Acts 13:9-12 9But Saul, who was also Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looking intently at him, 10said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” And immediately, mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people who could lead him by the hand. 12Then, when he saw what had happened, the proconsul believed, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
Three significant insights come in this passage, each associated with one of the people mentioned. First is the person of Saul. For the first time in Acts, he is called Paul, the name by which he called himself in all his letters. The shift in reference does not necessarily mean that Saul changed his name. He could have had both names, one his Jewish name and the other his Roman name. Or, Paul could have been his cognomen (the third name). The timing of this shift in Acts is noteworthy since the team was speaking to a proconsul with the name “Paul.” Saul could have deliberately changed his name or chosen to go by Paul because of the memorable experience in Paphos and in honor of the proconsul who became a believer.
Paul was not afraid to confront Elymas and stare right at him. He did not back down when faced with evil and deceit but spoke the truth. Significant in this confrontation was that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He did not act out of his own power, strength, frustration, or understanding but as led by God. When confronting evil and deceit, we also need to be guided by the Holy Spirit and not speak out of passion, revenge, or honor.
Second, the deceit and evil motives of Elymas were revealed. Paul used a play-on-words with Eylmos’ name of Bar-Jesus, which literally means “son of the savior.” He was anything but this. Moreover, Paul saw right through him and called him “son of the devil,” because he was deceiving people just like Satan. Elymas claimed to be a prophet but was an enemy of righteousness. He had no authenticity about him but evil intent and deceit. He was purposefully deceitful to gain power and recognition. He was doing the opposite of John the Baptist, who made straight paths for the Lord. Elymas was an obstacle to the truth work of the Lord, and Paul saw right through him. Paul’s words in verse 11 were a powerful condemnation. Something like that should only be done when led by the Holy Spirit. Like Jeremiah, Paul could pass judgment on Elymos because Paul spoke the truth and was a true prophet (verse 1). The immediate result of judgment is surprising but also a sobering wake-up call to the seriousness of what Elymas was doing. Paul could only say this because of the Spirit’s leading. The darkness and blindness that fell upon Elymas were proof of what Paul said. Elymas may have fooled the proconsul but could not fool God and God’s spokesman, Paul.
Third, as a result of the power of God that was obviously with Paul, Sergius, the proconsul, came to believe in what Paul and Barnabas proclaimed. The negative miracle that happened to Elymas confirmed the spoken word. The way Luke states the last phrase makes it appear that part of the teaching of the Lord included the blindness of Elymos. The story ends with the assumption that Sergius Paulus became a believer, which would have been a significant boost because of his high position as a Roman official over the whole island. This first mission to Gentile territory was a great success. Saul, the Jewish Christian who was effective among his own people, went by Paul, the effective missionary to the Gentiles. The key point in Acts is emphasized again: this team was filled with the Holy Spirit and obedient to the Spirit’s leading in all they did.
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