“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

What is this about holy handkerchiefs??

It’s no secret how many under the guise of faith have attempted to recreate such miracles, with many falling prey to purported men or women of God who have given the promise of healing or prosperity through provision of things such as handkerchiefs to place faith on, only to end up creating deep hurt and devastation. The verse in question is often used as justification for such ministries. 

It’s common to find, especially in impoverished areas where people may be illiterate, and certainly Biblically illiterate, people so desperate that they are willing to grab onto anything that provides even a glimmer of hope. Even in places where there is some sense of Biblical literacy, such deception can easily creep into believers’ lives that leads to a path of deconstruction. 

So how do we look at such verses to get the understanding that the text needs us to see? For certain, God can heal in any way that He chooses to - but how do we ensure that we are staying true to the Scripture in our evaluation? To begin with, we see that Luke places the credit of healing to God. 

“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,”

Paul does not come out and say that he can heal nor does he offer it as an option to people that are not able to meet with him. God is the ONLY One who is able to heal and that credit is to be given to Him alone. It is He who calls on people to be healed in this manner as was the case with Peter in Acts 5. The apostles, however, are always careful to ensure that everyone saw them as people and not anything special, as is showcased in their reaction to the word being perverted in Acts 14…

“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭14‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

It is imperative that we see that God calls us, to use us as instruments. There should never be a place where the instrument is held in higher esteem than the one who uses it. The point of the miracle is to lead people to a place of accepting the good news and to have an encounter with the true savior Jesus Christ. 

People were the ones doing the carrying away and not the apostle himself. One translation reads that people were carrying their own handkerchiefs and aprons to touch Paul’s skin and bringing them back and thus found healing through an extension of their faith. 

so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”

The point here is to see that this was driven by the receivers of the miracle and not by Paul. We do not see anywhere in scripture where the apostles began to profit off this. It is something that they do not advertise to encourage people to come to especially at the cost of the good news. The scripture does not in any way read as something that God had commanded believers to go and do. Of miracles the Bible says…

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This means that healing and great works comes with belief in Jesus Christ. It is Him who works to do all these miracles, for the glory of His name, not simply belief in miracles. Just like we are called to have faith in Christ and not faith in faith, we must understand why such miraculous wonders took place, and for what end. 

This understanding becomes crucial for us to read and understand in our context today. This allows us to understand the lesson of the text and not easily be led astray. God heals the way in which He chooses to heal, and in most cases, Scriptures of this nature are to show us the extraordinary way in which God demonstrated His power. Today, God still heals and if we yield to Him in truth, He does it His way and in His time.