Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
In our study of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus here in Acts 19, we have seen some amazing things. Through Paul people are being delivered from sickness and disease, from the demonic forces that were holding sway over their lives, and were even burning all their magic paraphernalia that they had up until this time devoted themselves to. They are also turning from worship of their various false gods (gods made with hands, which of course are not really gods at all) and are instead turning to the Living God and are finding redemption in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. And so Paul is bringing them out of what destroys into what will bring life to them.
Dangerous Things— I’ll never forget when my son William was young and we were in this teeny tiny house during the first couple years of my pastoral ministry. Somehow we had failed to clean off the kitchen counter and he (who had just then barely learned to walk) had gone into the kitchen by himself. And when we came in, he started walking towards us brandishing two steak knives, one in each hand. And you can imagine the fear that suddenly leapt into our hearts. It was kind of like one of those moments were you don’t know exactly what to do. But we slowly and carefully walked towards him and took those steak knives out of his hands. Now that wasn’t because we were mean or obsessed with being “the adults; the rule makers” but because we wanted to remove from him those objects of destruction that could harm or even end his very life.
Paul’s Open Correction— Well the same is true here. Paul is doing what he can to open peoples eyes to the understanding that what they are playing around with in regards to their idols is destructive to their lives. And so, with love and respect (and that is always key), he is speaking against idolatry. And Demetrius (a silversmith who was making idols of the goddess Artemis/Diana) doesn’t take issue with Paul’s teaching except at the point at which it might affect his and the other craftsmen’s money belts. And so the issue is not a doctrinal one. There were plenty of Jews in Ephesus who would have rejected belief in Artemis/Diana. That was nothing new. The center of Demetrius’ concern was how that doctrine might affect their business.
Selling Salvation— It’s interesting how false religions always want you to "buy into" them. Catholics at one time sold indulgences; actual physical payment for sins. There was even a time when you could pre-pay for the sins you were intending to commit. All of that is false and antithetical to the message of the Gospel, which is why anywhere that the true Gospel is preached, there will always be opposition from those who are preying upon the fears of people; who have turned religion into an industry. The message of salvation by grace through faith alone is a dangerous doctrine for those who seek to sell people salvation. And we see in our passage today a very negative reaction from Demetrius and the craftsmen he began talking to, as it says in…
Acts 19:28 (LSB)— 28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Selfish Motives Masked— Now Demetrius had a brilliant strategy for stirring up this riot. Because while he pointed out the financial loss they would incur, he gets them to mask their greed behind the false front of patriotism and religious loyalty. They had selfish motives, but the way he argued helped them cleverly conceal them (even from themselves), as they no doubt come to see themselves as heroes who are protecting their city and their beliefs. And so they stir up this riot, and it says in…
Acts 19:29 (LSB)— 29 And the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
Aristarchus & Gaius— Paul seemed to always have traveling companions with him who her ministering to him and to whom he was himself discipling. In this case, we find these two traveling companions to be Aristarchus (who would accompany Paul on other journeys, which we see in 20:3-4 and 27:1-2) and Gaius (who is probably not the same Gaius mentioned in Romans 16:23 or 1 Corinthians 1:14). This is likely another Gaius. But both of them are seized. And when Paul hears of this, he wants to rush to their aid. It says in…
Acts 19:30 (LSB)— 30 And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him.
Safety & Wisdom— And this was both because they feared for his safety, but also because they thought Paul's presence there might exacerbate the situation and make the riot even worse, as he was at the very center of this conflict. But it wasn’t just the Christians who were telling him not to go in. It says in…
Acts 19:31 (LSB)— 31 Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater.
Asiarchs— And these Asiarchs were actually government officials. It was their responsibility to maintain religious and political order in the region. And interestingly, we see here that they had become friends of Paul, showing that the effectiveness of his ministry had reached every level of society, from the poor to the rich. Christianity was crossing all the social barriers of the day, which gave Paul some friends in high places. Now the mob grew so quickly and emotions were so heated that chaos was ensuing. It says in…
Acts 19:32-33 (LSB)— 32 So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the meeting was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. 33 And some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly.
Alexander— Now we don't know who this Alexander was. There was a [false teacher later active at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:20)] named Alexander. There was also another Alexander [who opposed Paul at Rome (2 Tim. 4:14)]. This was probably not either of those. Alexander was a very common name during that time. This particular Alexander could have been either a Christian Jew or perhaps a spokesman for the Jewish community of Ephesus. But whether he was a Christian, a Jew, of a Christian Jew, [the motive for putting him forward was the same—to disassociate themselves from the Christians and avoid a massacre of the Jews.] And so he prepares to make a defense (either of Christianity or the Jews). But all of this backfires when the crowd recognizes that he is a Jew, which shows that this [mob had become anti-Jewish as well as anti-Christian.] It says…
Acts 19:34 (LSB)— 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single cry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The Intervention— Can you imagine?! FOR TWO HOURS!!! I mean this is a war-cry. And this goes on until finally the city clerk intervenes. Now in modern terms, the city clerk was the Mayor of Ephesus. It was his responsibility (just like any local city leader) to simply maintain peace and order. But keep in mind that it is the Roman empire that was in ultimate control of Ephesus. And Rome was absolutely devastating in its punishment of any kind of riotous outbreak. And this official knows that if he cannot quickly quell this riot, he could very well be removed from office and the entire town placed under martial law, which would result in the loss of many of their civic freedoms. So he is trying his best to quickly re-establish order. It says in…
Acts 19:35-41 (LSB)— 35 Now after calming the crowd, the city clerk *said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? {[This probably refers to a meteorite, since meteorites were incorporated with the worship of Diana.]} 36 “So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37 “For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 “So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. 39 “But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful meeting. 40 “For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no cause for which we can give as an account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 After saying this he dismissed the meeting.
Follow The Rule of Law— Now thankfully this city clerk had a head on his shoulders. He also seems to have a had a deep respect for the rule of law. He doesn't give in to the crowd and have Paul punished. In fact, he recognizes that it is not his responsibility at all (nor the crowd’s) to resolve this issue. It is the job of the courts. And so he openly blames the crowd for not following the proper judicial procedure, saying that they should have gone to the courts and proconsuls. This would help to ensure that justice was done and that they would avoid incurring the wrath of Rome. And so he dismisses them. Riot quelled.
A Sign to Move On— Now although the riot was over, Paul apparently took this as a sign that it was time for him to move on from Ephesus. However, it was encouraging to see that the law did still provide some protection for Christians [as they challenged the worship of the goddess Artemis in the most idolatrous region in Asia.]
Faithful To Challenge— Now there is so much that we can glean from this passage; because you and I also live in a day and age where people are in bondage to false beliefs; especially here in the Seattle area, where there are so many different religions. When my family first moved here, we were amazed just how many palm-readers and psychics there are in the area; businesses built to prey upon people’s hopes and fears. And if we are to truly be the Church, we need to connect people with the truth of the Gospel; share the Word with them (even those parts that might offend them) so that the Holy Spirit can convict them and (hopefully) bring them into a knowledge of the truth. But that begins with us being faithful; faithful to lovingly challenge them. Now we might face rejection or persecution for that. But on the other side of that God will (as He always does) bring about fruit. So let’s commit to be God’s voice in the lives of people. Amen.
More Episodes
Get this podcast on your
phone, FREE
