23 About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; 25 these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. 26 “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. Acts 19:23-26
Luke begins his account of the near riot in Ephesus led by silversmith Demetrius with a classic understatement, “About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way.”
Demetrius had his points though. If we let this man Paul have his way, we’ll lose our livelihood as idol builders and the grand distinctive of our great city, the provocative image of the goddess Diana (Artemis). Think about this for a second. There was grave concern that the Way would cause both things to occur. Translated, Christianity was real and producing change in the hearts and minds of the Ephesians to the point that they gave up their idols and declined to join in the worship of a lifeless statue (and all the licentiousness that this entailed).
Don’t these two reasons loom large in the thinking of those who encounter the claims of Christ? Is there not always fear that livelihoods will suffer and friends will be lost along with the “good times?” Therein is why deep down Demetrius was so worried. Paul’s God was powerful enough to overcome and eschew these fears. This God appeared real!
There is no other religion that can cause real and everlasting change. You can’t drum it out of town or incarcerate it or suppress it. It is THE WAY!
This is why it (the Way) is still with us today, and the many handmade idols (see Isaiah 44:10-20) of that ancient city aren’t. But make no mistake, the same evil force compelling the silversmith to do what he did is.
Leave a Reply