Daily Thoughts from Acts: Causing Riots (Acts 19:21-41)

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.  But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.  For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.  (Acts 19:21-41 ESV)

Paul’s burden to go to Rome is explained in his letter to the Romans as a desire to see this church he did not plant and encourage it, as well as receive her support to go on to Spain, a place where the gospel had not been preached yet.  He desires to return to Jerusalem first with an offering from the mostly Gentile churches of Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea) and Achaia (Corinth) to show unity and concern on their part with their famine-stricken brothers, the Jewish believers, in Judea.

But Paul’s effectiveness in spreading the gospel is so great that it has put a dent in the silversmith trade of making replicas of the temple of Artemis.  Demetrius’ attempt to stir up business by denouncing Paul and his disciples as blasphemers of Artemis leads to a riotous crowd gathering in the amphitheater, capable of holding 20,000 people, many not even knowing why they are there but pumped with city pride.  Paul is wisely kept out of this fray and the wise and scared town clerk, who is responsible for maintaining Roman order, barely gets the crowd to disperse by recommending proper legal courts for Demetrius’ concerns and warning that Rome might view this commotion as reason to crack down militarily on the city.

Luke shows Christians a way to defend the church against similar improper and illegal persecutions.  The church is not guilty of sedition against Rome.  However, this defense will not guarantee freedom from resistance.  Jesus told us that if the world rejects him it will also reject us, his followers.  Has our representation of the gospel made the kind of impact that people are getting mad at us?