John Calvin Commentary Acts 13:11

"And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand." — Acts 13:11 (ASV)

Behold the hand. The hand is used here to punish, by which he signifies that God is the author of this punishment, and that he is only the minister. Furthermore, I think that this ability is what Paul calls δυναμις, or power (1 Corinthians 12:28). For as they excelled in the power of the Spirit to help the faithful with miracles, so they also had the whip in their hand to tame the rebellious and obstinate.

Peter showed such vengeance of God upon Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:5). But because miracles ought, for the most part, to resemble the nature of Christ, who is entirely gentle, sweet, bountiful, and merciful, therefore He would seldom have the apostles show examples of the contrary power. Nor should we think that they were endowed with this power to punish anyone whenever it seemed good in their own eyes; rather, the same Spirit of God, who thus armed them, directed them to its lawful and right use.

Therefore, we must remember what we noted before: that Paul spoke by inspiration of the Spirit. Furthermore, it was a very fitting kind of punishment. For since the sorcerer attempted to darken the sun and to take from others the benefit of the light, he was rightfully cast into horrible darkness.

But now, since many of the Papists today far exceed this sorcerer in ungodliness, it is a wonder why they are allowed to be so bold without being punished. Is the hand of God weakened? Is He less careful for His glory? Does He not care to avenge the gospel?

I answer that this visible punishment, which was once inflicted upon the sorcerer, and others like it, are perpetual examples of God’s wrath against all those who are not afraid either to corrupt and deprave, or openly with slanders to resist the pure doctrine of the gospel. For we know that miracles were performed for a time for this purpose: that they might continually remain in effect and be fresh before our eyes, and that they might give us light to perceive the judgments of God, which we cannot otherwise see so plainly. However, it is not for us to prescribe to God how He should punish His enemies.

Sergius Paulus—who, before he reached adulthood, had no real experience with true religion; who, from his childhood, was infected with various superstitions and faced great hindrances that kept him from embracing the faith; and who, finally, was so captivated by the delusions of the sorcerer that he could scarcely come to the faith—needed significant help.

Thus it came about that God, as it were, manifestly reached His hand out from heaven; and in helping this one person, He was helping us all.

For the same gospel, the authority of which was then established, is preached to us today. And yet, God is not so slow to act that He fails to show His awesome power in various ways against the enemies of the gospel, unless, when He reveals His judgments, our eyes are so dull that we cannot see them.