Bible Word of the Day
Bar-Jesus (Elymas-Bar-Jesus Sorcerer)
Meaning
Bar-Jesus was a sorcerer or magician encountered by the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts chapter thirteen. Paul and Barnabas encountered him in Paphos, which is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus. Bar-Jesus through magic had tricked his way into being an adviser to the Proconsul or local Governor. He used his abilities as a sorcerer to make the people afraid of him in order to gain himself a position of power and authority.
The book of Acts 13:6-8 tells us, “Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.” When Bar-Jesus tried to interfere with the spread of the Gospel, Paul rebuked him and God punished Bar-Jesus for his wickedness.
Acts goes on to tell us what happened with Bar-Jesus, “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at Bar-Jesus and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”
As a result of this incident Bar-Jesus lost his position and the Proconsul Sergius Paulus believed on the Lord Jesus for salvation. Some scholars think Elymas-Bar-Jesus named himself after Elam and Jesus and that he had taken the name of Elam, who was the eldest son of Shem who was the son of Noah. Elam the son of Shem was considered an archetypal magician. In addition, scholars think the reason for the Bar-Jesus in his name was because he was trying to associate himself with Jesus and the miracles Jesus performed. If this is the case this would make Bar-Jesus a type of anti-Christ or someone pretending to have the power and authority of Jesus when in fact he was influenced by Satan trying to deceive others.
“Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? ‘And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” (Book of Acts 13:6-12)