Acts 19:11-12 11And it turned out that God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs or work aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their illnesses left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.
Verse 11 gives the summary that guides the rest of the paragraph that ends in verse 20. Paul’s almost three years in Ephesus were good years of fruitful ministry. Ephesus was a city known for its cultic practices. It was the largest and most important city in the Roman province of Asia, which made it also a melting pot for many different religions. It hosted the great temple to Diana. Paul’s visit to the city was around the year 54.
Luke’s account in verse 12 of the tremendous miracles Paul did stands out in Acts and in history as almost beyond imagination as extraordinary, except that with God, nothing is impossible. Paul was operating on the level of Old Testament heroes like Moses and Elijah. He was showing that nothing is impossible with faith, as Jesus stated (Matthew 17:20). Luke was not exaggerating about Paul’s ministry when he wrote Acts. The challenge for interpretation, especially for believers today, is whether this was a unique experience for the situation in Ephesus, since it is the only place in the Bible where even a hanky that touched Paul’s skin somehow became an instrument for healing. Similar stories are about how a woman was healed by touching Jesus’ garment (Mark 5:27-34; 6:56) and people were healed by being in the shadow of Peter (Acts 5:15). The church later developed a similar idea with relic adoration.
Although what Paul did in Ephesus seems so distant from modern life, it illustrates his devotion and faith. No miracle can happen by human effort alone or any tangible artifact or shadow. Faith and God’s grace are always required for miracles. God was doing great things through Paul at that point in history. Paul was in a unique situation, having gone to a massive new city caught up in the daily grind and lost in pagan cultic practices. As the story goes on, it appears that even the Jews were caught in the syncretism of the culture. This type of setting required a strong witness. Paul was an obedient and faithful witness to Jesus, even risking his life to preach the gospel. God can use people like Paul who are sold out and fully committed, though the miracles done by Paul might be unique in history.