Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, April 26, 2026
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: The main characters of this story were the ones who were exploited for God’s gain.
The story begins with Paul and Silas doing what they do, proclaiming the good news and doing God’s work. But on this day they run into a young slave girl gifted with the spirit of divination. She proclaims the truth about Paul and Silas “These men are slaves of the Most High God,” but she annoys them so they cast out her divining spirit. When she has been relieved of her gift, her owners are furious because her gift had been lucrative for them. Rarely have I heard preachers notice that what Paul and Silas did to the young woman was quite invasive and unwelcome. Nowhere did it state that the spirit of divination was evil, simply that it was annoying. But this spirit was what made the girl special; it’s what afforded her owners and her the opportunity to make a living. She didn’t ask for it to be removed, and indeed once removed, she would be useless to her owners. I wonder what kind of life she led after having been violated in such an aggressive way?
It is this young woman that is a pivot point of the story. Because of their action, Paul and Silas are imprisoned, and it is here the story continues. God sends an earthquake to shake the jail open and in the morning the jailer nearly ends his own life because he fears the consequence of letting the prisoners escape. In a twist, the prisoners had not escaped, but instead used the event to evangelize and convert the jailer to their company. Indeed, it would be useful to have a man in such a position of influence and his family on their side. The poor man really has little autonomy in the story. Ultimately, it comes down to believing in the God of the men who stayed or taking his own life.
As a woman who has sometimes relied upon gifts of the spirit that have intimidated and frightened men in power, this story hits hard. Paul and Silas use the entire scene to their advantage, unashamedly at the expense of the livelihood of the young girl. While we as preachers spend a lot of time and energy interpreting the Bible as an example of how to live, there are many stories like these in which the “heroes” succeeded at the expense of the marginalized (often women). This is hard to preach, but it’s likely that your preaching this week will be richer now that you can see the story through the lens of the marginalized who were exploited for God’s gain.
