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Acts 19:11–12
“God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”
Continuing his account of the two years that Paul spent in Ephesus evangelizing the people and getting the Ephesian church well established, Luke in today’s passage tells us about some of the supernatural phenomena that accompanied the Apostle’s work in that city. We see in Acts 19:11–12 that as Paul was ministering in Ephesus, people were taking the handkerchiefs and aprons that touched his skin and carrying them to the sick, who then recovered from disease and demonic possession. Most likely, the handkerchiefs and aprons were objects used in Paul’s craft of tentmaking to mop up his sweat and perhaps protect his clothing.
As we consider this account, it is important to note that texts such as today’s passage are used by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches to justify their beliefs concerning relics. A relic is purportedly a piece of a holy person’s body, such as a bone, or an object that came into contact with that individual. Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox prescribe and practice the veneration of relics, believing that it honors the saints and that God often works miracles through them. Historically, trading in relics has been a lucrative business. A collection of relics could become a site of pilgrimage, with visiting pilgrims creating an economic boon for the place where the collection sits. This encourages the multiplication of fraudulent relics.
What should we think of relics and the texts such as today’s passage used to justify them? Note first that Luke describes the miracles that God wrought through Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons as “extraordinary” (v. 11). This indicates that the Lord did not intend what happened in Ephesus to be normative for the church. Second, the mere fact that a historical narrative describes certain practices does not mean that we are to follow those practices. There is no directive from the Apostles or the prophets to keep relics, venerate them, or look to them for divine aid. God has put the power of salvation not in the bodily remains or possessions of holy men and women but in the preaching of His Word (1 Cor. 1:18–25). Finally, the Ephesian context must be remembered. Ephesus was rife with superstition and the use of supposedly magical objects to produce signs and wonders. Working extraordinary miracles through Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons, God condescended to people’s expectations, showing that Christ’s power is greater than the power of idols.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The veneration of relics is a mark not of true religion but of superstition. We can be grateful for the saints who came before us, but such gratitude does not require the various practices associated with relics. True Christianity is based on the Word of God and takes all its directives only from the Scriptures.
For further study
- 2 Kings 13:20–21
- Psalm 119:107
- James 1:16–18
- 2 Peter 1:16–21
The bible in a year
- Psalm 119:49–104
- 1 Corinthians 4