Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.

This week's question:

When Jesus talked to the multitudes and His disciples, He told them, "The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments." (Matthew 23:2-5), as He warned them about the hypocrisy of scribes and Pharisees who have become the "blind guides" (verses 16 & 24) and again of being "blind men " (verses 17 & 19) "You blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (verse 24), and who are like "whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." (verse 27). Jesus had earlier told His disciples concerning the Pharisees who were offended at some of the things, He said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are the blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Matthew 15:13-14).

And after Jesus healed the man who was blind from birth, "'For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.' Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, 'We are not blind too, are we? Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have not sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains." (John 9:1 & 39-41). So although Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Christ by healing the lame and the blind and the sick (Matthew 11:1-6), the miracles could also be used in the opposite manner to confirm the word.

That brings us to our question, "Who did Paul strike blind?". When Paul traveled to teach of the Christ, he often went into the synagogues as he did so as on the island of Cyprus and the cities of Salamis and Paphos (Acts 13:5-6), where a certain magician practiced his wares. Sergius Paulus, the proconsul and an intelligent man, summoned Barnabus and Saul to hear the word of God taught. But the magician was also there and opposed them and tried to turn them from the faith (Acts 13:4-8).

Saul, full of the Holy Spirit, then fixed his gaze upon the magician and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will not be able to see the sun for a time." And immediately a mist and darkness fell upon Him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord." (Acts 13:9-12).

Saul, who was also known as Paul, struck the magician blind for a time, the magician who was called "Bar-Jesus" (Acts 13:6), who was also know as "Elymas the magician" (Acts 13:8), which is the answer to our question. The striking of the magician blind helped the proconsul believe along with the teaching of Lord by Paul (Acts 13:12).

Although we live by faith today, which is the "assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1), our belief can be no less than those who observed the miracles of that time by our conviction of Jesus as the Son of God who gives us that hope for life eternal by the words He spoke. Let us hold them fast to the end for life.