Mark 9:38-39

On Jesus’ Side

9:38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” 9:39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to say anything bad about me.

Luke 9:49-50

On the Right Side

9:49 John answered, ¹  “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop ²  him because he is not a disciple ³  along with us.” 9:50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Luke 11:19

11:19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons ⁴  cast them ⁵  out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Acts 19:13-16

19:13 But some itinerant ⁶  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ⁷  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ⁸  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ⁹  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ¹⁰  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ¹¹  19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ¹²  “I know about Jesus ¹³  and I am acquainted with ¹⁴  Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁵  19:16 Then the man who was possessed by ¹⁶  the evil spirit jumped on ¹⁷  them and beat them all into submission. ¹⁸  He prevailed ¹⁹  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded.

[9:49]  ¹ tn Grk “And answering, John said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “John answered.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:49]  ² tc The translation follows the reading that has Luke’s normal imperfect here (ἐκωλύομεν, ekwluomen; found in Ì^75vid א B L Ξ 579 892 1241). Most mss, however, have an aorist (ἐκωλύσαμεν, ekwlusamen; found in A C D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï co), which would be translated “we forbade him.” The imperfect enjoys the best external and internal support.

[9:49]  ³ tn Grk “does not follow with us.” BDAG 36 s.v. ἀκολουθέω 2 indicates that the pronoun σοι (soi, “you”) is to be supplied after the verb in this particular instance; the translation in the text best represents this nuance.

[11:19]  ⁴ sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4; for various views see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1077-78), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.

[11:19]  ⁵ tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[19:13]  ⁶ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ⁷ tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ⁸ tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

[19:13]  ⁹ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[19:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

[19:14]  ¹¹ sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:15]  ¹² tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

[19:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.

[19:15]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπίσταμαι 2 has “know, be acquainted with τινά…τὸν Παῦλον Ac 19:15.” Here the translation “be acquainted with” was used to differentiate from the previous phrase which has γινώσκω (ginwskw).

[19:15]  ¹⁵ sn But who are you? This account shows how the power of Paul was so distinct that parallel claims to access that power were denied. In fact, such manipulation, by those who did not know Jesus, was judged (v. 16). The indirect way in which the exorcists made the appeal shows their distance from Jesus.

[19:16]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

[19:16]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them.” The participle ἐφαλόμενος (efalomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 15.239 has “ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς ‘the man jumped on them’ Ac 19:16.”

[19:16]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and beating them all into submission.” The participle κατακυριεύσας (katakurieusa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. According to W. Foerster, TDNT 3:1098, the word means “the exercise of dominion against someone, i.e., to one’s own advantage.” These exorcists were shown to be powerless in comparison to Jesus who was working through Paul.

[19:16]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”