13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”
Jealousy is a very powerful emotion. It can drive you to do some pretty dumb things. We have an example here in this text. There were some religious people who saw the power that Paul and the other disciples demonstrated. They thought it was just some magic formula that anyone could use to perform a miracle. Let’s not get too judgmental. Everyday there are advertisements for miracle cures for everything from physical ailments to dirty laundry. There are testimonies of success. Notice there are never any testimonies of failure. From the advertisements you would conclude that this is a sure bet, that there is no way it won’t work for you. And then when you get the product you take the failure personally. You think you did something wrong. Everyone else got this stuff to work, so it must be me. These religious people thought they could just use some secondhand knowledge and make a name for themselves. Well, it didn’t work. That is like a VW dealer talking about how great Jaguars drive while he is trying to sell you a Ford. Jesus whom Paul preaches is a powerful person. Jesus is not some commodity to be peddled like a used car. We can only share what we know. The Gospel is about personally knowing and experiencing Jesus, and the forgiveness and fullness of life that He offers. It is not about some religious system that replaces an old system. Jesus did not bring us a new set of rules to keep in order to earn our way to God. Do you remember right after the election all the trinkets being sold as a way to profit from the election? Everything had a picture on it. Did any of these dealers really know the President? But they were trying to gain financially from his popularity. Jesus won’t allow Himself to be bought and sold.
The Arnold Journey 