ve seen, it was always a reversal of decay which makes it amazing. But here we see the opposite, an acceleration into decay.
But even then, in Abba’s mercy, it seems this is but a short time:
“and for a while you will be blind, unable to see the sun”
An evil charlatan was given the opportunity to repent -- amazing! This wasn’t just to bring forth punishment -- there was something far greater in play:
Sergius Paulus. He was a smart guy that brought in Paul and Barnabas to hear a message about God but instead got a crash course in the Holy Spirit 101. He witnessed firsthand a rebuke of someone that was (apparently) close to him and the fraud Elymas walked in became the rope from which he was hung.
Put yourself in Sergius Paulus’ position. You’re the governor of an entire island in the Mediterranean, and your sidekick is a wizard and fortune-teller that was smart enough to deceive you, perhaps for quite some time. You have a spiritual itch and you hear about these guys that just landed and went straight to the synagogues to proclaim the Word of God. (side note: there are synagogues (plural) on this island)
Calling them in, what do you expect? Maybe an encouraging word that sets your mind at ease regarding your life and position? Maybe a key tactical word that allows you to be a better and more successful leader? Maybe…
<<cut scene>>
A rebuke of the evil that had made its way to your side! More than that, a miraculous closing of that man’s vision that forced him to grope around trying to find someone to lead him. The spiritual advisor is now spiritually advised.
What’s going through your mind now?
A sudden realization that it isn’t about getting a message about God but instead getting a message from Him.
12 Then, on seeing what had happened, the governor trusted, astounded by the teaching about the Lord.
Abraham had a name change. Sarah, too. Jacob, Joshua, and even Peter. All of them changed in some sort of divine context.
But Paul? Where did that come from? It’s right here in the 13th chapter of Acts that Saul pivots permanently to Paul.
Specifically,
G4569 Σαῦλος Saulos (sau`-los)
to
G3972 Παῦλος Paulos (pau`-los).
The one exception is when the following name is used:
G4549 Σαούλ Saoul (sah-oul')
As in, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” This is used on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) then again when Paul is recounting the experience in Acts 22 and 26 (and a few other times in the context of “Brother Saul”).
It has been argued that “Paul” is the Roman version of the Hebrew name “Saul” (see: Names for John to see this in action), as well as, an argument stating he had two distinct names, one Roman and one Hebrew. Ok, maybe.
But whatever the reason, it is important to know that it wasn’t Abba that changed his name -- it was Luke. The question is, why does Luke shift gears after this interaction with a Roman governor?
It almost seems as though this interaction with Sergius Paulus was a pivot point in Paul’s mission.
Acts 13:1 In the Antioch congregation were prophets and teachers — Bar-Nabba, Shim‘on (known as “the Black”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Menachem (who had been brought up with Herod the governor) and Sha’ul. 2 One time when they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Ruach HaKodesh said to them, “Set aside for me Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 After fasting and praying, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Paul and Barnabas were set aside for work to which Abba has called them. Whether Paul had two names and decided to use his Roman passport, or whether he adopted the name Paulus from Serius Paulus (again, a Roman name), Luke is drawing our attention to a difference in who Paul was called to reach.
So this wasn’t really a spiritual change in Saul, but perhaps a tactical move by Paul. Saul would be a foreigner among the Romans, whereas Paul would be their countryman.
Speaking of a spiritual change…
It seems everyone in a position of prominence loves having a spiritual guide. Bringing along someone that could perhaps tilt the variables in your favor gives you a marked advantage over your peers (or opponents). Even if it’s all a crock, entertaining the possibility at least covers all of your bases. So there is “wisdom” in having that person with a direct connection to God (or the gods) sitting by your side.
Enter the false prophet, Bar-Yeshua. The Son of Yeshua (?). I’m hoping this was his given name and not a self-assigned stage name. Either way, the marketing had to be rock-solid to get alongside a regional leader. How did he get there?
It’s all in a name. Yeshua had made splashes throughout all the Land and there was no doubt His fame was wide-spread. So you had this miracle-worker that was incredibly well-known and now a man appears with the name “Son of Yeshua” -- performing sorcery. Deception at its best.
Think about it this way: Assume Taylor Swift had a daughter, Bat-Taylor Swift. Knowing the reputation of the mother as a popular and talented singer, what do you assume about her daughter? Right or wrong, we tend to lend credit to her daughter as a potential talent, as well. Now, if there was any evidence whatsoever that the daughter had talent, she would be sought after as the “next Taylor Swift”.
While this analogy is full of holes, I think we can at least see how an intelligent Roman governor could be duped by a Jewish mystic that whispered the mysterious ways of God in the ears of this prominent leader. But they weren't Abba’s ways at all. They were the ways of Satan:
Acts 13:9 Then Sha’ul, also known as Paul, filled with the Ruach HaKodesh, stared straight at him and said, 10 “You son of Satan, full of fraud and evil! You enemy of everything good! Won’t you ever stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”
Abba’s Spirit obviously knew what was happening and used Paul to deliver a very direct and clear message:
The Way of YHVH is straight and the way of satan (lowercase on purpose) is crooked. Where Abba restores and makes new, the Adversary destroys and makes waste.
Jezebel followed the same approach as Bar-Yeshua -- moving close to someone in great power and using spirituality to control/influence the ways of the king. Of course, none of us would identify with Jezebel (or Bat Yeshua, for that matter) but it may be a good exercise to test yourself to guarantee it. A simple way to do that would be to examine your behaviors around people of varying influence.
Imagine yourself at dinner with the CEO of a major international corporation. How would you feel? What kind of things would you say? How attentive would you be to the stories they tell? What lies would you tell to gain their favor?
Now imagine the server at that same dinner.