A Study of Acts: Paul Thinks of Future Travel; Demetrius Accuses the Christians
Acts 19:21-41 - We must preach Christ in a positive way, so that those who turn to Him will naturally turn away from idols.
“Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”
When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 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. And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. 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. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
After quieting the crowd, the town 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? So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly. For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” After saying this he dismissed the assembly.”
Acts 19:21-41 NASB1995
Today’s passage is rather lengthy, but it seemed more logical to include both sections. The first part of the passage (verses 21-22) describe how Paul was “purposing” in the Spirit (his or the Holy Spirit? - it was probably both) about future travels for this missionary journey. He wanted to return to Macedonia and Achaia, then on to Jerusalem, and finally head to Rome. In the long run, Paul intended to go to Spain and it is thought that this happened after the book of Acts. This seems like a roundabout way to go to get to Jerusalem, but there is probably a good reason for the plan, as noted in this commentary by John MacArthur quoted in Precept Austin:
Before describing the chaos of the riot, Luke gives a brief note on Paul's plans. As his three-year ministry in Ephesus drew to a close, the apostle made plans to go to Jerusalem by way of Macedonia and Achaia. His itinerary seems puzzling, since Macedonia and Achaia were in the opposite direction from Jerusalem. Further, he had just ministered in those regions before coming to Ephesus (Acts 18:23). But Paul had a definite plan in mind, one that reveals his deep concern for the unity of the church. Many in the church at Jerusalem were poor and in need of sustained financial assistance. To meet that need, Paul wanted to take to Jerusalem with him a love offering from the largely Gentile churches he had founded. Before returning to Jerusalem, he revisited Macedonia and Achaia to collect that offering (Ro 15:25-27; 1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8-9). By contributing to the financial needs of the Jewish believers at Jerusalem, those Gentiles would emphasize the church's unity (cf. 1 Cor. 12:26), while confirming in a very practical way their love for their Jewish brethren.
Unity in the early church often relied on love offerings or financial support from one congregation to another. Paul wants to give those at the church in Jerusalem (mostly Jewish brethren) gifts from the mostly Gentile congregations. Can you imagine someone today that is a hidebound Lutheran Protestant giving to Catholic charities or an Eastern Orthodox congregation supporting a poor Baptist church? Seems a bit unlikely, doesn’t it? That was one of the reasons we left a congregation recently; they wanted to expand like crazy internationally, including creating new 501.3.C charities, and refused to partner with any established organizations or other church groups that are doing the exact same things they wanted to do. They insisted on being “unique” or the only church involved in these ventures, which is, IMHO, prideful.
Paul elects to stay a bit longer in Ephesus, as he has sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia. So what happened to Silas? Silas is not mentioned again after he arrived in Corinth with Timothy in Acts 18:5. That does not mean that he was not active in the development of the church. Luke tends to mention people once or twice (or not at all, like Titus), but they are probably still deeply involved. Erastus is only mentioned three times in the New Testament; some scholars think he was the city treasurer in Corinth, while Eastern Orthodox traditions count him as one of the seventy disciples who served as a deacon in Jerusalem. Others even claim he was not a believer but a wealthy patron who leaned towards becoming a Christian. Whatever the case, he is traveling to Macedonia with Timothy, so I’m inclined to believe that Erastus was a disciple.
Remains of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Photo Copyright ©2011, 2024 Steven & Barbara Sande
So now a disturbance occurs (actually this could be described as a riot) against the Way in Ephesus. There is a silversmith, Demetrius, who makes a good living creating silver (assumed miniature) shrines of the Temple of Artemis and other craftsmen also flourish in this business. This Temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; the photo above that we took in 2011 is all that remains of the temple today near the ruins of Ephesus. The intact building you can see in the background with the palm trees in front of it is the Basilica of St. John in Ephesus. Here is a good description of the temple from Precept Austin, excerpted from Wikipedia:
The Temple of Artemis or Artemision, also known less precisely as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis (associated with Diana, a Roman goddess). It was located in Ephesus (near the modern town of Selçuk in present-day Turkey). It was completely rebuilt twice, once after a devastating flood and three hundred years later after an act of arson, and in its final form was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed.[1] Only foundations and fragments of the last temple remain at the site.
From the Greek point of view, the Ephesian Artemis is a distinctive form of their goddess Artemis. In Greek cult and myth, Artemis is the twin of Apollo, a virgin huntress who supplanted the TitanSelene as goddess of the Moon. At Ephesus, a goddess whom the Greeks associated with Artemis was venerated in an archaic, pre-Hellenic cult image[38] that was carved of wood (a xoanon) and kept decorated with jewelry. The features are most similar to Near-Eastern and Egyptian deities, and least similar to Greek ones. The body and legs are enclosed within a tapering pillar-like term, from which the goddess' feet protrude. On the coins minted at Ephesus, the goddess wears a mural crown (like a city's walls), an attribute of Cybele as a protector of cities (see polos).[38]
Demetrius tells the group that their livelihood and continued prosperity depends on selling the artifacts from the extremely popular temple. But now Paul is turning people away from the gods and goddesses and has said that gods made with the hands are not gods at all. Demetrius tells them that Artemis will be dethroned from her place of worship if this keeps up. The craftsmen are filled with rage and they grab Aristarchus and Gaius (we find out more about these disciples later) and the mob rushes to the large amphitheater. The photo at the top shows this amazing amphitheater, which still exists today and could hold at least 25,000 people! Another photo, from Unsplash, is shown below:
Paul wants to go into the amphitheater but is held back by his disciples. Certain leaders known as Asiarchs also wanted him to stay away from the turmoil. Who are the Asiarchs? Richard Longenecker is quoted in Precept Austin describing this group:
Asiarchs were members of the noblest and wealthiest families of the province of Asia and were bound together in a league for promoting the cult of the emperor and Rome... Every year an Asiarch was elected for the entire province, and additional Asiarchs were elected for each city that had a temple honoring the emperor. The title was probably borne for life by officers in the league; so in Paul's day there could have been a number of Asiarchs at Ephesus.
The crowd is confused and most of them don’t know why they are there, but they continue shouting various epithets. A Jewish representative, Alexander, is pushed forward to speak to the crowd. Some of the Biblical commentators describe this Alexander as being a great enemy of Paul. But this action backfires as the crowd now believes the Jews are behind the problem (or have always been a problem) and they spend the next two hours loudly chanting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”. This probably seemed like the first century equivalent of a Third Reich Nuremberg rally! Enduring Word has excellent commentary on this passage:
The whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord: Considering Rome’s iron-fisted attitude towards such civil disorder, things were rapidly getting out of hand.
It has often happened in the history of Christianity that when God moves among His people and they become very serious about their Christianity, that it affects the livelihood of those who trade in vice or immorality. For example, in the early years of the Salvation Army, they were so effective that pimps and bar owners organized a “Skeleton Army” to oppose them with threats and violence – and even a few Salvation Army workers were murdered.
They drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward: Alexander wanted to make sure that the mob knew that the Jews did not approve of Paul either; but he accomplished nothing before the angry crowd.
Great is Diana [Artemis] of the Ephesians! This repeated chant must have sent a chill up the backs of the Christians, including Paul who no doubt could hear it from outside the theater.
“The noise must have been deafening. The acoustics of the theater are excellent even today and at that time were even better because of bronze and clay sounding vessels placed throughout the auditorium.” (David Williams)
For two hours they shouted, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” Think of how this echoes to our own time, and see the strangeness of our world. People say today, in words, actions, time or dollars spent:
“Great is my sports team!”
“Great is my political party!”
“Great is the consumer economy!”
“Great is internet porn!”
“Great is material wealth!”
“Great is getting drunk or getting high!”
And yet if one says, “Great is the Lord Jesus Christ” – they are regarded by many as strange.
For all the supposed greatness of Diana of the Ephesians, no one worships her today (at least directly). Yet there are millions and millions today who live for and worship Jesus Christ, and who would willingly die for Him. Idols and false gods all have expiration dates – Jesus of Nazareth lives forever.
I could add to Guzik’s list of those things that people consider “great” today, like popular movies and television series, pop stars, social media echo chambers, etc. There’s nothing wrong, per se, with enjoying some of the things of this world, but people tend to to get caught up in those pursuits to the exclusion of all else (especially sports teams and political parties).
Order is restored with the unruly crowd when the town clerk addresses them. They must know and respect this individual. He tells them that it is indisputable that Artemis is known in Ephesus and the city is the guardian of her temple. He also says that the men they brought there (Aristarchus and Gaius) did not rob the temple nor did they blaspheme the goddess. He tells them to take their protests through legal channels and to the local proconsuls. Rome was not fond of impromptu gatherings like this that could be said to be riotous in nature, so the town clerk warns them about their actions and then dismisses the crowd. Jack Arnold makes a very good point, quoted in Precept Austin:
Paul and the Christians had not stolen from the temple nor were they sacrilegious in any way. This verse tells us something about apostolic preaching. It was not preaching based on the negative. Paul preached Christ in a positive way and only pointed out the evils of idolatry to make a contrast. Paul opposed idolatry, reasoned against it and endeavored to turn people from it, but his presentation was not harsh, critical or reproachful. Paul did not entitle his first message in Ephesus “Seven Wrong Things About Artemis.” No, he preached Christ, “Solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). He encouraged men to turn first to God and then from idols, “. . . and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (I Thess. 1:9). Christians gain nothing by a negative approach with bitter and reviling words. We must preach Christ. When men meet Him, they will turn from idols. (Sermon)
This ends Acts 19. My next devotional examines Acts 20:1-6 - Paul travels to Macedonia, Greece, back through Macedonia and heads to Troas with many disciples, including Luke.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Your eternal presence is felt very strongly in a place like Ephesus, where idols and false gods/goddesses have disappeared, but Your words have remained. Help me to be positive about leading others to You! Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 12/26/2024 to review commentary for Acts 19:21-41.
Enduring Word commentary by David Guzik is used with written permission.