Acts 19:21-20:1

What about in East Texas? Is the Christian way of life celebrated, tolerated, or denigrated in our schools, on our jobs, in our stores, at our community events?

I guess it depends… doesn’t it? It depends on which classroom we’re talking about, who’s in the office or at the job-site, which store, or what event.

I think it also depends on what sort of Christianity we’re talking about. I mean, it seems to me that an undefined Christianity (one that doesn’t specify any doctrine) and a Christianity without any moral obligations (one that doesn’t care if you are sexually immoral or dishonest or lazy or prideful)… I think this sort of Christianity is celebrated in East Texas. But a doctrinally rich and theologically specific and historically grounded and morally demanding Christianity is not even tolerated among those who claim to be Christians!

In our passage today, we are going to be reminded that the Christian way of life is at odds with this present world. We are going to see what happens when a bunch of people in a pagan town start repenting of sin and following Jesus. And we’re also going to see how normal it seems to be for Christians to experience opposition and even hostility from their non-Christian neighbors.

May God help us to be edified, corrected, and comforted by His word today.

Scripture Reading

Acts 19:21–20:1 (ESV)

21 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.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.

24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 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. 27 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.”

28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 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.

30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 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. 33 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. 34 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!”

35 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? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 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. 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 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.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

1 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia.

Main Idea:

The Christian way of life is at odds with this present world, so we pray for peace, and we strive for faithfulness.

Sermon

1. Resolved to Suffer (v21-22)

A. Travel plans

The first verse of our passage today begins with a basic itinerary. Luke says that Paul is going to travel to “Macedonia” (that’s Philippi and Thessalonica), to “Achaia” (that’s Corinth), then to “Jerusalem,” and finally to “Rome” (v21). But this is not insignificant, nor is it coincidental. First of all, the episode we’re about to consider (the “disturbance” in Ephesus) is nearly exactly the same as what happened later on in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-22:29). The Jews in Jerusalem get just as upset as the Greeks in Ephesus about Christianity as a threat to their way of life.

By telling us that Paul is headed for “Jerusalem” (v21), Luke is telling us that Ephesus and Jerusalem are connected. So, we need to pay attention and find out how. “How are Ephesus and Jerusalem connected?”

Second, with this sort of resolution language, Luke is giving us a signal that here is a major turning point in the narrative or storyline of Acts. Let me explain…

B. A turning point in the narrative

In v21, Luke says that Paul “resolved” or “purposed” (KJV) or “decided” (NIV) to “pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem…” and after that, Paul “must also see Rome” (v21). The rest of the book of Acts follows Paul on this very journey, and the book ends with Paul living in Rome as a prisoner, basically awaiting his sentence, which was likely execution by beheading. However, Paul’s imprisonment in Rome was not a failure of Christ’s evangelistic program; indeed, it was the fulfillment of it!

In Acts 1:8, Luke recorded Jesus’s commissioning statement to His disciples, and this commission forms the outline of the entire Acts storyline. Just before He ascended to the throne of heaven, Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And Luke follows that geographical and ethnic expansion throughout his narrative.

The Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, and Peter and the Apostles witnessed in Jerusalem (Acts 2-6). Persecution spread gospel-witnesses throughout Judea(Acts 8:1), and Philip, Peter, and John witnessed in Samaria (Acts 8:4-17). The risen Lord Jesus Christ converted Paul, and Paul became the Apostle to the Gentiles – or those at “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8; Acts 9:1-16). And, the rest of Acts largely focuses on the gospel expansion among the Gentiles, which culminates in Rome, where Paul was “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” even while he was a prisoner of the Roman government (Acts 28:31)! As Paul wrote to Timothy during those days, “I am suffering [and] bound with chains as a criminal… But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Tim. 2:9).

In addition, Paul’s resolve to “go to Jerusalem” (v21) and then to Rome here is very similar to Christ’s own resolve to “go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). In Luke’s Gospel, there is a similar turning point at the end of chapter 9, where Luke said that Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). The rest of Luke’s Gospel is about Jesus’s resolve to finish His earthly ministry by dying in the place of sinners and Jesus’s call for sinners to repent and believe.

It seems to me, then, that Paul is (in a sense) following in the footsteps of his Master. Like Jesus, Paul has resolved to travel the road of suffering in order to fulfill his mission. Jesus’s mission was unique, He is the only sacrifice for sinners. But we do have at least a little something in common with Paul here… He was to be a faithful witness of Christ, even through the midst of suffering.

C. The common call to suffer

Brothers and sisters, it isn’t a fun thought, but it is true that the Bible repeatedly calls all Christians to a life of suffering in this world. In Acts 5, Christian witnesses “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” of Christ (Acts 5:41). When Jesus commissioned Paul to be His witness to the Gentiles, Jesus said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16). When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he said that Christians are “heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17).

The Scriptures on this are many! Christians “share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings” (2 Cor. 1:5). It “has been granted” to Christians “that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29). Christians are urged, “do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord… but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8). Indeed, Christians “have been called” to suffer in this life, “because Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example, so that [we] might follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21).

In this life, Christians will suffer (physically, emotionally, politically, economically, socially), but our task is to be faithful… even through suffering. Now, in one sense, Paul’s life and commission is not ours. His suffering as a witness for Christ was greater than any of us will ever experience, and we do not have his apostolic ministry. And yet, in another sense, all Christians of every age are called to be witnesses for Christ and to suffer for it.

A person might suffer for all sorts of reasons so let me be clear… I’m talking about the kind of suffering Christians experience for believing and teaching and living according to the truths of Scripture. The Christian way of life will clash with the non-Christian way of life, regardless of whether the non-Christian is religious or secular, conservative or liberal, educated or ignorant, rich or poor, famous or obscure. Put a group of genuine Christians among any society in the world, and it won’t take long at all for the Christians to start looking really strange.

2. There Arose a Disturbance (v23)

In so many ways, v23 is a sort of summary verse, not only for our passage, but also for the entire book of Acts… It might even describe the general Christian experience with the established structures of this world. After telling us, in v22, that Paul sent “Timothy and Erastus” on ahead into “Macedonia,” Luke says, in v23, “About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.”

I want to briefly note a couple of observations that will help set the scene for us as we make our way through the rest of this story: (A) Christianity as “the Way” and (B) the inevitability that Christian living will cause “disturbance.”

A. The “way” of Christ

It is a basic and fundamental truth that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a way of life or a message about what sinners must do. The gospel is the story of what God has already done in the person and work of Christ to save sinners. In Jesus, the God of the universe has showed Himself gracious beyond measure by living a perfectly obedient life under the legal demands of His own law and by dying as the guiltiest sinner ever to suffer under the justice of His own standard of righteousness and holiness. In Jesus, God earned a righteousness to give away and God satisfied justice in order to set sinners free.

In response to this fantastic news – that God has paid the price for sin and offers sinners perfect righteousness in the name of Christ – God demands that we simply repent and believe. We must – here and now – let go of our sin and trust ourselves entirely to the mercy of Christ! Friend, if you want to know more about what that means, then let’s talk after the service today.

So, even the response that we must have to the gospel is not very active… it’s much more passive… we simply give up our sin and believe or trust in Christ.

And yet, there is an effect that repentance and belief will have – it must have – in our lives, if it is genuine. We believe that a sinner is justified before God by faith alone in Christ alone, but we also believe (as Martin Luther said so well) that the kind of faith that saves is never alone. The kind of faith that saves is a faith that works or obeys (Matt. 7:16-20; John 14:15-24; James 2:14-26).

In other words, simple faith or trust in Jesus Christ is sufficient to justify any sinner before God, because Christ is an effective Savior; and yet, the sinner who does truly believe or trust in Jesus will live differently than unbelieving sinners in the world. Believing in Christ plays itself out in following Christ… this is why Jesus said that those who become His disciples (through baptism) are to “observe all that [He] has commanded” (Matt. 28:19-20).

Christianity or discipleship, is a way of life… not just doctrines to know with your head or feelings to have in your heart… No, following Jesus is an entire way of living… which is a way of life instructed and regulated by Christ’s commands in Scripture. In short, Christians obey King Jesus; that’s the way they live.

B. The inevitability of “disturbance”

When Christians in the world live as Christians, it’s inevitable that conflicts will arise. In fact, Luke has been increasingly illustrating this point throughout Acts. Those who opposed Paul in Thessalonica and Corinth were Jews (17:5–7; 18:12–13), and in Philippi and Ephesus they were Gentiles (16:20–21; 19:23–29). But at every place, as one commentator put, “the gospel was perceived as a threat to religious beliefs and practices… and thus also to…social and economic life.”[1]

Brothers and sisters, most of us have been able to live in an American culture that has not only tolerated Christian living, but in many ways the Western world in recent times has been happy to celebrate some of the virtues of Christianity. But this is not the culture we live in today. In fact, our culture is finding it increasingly difficult to understand why in the world anyone would believe and live as a Bible-believing Christian. This is nothing to be afraid of, but we ought to understand the sort of world we’re living in.

The greedy live as though money is power and happiness, but you try to give away your money so that the gospel might advance and needs might be met. The prideful act like vulnerability is weak and shameful, but you invite others into the most personal areas of your life so that you might grow as a Christian and help them do the same. The political strategist demonizes his opponent and hides his own failures, but you love your enemies (even if you disagree), and you confess your sins.

Why do you do any of that? Are you better than other people? Is your way of life simply some American ideal? No! You know that King Jesus commands you to live and speak and act as a Christian… and you aim (imperfectly for sure) but you aim to obey Him… and this way of life will inevitably collide with others.

3. The Rationale (v24-27)

Verses 24-27 describe the reason for the disturbance in Ephesus, and in a sense, the explanation is “Demetrius” (v24). John Calvin said, “one man, for [the sake of] his own gain, is not afraid to trouble a whole city with [rioting].”[2]Certainly, “Demetrius” was the one who “gathered together” a bunch of “craftsmen” and “workmen” to tell them all about how the Apostle Paul was to blame for their loss of business (v24-25). But the whole town seems to have easily been stirred up to “rage” and “confusion,” as we will see (v28-29).

What did Demetrius say? Why did he blame Paul? And how did a theological dispute get all tied up in economics and geo-politics?

A. The theological disagreement

Demetrius said that “Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods” (v26). This accusation is certainly true! Paul had been teaching that there is only one God, and that Jesus was/is the only Messiah through whom sinners might be saved… and “many” of the people in Ephesus had become “believers” (or Christians), and this had led many of them to publicly “confess” their sin (Acts 19:18).

We can assume that Demetrius and the other “craftsmen” who made “shrines” and other items must have already been losing business in Ephesus. But this speaks more of the practical disturbance, not to the theological point of disagreement. Practically, they were losing money, and they were probably going to lose more if Paul continued, but we can get to that in a moment… What we’re interested in now is the theological disagreement… What theological point did Demetrius and Paul disagree on? Can you see it there in v26?

Paul was “saying that gods made with hands are not gods” (v26), and Demetrius was living as though “gods made with hands” are exceedingly valuable. The reason I’ve drawn this out a bit is to help us see that this theological question is distinguishable from the practical consequences. It is possible to debate the question of idols without referring at all to Demetrius and the Ephesian economy. Are “gods made with hands” gods at all? Or are these mere idols, powerless trinkets that have no greater value than the metal with which they’re made?

But there is no theological debate here! Demetrius avoids doctrine entirely… It doesn’t matter if it’s true… Paul’s theology cannot be allowed because it’s challenging the status quo.

If Demetrius lived in East Texas, he might say, “Paul’s teaching stuff we’ve never heard before!” or “Paul’s telling us to do stuff we’ve never done before!” Whatever Paul is teaching, it can’t be right because it’s different, and it’s messing everything up… And, undeniably, Paul’s teaching did aim to mess everything up.

B. The practical disturbance

Demetrius listed three specific ways that Paul was messing with the stability of the Ephesian culture, religion, and economy… and we can see them all in v27. He said that Paul’s claims threatened the reputation of “this trade of ours” (v27), that Paul was “counting as nothing” the “temple of [their] great goddess” (v27), and that Paul’s teaching was a threat to the “magnificence” of Artemis (v27).

In essence, Demetrius was arguing that his loss of business (which was unacceptable) was about more than money. The whole town, with their cultural status and religious system, was in danger of losing if Paul kept on. And he was right! If Paul had his way, no one in Ephesus would buy another idol, offer a sacrifice in Artemis’s temple, or give another thought to a false god or goddess.

4. The Response (v28-34)

Luke says, in v28, “When they heard this they were enraged…” and then “the [whole] city was filled with confusion,” such that they all “rushed together into the theater,” which was something like a community center or town hall. Let’s note 2 things about this response.

A. This is pure rage and emotion

Luke described the crowd as “enraged” (v28) or “full of wrath” (KJV) or “furious” (NIV84). In their rage, the mob “dragged Gaius and Aristarchus” into the “theater,” even though there’s no indication that these two were spokesman of any kind. They’re only described as “Macedonians [i.e., Gentiles] who were Paul’s companions in travel” (v29). It seems that the mob was just grabbing people who were in some way associated with Paul.

Luke also says that the crowd chanted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (v28)… and they did this for “two hours” (v34)! Can you imagine?! This is the sort of mindless rage we can see when a crowd gets all stirred up to a frenzy. Later, Luke says that “most of them did not know why they had come together” (v32)!

In our own day, people are sometimes enraged like this by politics or by some perceived injustice. One side claims that the other has done some wicked thing… the party lines are drawn, and the wagons are circled… and then there is nothing left to do but rage. This is what happens when we think with our emotions… our brains shut off, and all we can see is fury.

B. Reasoning with a mob is futile

Luke tells us that Paul “wished” or “wanted to” (NIV84) or “would have” (KJV) gone in “among the crowd,” but some of “the disciples would not let him” (v30). We even learn that “some of the Asiarchs [or officials], who were friends of his” urged Paul by some kind of note “not to venture into the theater” (v31). And it seems like that was a wise decision, because when a Jew named “Alexander” did try to address the crowd, the mob proved completely unreasonable (v33-34).

Alexander was probably going in to make the case that the Jews who lived in Ephesus were not with Paul, and so they did not deserve to suffer his fate. But the mob didn’t care. They knew that the Jews were also opposed to idolatry, so the Ephesians were just as furious with the Jews as they were the Christians.

Friends, when the people of this world feel threatened by the Christian way of life (either by doctrinal or moral claims, or by not joining them in celebrating sin), and when they get worked up into a rage, there is no reasoning with them. As a Christian, you may get blamed, you may be mistreated, you may be slandered, and you may even be hurt in some way… but sometimes you just have to endure. Sometimes, there is no argument you can make, no apology you can give… you just have to stay faithful to Christ and let the chips fall where they may.

5. The Return of Order (v35-41)

There is a return to some civil order here, and the mob does eventually disperse. Luke tells us that the “town clerk” (something like a mayor) finally did “quiet the crowd,” and he said two things that pulled the mob away from the ledge. Let’s look at them together.

A. Our social and religious order is secure

Whoever this guy was, he sounds like a great politician. The first thing he did was reassure the Ephesians that everything is fine. In v35, he says, “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?” Appealing to their local mythology, the “town clerk” argued that Paul and his gospel were no real threat at all. Their present social status and religious system “cannot be denied,” he said (v36), so “you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash” (v36).

This clever politician wanted to ease their fears by telling them that the way of life they know is not going to change… everything is going to be fine. Paul and these Christians can’t mess up a good thing because it’s so widely known and accepted. The way things are is the way they will always be.

Now, it seems to me that this is clever on his part because obviously things were already changing in Ephesus. Demetrius and the other craftsmen wouldn’t have been so upset if they hadn’t been losing business at the idol shop. But the “town clerk” needed at least to calm them down a bit so they could hear him say the next thing that seems to be the real reason why there was a return to order.

B. We will incur civil penalties if we don’t stop

The punchline of this brief speech is in v40. The clerk or mayor said, “we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today” (v40). See how he also reminds the crowd of “courts” and “proconsuls” in v39. The point is that Ephesus was a town under Roman rule, and Rome was an empire of law and order. And if there were to be some report of a violent mob in Ephesus, then the Roman authorities might revoke some of their freedoms, punish some of the violators, and generally make life more difficult for Ephesus.

Friends, note here that even a pagan government with non-Christian officials can be some benefit to Christians if they at least are interested in implementing civil order in the land. This is why the Apostle Paul told Timothy (while he was later pastoring the church in Ephesus) to pray for “kings and all who are in high positions, that we [i.e., Christians] may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:2).

Brothers and sisters, do you pray like this? Do you pray for your non-Christian leaders, politicians, bosses, teachers, and administrators? Do you pray that their rules and practices will simply produce civility in the public square?

Governments and corporations and school districts can indeed encourage Christian practices, and Christians have (at times) benefitted from that encouragement… but Christians do not need government policies or the institutional promotion of Christianity. Indeed, historically, when Christianity is joined with government or business or public education (any institution other than the local church), Christianity does not do well at all.

Let me be direct, I want Christians in government, I want Christians to be business owners, I want Christians to be teachers and lawyers and doctors and entrepreneurs and police officers and soldiers and journalists and mechanics and nurses and computer techs and scientists… and this is what faithful Christianity looks like… living as faithful Christians in whatever vocation you’ve chosen for yourself… even in a society that is not super excited about your Christian way of life… and even when the Christian way of being a teacher or police officer or politician is at odds with the way everyone else does the job.

So, we should pray for peace. We should pray that the mob will not be set loose. We should pray that our civil order will hold. And we should participate in our society as well as we may. We should work hard, we should pay our bills on time, we should disciple our kids, we should honor marriage, we should strive for holiness and avoid sin, we should pick up our trash and cut our grass. In short, we should strive for Christian faithfulness in all of life’s circumstances.

Conclusion (ch20, v1)

You know, exemplary faithfulness is really how this episode ends. Look at Acts 20:1. The chapter and number divisions of the Bible weren’t there when Luke wrote this stuff down, and Stephanus didn’t always cut it at the right spot. It seems to me that the Luke’s closing remarks to this disturbance in Ephesus are “After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples[i.e., the Christians in Ephesus], and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia” (Acts 20:1).

This is pretty much the same thing Paul did in each town as he went… and “Macedonia” is exactly where Paul had “resolved” to go on his way to Jerusalem and to Rome back in v21. I think the point here is that Paul both encouraged and exemplified faithful Christianity.

When Paul “encouraged” the Christians in Ephesus, he likely said the same sort of thing he’s said to those in Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. Luke was a bit more detailed when he said earlier that Paul “strengthened the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). And Paul himself continued on as a faithful witness for Christ, undistracted by the uproar in Ephesus.

May God help us to be the sort of Christians who know that our way of life is at odds with this present world… may God grant us peace as we live faithfully for Christ… and in times of peace or suffering, may we strive for faithfulness.

Endnotes

[1]David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 545. [2]John Calvin and Henry Beveridge, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 223.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th Edition. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2005.

Calvin, John. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Edited by Henry Beveridge. Translated by Christopher Fetherstone. Vol. 2. 2 vols. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Peterson, David. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2009.

Polhill, John B. Acts. Vol. 26. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. 2015 Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.