Acts 16:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.

NIV: She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

NASB: Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!' And it came out at that very moment.

CSB: She did this for many days. Paul was greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out right away.

NLT: This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And instantly it left her.

KJV: And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

NKJV: And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.

When Jesus was teaching in a synagogue early in His ministry, a demon that had possessed a man cried out, "I know who you are—the Holy One of God." Jesus' first command was, "Be silent" (Mark 1:21–25). When Jesus was teaching and healing by the Sea of Galilee, demons would declare, "You are the Son of God." Jesus "strictly ordered them not to make him known" (Mark 3:11–12). This was His standard way of dealing with demons: "he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him" (Mark 1:34). There is a noticeable exception in the situation with the men at the tombs in the Gadarenes who were possessed by Legion (Matthew 8:28–34). In that case, Jesus spoke with Legion, negotiating a transfer to a herd of pigs (Mark 5:1–13). The difference seems to be that in the Gadarenes, only the disciples witnessed the interaction.

Here, Luke tells the story of a girl possessed by a fortune-telling demon. The spirit has been harassing him, Paul, Silas, and Timothy every day as they walk to the riverside outside Philippi to pray. Through the girl, the demon has announced the men serve God and proclaim how to be saved (Acts 16:16–17). It's not clear why Paul waited to deal with the situation until now. It may be that Jesus silenced the demons only because He didn't want the people to know yet that He was the Son of God. Explaining Jesus' identity is Paul's entire mission. It may be that Paul anticipates freeing the girl will cause problems with the men who own her—which it does (Acts 16:19).

Finally, Paul expels the demon. The girl is freed but no longer able to tell fortunes. This does not please her owners who made quite a bit of money by taking advantage of her condition. They drag Paul and Silas before the town leaders and charge them with teaching about foreign gods (Acts 16:20–21). Although the Roman Empire is open to all sorts of religion, any "gods" must be officially approved by the government. Philippi is a Roman outpost, so the law is enforced more strongly. Although Judaism is a recognized religion, worship of Jesus Christ is rapidly distinguishing itself. Especially problematic for Romans, Christians elevate another man above the deified emperor.

The law is so important to Romans that the people and magistrates beat and jail Paul and Silas. The next morning, the magistrates learn that Paul and Silas are not unsophisticated yokels: they are Roman citizens. It is as great a crime to disrespect Roman citizens as it is Roman gods. When the magistrates learn of their error, they officially apologize and meekly request the two move on (Acts 16:35–40).

Acts 16 follows Paul and Silas as they take the letter of Acts 15 into modern-day Asia Minor and Macedonia. They collect Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and baptize her family. After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling girl, city officials illegally beat and imprison Paul and Silas. An earthquake frees them of their chains, but they stay and bring the jailer and his family to Christ. The next morning, Paul and Silas refuse to leave quietly, politely insisting that their civil rights have been violated. The officials apologize, and Paul, Silas, and Timothy go to Thessalonica.

Acts 15 ends with Paul and Silas spreading the news that Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. Acts 16 begins with Paul circumcising a Jewish man, Timothy, to prevent difficulties in preaching to older Jews as the boy grows into church leadership. Paul's second missionary trip finds the church growing east, into Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 16:11—18:18). On his way back to Syrian Antioch, Paul will stop by Ephesus and soften the Jews for the extended ministry of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. During his first trip, Paul planted churches and ordained elders; in his second, he commissions more missionaries.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.