Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. Acts 13:12
Arguably the greatest sermon ever preached is the one referred to as the Sermon on the Mount, the details of which are recorded in the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of Matthew. In those three chapters, the Lord Jesus unfolds the doctrine of His kingdom to His disciples and to the crowd that gathered around. They eagerly hung on His every word, because what He was teaching was vastly different from what was being taught in their synagogues and at the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, when He had concluded His sermon, we read that the people were astonished at his doctrine (just as we read in our text today) because He taught them as One having authority, and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:28,29). So it is not any wonder that the deputy was more astonished at the doctrine of the Lord than he was at the striking blind of the sorcerer.
When Elymas was struck blind, everyone was surely amazed. And so would Sergius Paulus, who the sorcerer had tried to prevent from hearing the Gospel. But as he listened to the Gospel, the deputy would be even more astonished. He was hearing a message that was far different from anything he had heard before, a message that offered him hope of eternal life, and a purpose higher than that of a senior civil servant in Cyprus. Despite his astonishment, he believed the message. The doctrine of the Lord offers the same astonishment today as the Word of God is preached and expounded.
Like most people of today, Sergius Paulus would have been taught that if he did the best he could, and if he was faithful in his religious duties to his place of worship, he would be rewarded in the afterlife. That is the common doctrine of most religions and so-called Christian denominations today. But now the deputy hears that he requires repentance from sin and faith in Christ in order to be saved. He discovers that One died for his sins on the cross out of love for his soul. That astonishing revelation is wonderful news to seeking souls.
Also astonishing to Sergius Paulus was the reality of living to serve a greater kingdom than the empire of Rome. So too we will find our greatest opportunities and challenges in the service of Christ. As we submit our wills to our Lord and as we allow our lives to be directed by the Holy Spirit, we will discover that the world that used to be so attractive to us is no longer worthwhile pursuing.
Nothing in this world is more astonishing than the message of the Gospel and the reality of a victorious life in Christ. -Jim MacIntosh