It would seem, while the Twelve had been sent out by Jesus to preach the Gospel and cast out demons (Mark 6:7), they met with a man who was doing the same in Jesus’ name, but he wasn’t a disciple, for John told Jesus that they forbade him to continue doing those things in Jesus’ name (Mark 9:38). Nevertheless, Jesus corrected the Twelve, saying such things shouldn’t be forbidden, because no one could do a miracle in Jesus’ name, and then turn to the people and easily speak evil of him. Rather, the opposite would be true. In that, if the name of Jesus was great enough to overcome evil, no one could logically or easily speak evil of Jesus’ name. Such a thing, simply, wouldn’t make sense to the listener or the preacher (cp. 1Corinthians 14:33).
A similar thing occurred under Moses, when it was reported that two men prophesied in the camp (Numbers 11:26), while the seventy prophesied outside the camp before the Tabernacle (Numbers 11:24-25). When Joshua asked Moses to forbid the two within the camp, because he was jealous for the sake of Moses’ name (Numbers 11:28-29), Moses declared that he would be happy, if the Lord’s spirit rested upon all the people, and everyone prophesied together (Numbers 11:29). In other words, no one could truly prophesy, if the Lord’s Spirit didn’t rest upon him. Therefore, if the Lord’s Spirit rested on a man, it was the Lord’s will that the man should prophesy. The same would be true, during the ministry of Jesus. If a man, who wasn’t a disciple of Jesus, worked a miracle in Jesus’ name, how could the miracle be done, if it wasn’t the will of God? Therefore, anyone who does a good work in Jesus’ name, couldn’t be against Jesus, and that man would be rewarded in the same manner as any disciple who was a known follower of the Lord (cp. Mark 9: 40-41).
Nevertheless, there is a difference in this kind of ministry, and that is recorded in Acts 19:13-16. There, Luke tells us that certain vagabond (G4022) Jews tried to do a miracle in Jesus’ name. That is, they were wandering Jews or Jews making a circuit, probably Jewish missionaries (cp. Matthew 23:15). They were men working against the Gospel (cp. Acts 15:24-29), because although they may have gone out in the name of Jesus (Acts 15:24), they were not **of** the disciples of Jesus, meaning of the same Spirit (cp. 1John 2:19). These men were Jewish exorcists who used the name of Jesus (i.e., whom Paul preached; Acts 19:13), as though his name were an evil authority (cp. Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22). They thought to do in Ephesus what they accused Jesus of doing in Galilee and Judea from the beginning, namely, using what they assumed was a high evil authority to cast out an evil spirit that was of lesser rank (Matthew 12:27).[1]
Josephus tells a story that Solomon was supposed to have been endowed with the wisdom of exorcising demons, which the Jews practiced even during the then modern days of the first century AD. Josephus told of a certain exorcism done in the presence of Vespasian (Caesar) and his sons, whereby the demon was expelled by the Jewish exorcist, who commanded the demon to demonstrate his exorcism by overturning a basin of water a short distance from the demoniac. The thing was done, and this was considered proof of a successful exorcism.[2] In another place Josephus tells of a magical root that would certainly kill any man who touched it, unless it were gotten by certain means. Once safely obtained, however, it would drive away the demons that were sure to kill certain sick folk.[3]
Such things, of course, were nothing more than practicing the magical arts, as they were done by pagans, but in these instances were adopted by Jews who came out of the Babylonian captivity and passed dark secrets along to the following generation, who in turn continued in their steps.
The point is, all deeds done in Jesus’ name are neither all good, nor are they all done by good people. Certainly, all good deeds done in Jesus’ name are done by good folk, seeking to exercise righteousness. Nevertheless, there are evil men and women, who go about using the name of Jesus to work evil. Just as the good will receive their just reward, so will the evil folk, who do wicked things, using the name of Jesus in order to appear to have some legitimacy in the Christian faith (cp. Matthew 7:21-23).
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[1] See my earlier studies: The Beelzebub Controversy and The Strong Man’s House.
[2] Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews 8.2.5 [45-49]
[3] Josephus; Wars 7.6.3 [180-185]
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