Acts 18.24-20.1

Ephesus (18.24-20.1)

Founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC, Alexandria grew rapidly into the world’s biggest city, holding the largest urban Jewish community anywhere, and becoming a respected centre of Greek culture and learning. It was here, sometime between 250-150BC, that the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT, often quoted by Christ and His apostles in preference to the Hebrew text) was completed.

Being born into a Jewish family in a city with this history gave Apollos enormous educational opportunities, which he grasped, growing into ‘an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures’ (18.24). Having been ‘instructed in the way of the Lord’ in a limited capacity, ‘knowing only the baptism of John’, Apollos came to Ephesus ‘and being fervent [zeō, hot] in spirit, he spake and taught diligently [akribos, accurately] the things of the Lord’ (18.25). Unafraid, and full of enthusiasm, ‘he began to speak boldly in the synagogue’ (18.26), probably demanding repentance, as had John the Baptist.

Aquilla and Priscilla responded appropriately to Apollos’ incomplete Gospel preaching. Immediately recognising true potential, rather than publically denouncing Apollos, with tender care and thoughtfulness, ‘they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly’ (18.26). In so doing they showed one important function of a Christian home: the quiet, gentle support and instruction of young believers.

With the rise of false teachers and the proliferation of false brethren, it was crucial that local churches be cautious about who they received. Letters of commendation helped in this. Therefore, when Apollos wished to expand his sphere of ministry, being ‘disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him’ (18.27). And they received him, without regret, because Apollos ‘helped them much which had believed through grace; for he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ (v28; cf. 1 Cor 3.6). Now in possession of full Gospel truth, with fresh vigour, Apollos proved from the Old Testament that Jesus of Nazareth, crucified, buried and resurrected, was truly God’s Anointed.

Some of the results of Apollos’ incomplete Gospel preaching lingered. Arriving in Ephesus, Paul discovered twelve disciples who were living in a kind of dispensational time-warp (19.1-7). They had neither heard of, nor received the Holy Spirit, and instead of undergoing Christian baptism, they had been baptised unto John’s ‘baptism of repentance’ (19.4). As soon as Paul explained the anticipatory nature of John’s message, which challenged his hearers to ‘believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus’, they believed the truth and were ‘baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus’ (19.4, 5). Their position was unique, as was their reception of the Spirit, mediated through the laying on of Paul’s hand and confirmed by the speaking of foreign languages and prophesying (19.6). The more normal Christian experience is immediate indwelling of the Spirit of God, in all His fullness, at conversion (Eph 1.13).

Paul now began his Ephesian campaign in earnest (19.8-12), entering the synagogue and ‘speaking out boldly [parrhēsiazomai, speak freely, without fear] for three months’ (19.8, NASB). This unrestrained delivery of divine truth characterised Paul’s preaching throughout his Christian life (Acts 9.27, 29; 13.46; 14.3; 18.26; 26.26; Eph 6.20; 1 Thess 2.2). Even though the gospel is to be proclaimed as a command from God, Paul reasoned with intelligent logic and, with feeling and passion, did his utmost to persuade his Jewish hearers of the genuineness and urgency of the message ‘about the kingdom of God’ (v8, NASB). He had to prove from the Old Testament, as did Apollos, that Jesus of Nazareth was God’s Anointed. He had to show his audience that Scripture predicted that the death of Christ and the shedding of His precious blood would ratify the New Covenant, laying the foundation for the soon to be established Kingdom (Jer 31.31-40; 1 Cor 11.25). And he needed to declare that this same Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, from whence He will return as Israel’s Messiah, as King of all kings and Lord of all lords, to rule. Thus, this Kingdom message required confession that Jesus is Lord and belief in the heart that God had raised Him from the dead (Rom 10.9).

After three months of preaching, ‘when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way [not just the message, but Christ Himself, Jn 14.6] before the multitude, he withdrew from them’ (19.9, NASB). After a prolonged Christian testimony in an area is rejected, it can be fitting to withdraw the witness (cf. Mt 10.14). God may do it through ending a local assembly. At Ephesus Paul left the synagogue and ‘took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus … for two years’ (19.9, 10, NASB). Combined with Paul’s steadfast preaching was the miraculous endorsement of his message through the sweat cloths and aprons he used while labouring as a tent maker to support himself (18.3; 19.12; 20.34; cf. Heb 2.3, 4). The impact on the region was enormous: ‘all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks’ (v10).

Imitation is one of Satan’s most effective strategies. But when seven wandering Jews attempted to duplicate Paul’s exorcisms, using ‘the name of the Lord Jesus’, they got more than they bargained for. The demon recognised Jesus, and knew about Paul – an amazing testimony to the effectiveness of his service for God – but did not acknowledge any authority in the sons of Sceva (19.15, NASB). Instead, with supernatural strength, the demoniac violently assaulted them, news of which spread to all in Ephesus, and ‘fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified’ (19.16, 17). Something else contributed to the mighty growth and prevailing strength of God’s word. The transforming power of the Gospel was seen in young converts publicly confessing their occult practices and, determined never to return to them, they incinerated their expensive magic books in one great conflagration (19.18-20). It was just after this, intending to revisit the believers in Macedonia and Achaia, before going to Jerusalem and then onwards to Rome, Paul ‘sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus’ (19.21, 22). While things did not work out as planned – Paul reached Rome as a prisoner, not as a free man – nonetheless, his careful planning and insatiable appetite to spread the Gospel should characterise us.

Ephesus was hugely proud of her temple of Diana (Artemis), a goddess depicted by a multi-breasted woman. It is said that the previous temple burnt down on the night that Alexander the Great was born and this replacement – one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, whose immense foundations were sunken in marshland to protect it from earthquakes – was under construction when Alexander visited the city. Famously, they refused his generous offer to subsidise the rebuilding costs.[i] In Paul’s day the Ephesians showed their pride by mindlessly chanting ‘great is Diana of the Ephesians’ (19.34). At that time the term ‘neōkoros’ or ‘temple sweeper’, which had depicted the lowest of the goddesses’ servants had become a title of honour, so that the city itself was described as ‘a worshipper [neōkoros] of the great goddess Diana, and of the image [likely a fallen meteor] which fell down from Jupiter’ (v35).

Nothing angers a man quite as much as the loss of money. This is exactly what happened to Demetrius and his silversmith colleagues. A lucrative trade in silver models of the temple had built up (v24). And it was now peak season. The presence of ‘certain of the chief of Asia [Asiarchēs]’ (v31), wealthy, elected officials who sponsored public festivals and games, suggests that these games were being held, leading to a sudden influx of people from the surrounding area. The crowds would have swelled further because ‘the courts [were] being held, and there [were] proconsuls [touring judges]’ (v38, JND). As a result of Paul’s preaching, so many people in the region had turned from idolatry that sales in these silver shrines had fallen (vv24-27). Enraged, Demetrius cleverly played on his city’s pride in their temple to stir up his colleagues and, in turn, to whip up the whole city into a confused frenzy (vv29-34). As Luke wrote, ‘there arose no small disturbance concerning the way’ (v23, NASB).

Alarmed by the effects this uproar could have on the privileges of Ephesus, the town-clerk, who carried overall responsibility for the behaviour of the city, endeavoured to calm the crowd (vv35-40). He emphasized that Ephesus’ commitment to Diana was unchallengeable; he pointed out that the Christian missionaries had not robbed temples nor railed against Diana; and he explained that if ‘Demetrius and the artisans who [are] with him have a matter against any one, the courts are being held, and there are proconsuls’ (v38, JND). Having ‘thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly’ (v41). In this way God protected Paul and his friends from harm.

[i] Freeman P. ALEXANDER THE GREAT (New York, NY 10020: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2011), pp. 87, 88.