Acts 13:6-12 6When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8But Elymas the magician, for that is the interpretation of his name, opposed them, seeking to mislead the proconsul away from the faith.
The mission on Cyprus was a great success as the team traveled around the whole island, at least to the various villages and towns during their traverse. Paphos is on the other side of the island from Salamis, about a ninety-mile trip. Once Barnabas and Saul got to Paphos, they experienced both a victory and a problem. A second magician (see the story of Simon in chapter 8) caused problems for the witnesses of the gospel. Ancient magicians claimed authority and gained influence through trickery. Luke describes the magician named Bar-Jesus, “son of Joshua,” as a false prophet. False prophets were a problem in ancient Israel, especially for the prophet Jeremiah. They claim to have a word from God but often interpret their world through selfishness to gain power and control over people. Bar-Jesus had some of those qualities in this story.
The other character was Sergius Paulus. As proconsul, Sergius had significant influence and responsibility on Cyprus. A proconsul was the equivalent to a governor of a province in the Roman system. Such a person was appointed by the Roman senate to serve at least one year. Somehow, Barnabas and Saul had reached the highest rank of Cyprian society and had an audience with Sergius. Luke does not describe how this happened, but it took the grace of God, an open door, and courageous faith. Verse 7 hints that Sergius had heard about Barnabas and Saul and so summoned them to get more information. He is described as intelligent (synetō), implying that he was aware of what was happening in his city and under his responsibility and wanted more information. He made wise and careful decisions based on his observations. What especially appealed to him was to hear the word of God. God had already prepared the soil of Sergius’ heart to hear the gospel.
Bar-Jesus had another name, perhaps his nickname, Elymos, which was connected to the word “magician.” This man had wormed his way into the knowledge and presence of the proconsul. He had become a type of court advisor in that he had influence over the proconsul, possibly because of his impressive magic tricks. Hucksters like this exist in all governments, though more sophisticated in modern times. In modern times, we might call this type of person a lobbyist. Elymos did not want Sergius to believe in the message the team preached and tried to persuade him the other way. Sergius had not yet come to faith but seemed to be intrigued and interested in what Barnabas and Saul had to say. As often happens, when the truth of the gospel is proclaimed, Satan and those like him try to stop the message and deceive people away from the truth.
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