Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 19:12

"insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the evil spirits went out." — Acts 19:12 (ASV)

From his Corinthian correspondence we learn that Paul, while at Ephesus, had his difficulties, which arose chiefly from conditions at Corinth. But Luke does not mention them or refer to any further difficulties at Ephesus beyond his general reference to Jewish opposition (v.9) and the Demetrius incident (vv.23– 41). Instead, he rounds off his summary of Paul’s Ephesian ministry by speaking of “extraordinary miracles” taking place directly through Paul and through such personal garments as Paul’s sweat-cloths and work-aprons being taken to the sick and demon possessed. Luke seems to have had in mind two types of “extraordinary miracles”: (1) direct healings through the laying on of Paul’s hands, and (2) indirect healings through the application of Paul’s clothing. It is certainly strange to read of healings occurring through sweat-cloths and workaprons. But Ephesus was the home of all sorts of magic and superstition, and the phrase “Ephesian writings” was common in antiquity for documents containing spells and magical formulae. So Paul was likely just meeting his audiences at a point of common ground in order to impress them and lead them on to the Good News of salvation in Christ. The virtue, of course, lay not in the materials themselves but in the power of God and the faith of the recipients.

Luke’s interest throughout this chapter is in emphasizing the supernatural power of the Gospel. Therefore he has highlighted these “extraordinary miracles.” Also, he doubtless included reference to miracles done through Paul’s clothing in order to set up a further parallel with the ministries of Jesus and Peter, where healings took place by touching Jesus’ cloak and through Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15).