Acts 13:4-12 | Head-to-HeadSample

Head-to-Head with the Powers of Darkness

Paul and Barnabas land at Salamis, and from there travel through the whole island of Cyprus until they come to the other end at Paphos. Here they meet a Jewish sorcerer who was an attendant of a Roman governor, named Sergius Paulus. What we find is that while this Roman proconsul is interested in Jesus, this Jewish sorcerer is trying to stop it. He opposes Paul and Barnabas and tries to sabotage Sergius Paulus from coming into the kingdom of God.

The gospel of Jesus is coming head-to-head with the powers of darkness.

Let’s unpack.

From our perspective, it seems as though the world is a place with a free exchange of ideas where free people freely choose from a panoply of equally helpful belief systems. The Bible has a more sinister view. It pictures a world enslaved by dark powers—think Satan and the power of Sin—which seek to blind, delude, and enslave people to their own inevitable destruction. Sadly, many people become puppets of these dark powers, some without even realizing it. In our age of scientific skepticism, it might be tempting to dismiss this kind of idea. But the Bible takes a more sinister view. There are other powers at work in this world.

That’s what we see here in Acts. This false prophet, ironically named Bar-Jesus (which means “son of Jesus”), is actively seeking to keep a Roman ruler from coming to faith. Like Wormtongue with King Theoden in The Lord of the Rings, we see someone animated by the powers of darkness trying to subtly undermine and deceive someone from being saved. Because head-to-head, the kingdom of darkness doesn’t stand a chance against King Jesus, and the kingdom of darkness always wants to keep people enslaved.

King Jesus will have none of it. Animated by his power, Paul comes head-to-head with Bar-Jesus and says, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun” (Acts 13:10-11). And the good news is that King Jesus is stronger. In a head-to-head showdown, the power of Jesus can always win.

Paul will write, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12:18), but not at the expense of the gospel. Not at the expense of someone being left enslaved to the dark powers. In times like this, things come head-to-head. Because God is not content that any should be lost.