Jannes and Jambres

Mock on, Mock on Voltaire, Rousseau: [1]
Mock on, Mock on; ’tis all in vain!
You throw the sand against the wind,
And the wind blows it back again.
~William Blake

Scripture: Exodus 7:11, 12, 22

Jannes and Jambres were the two court magicians that opposed Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh. They’re unnamed in the Old Testament, but Paul uses the names tradition has assigned them (2 Timothy 3:8).

The two men appear frequently in extra-biblical sources as dark wizards. According to Jewish tradition, it was they who led Egypt’s pharaoh astray until the king and his army met their death in the sea, where the two magicians perished as well. One ancient traveler, Macarius of Alexandria, claims he visited their garden tomb in Upper Egypt, an immense monument dedicated to the memory of their immense power and influence.

The essence of all the traditions is the magicians’ deliberate and determined opposition to God, driven by the forces of evil. One of the Dead Sea Scrolls relates how “Moses and Aaron arose with the help of the Prince of Lights, while Belial [Satan] raised up Yohanah [Jannes] and his brother.”

For this reason many believe that Jannes and Jambres are the source of the German legend of Johann Faust, the magician and alchemist who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for power and knowledge.

The biblical record is sparse. It simply reports that Jannes and Jambres were Pharoah’s magicians and that they were able to duplicate the plague on the Nile through their magic.

They were also able to counterfeit the plague of frogs. They were unable to remove it, however, which suggests that the devil and his minions have no ability to alleviate human suffering. It is the God of mercy alone who brings eternal consolation.

The magicians were frustrated at last by the plague of lice and confessed that their powers were limited. “This is the finger of God,” they said, in that this stroke could not be explained by natural causes. In the end, they were overwhelmed by the plague of boils and driven from Pharaoh’s court in disgrace ( Exodus 9:11).

In speaking of the opponents of the gospel in his day, Paul says, “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone” (2 Timothy 3:3–9)—everyone, that is, who wants to know the truth. The only people who are permanently deceived by folly are those that want to be. [2]

Interesting word, folly. Paul’s term means “to lack understanding.” Those who do not love God may have knowledge, but they have no wisdom, no answers for the deep distress of human existence, no counsel for the issues that break our hearts. That’s why true men and women know in the end that the wisdom of this world is pure folly.

But apostates are more than foolish; they are “depraved,” to use Paul’s precise word. Under the surface lies darkness and deep moral corruption. Though suave on the surface, they are rotten to the core.

So, I would make a point or two.

(1) We need not fear evil men and women, even when they increase in size, number, strength, and intensity; God will deal with them in due time. Jesus assures us: “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them [alone]” (Matthew 15:13–14). Stand back, as therapists say, and wait for the “extinction burst.”

(2) We need not fret unduly over friends that fall into error. If they are true, they’ll not be deceived forever. “If anyone chooses to do God’s will,” Jesus said, “he will find out . . .” (John 7:17).

Forget the forces that inveigh against the gospel and focus instead on growing God’s children His way. Invest in them with prayer, love, great patience, and gentle instruction. That’s the best you can do for your brother.

[1] Voltaire and Rousseau were French philosophers who were staunch opponents of Christianity.

[2] The corollary of which is that the only men and women who are seduced into cults and permanently ensconced in them are those that want to be. No one who sincerely seeks the truth can long endure heresy (see 2 Timothy 2:17–19).