“At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.” Acts 19:28-29 NLT
“At this their anger boiled!” Riots and angry mobs are very much a human response to what is perceived as something or someone is unfair, unjust or touching an issue close to one’s heart. This disturbance was about the loss of money, but one man decided to make his case public, making it about a supposed personal offense made towards the city’s most beloved icon.
Attaching people’s income to a deeply held religious practices is certainly a recipe for explosive behavior. One Greek merchant is specifically mentioned in the Bible for doing so. Demetrius sparked a wickedly successful uprising by tying money to city pride! He blamed Paul for his loss of idol sales.
First he starts with the truth – the gospel causes people to rethink their beliefs. Ephesus was filled with an extraordinary amount of idol worship attributed to the belief that Diana/Artemis was the god of fertility and the reason for the city’s success. It was world renowned for its citizens flourishing in love, family and wealth. Paul’s message of hope and truth were twisted into a personal vendetta against their way of life. There in Ephesus a 9 foot marble statue of Artemis stood in her massive temple – this temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Paul doesn’t attack their deity, he didn’t demean their little idols or sacrifices to a cold, useless statue. Even the mayor of Ephesus admitted, “You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.” In other words, you got all worked up about nothing. And then the mayor flat out told Demetrius, “If you’ve got an issue, take it to the courts where evidence can be presented!” A calm sensible leader in a highly volatile situation. Don’t ya wish we had such mayors, governors and leaders today? There are so many better ways to solve things rather than useless protests and riots.
Besides, the best thing Paul did – he just told them the truth. But when facts clash with preferences, opinions and personal truths, there is bound to be high emotions mixed with lawlessness and incivility.
Prayer
Dad,
It seems like over the past couple of years there has been a tremendous rise in both lawlessness and incivility. Folks in cars running over pedestrians, flying through red lights, and darting in and out of traffic at high speed. That along with brazen smash and grab break-ins on small businesses already struggling to make a living. It’s like we are living another cycle of last days. We ache, we cry and wait for justice Oh Lord. Come and make things right in our city, our state and our nation. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done!