Acts 19 contains stories from the life and ministry of Paul meant to dispel the notion that faith in Jesus is just another sort of magic. When the "itinerant Jewish exorcists" see the miracles being done by Paul, they begin to include in their incantations "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." Of course this does no good. The evil spirits are said to respond to them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"
The name of Jesus' isn't some magic potion we can pull out and use as some sort of a wishing wand. The name of Jesus expresses our faith; our confidence and hope in God. It is from that great storehouse of faith, that we see the world being transformed before our eyes.
The writer of Acts seems to know this, even as he struggles with how to express what has happened, in association with Paul and his acts of healing.
Earlier in Acts 19 it is reported that "handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from (Paul's) body to the sick, and diseases left them." Acts 19's condemnation of magic (it goes on to say "those who practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them") would not allow us to think that there was some power transferred from Paul's body onto the pieces of fabric.
The writer of Acts understands this, but he struggles with how to express what has been observed.
God has done and will continue to do marvelous things. It is difficult to understand these, and we can never explain. What we must avoid is the temptation to revert to that which is more to our liking. Rather than depend upon faith, which can sometimes be difficult to understand or practice, we look for a miracle worker whom we can hire like some circus entertainer.
Perhaps this is the measure of which way we are leaning: If the "miracle" serves primarily to strengthen our faith, it is more likely to be from God than if the event serves to call attention to some worker of miraculous deeds. Just because someone speaks the name of Jesus, doesn't mean that person is in line with Jesus.
Each of us must come to some understanding of the role and the meaning of "miracles." Acts 19 is a good place to start our study and reflection. Read these events for yourself and consider your response.
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