There’s a Riot Going On July 23, 2023
God of wisdom, your thoughts are not our thoughts, your ways are not our ways. As we listen to the Scriptures, send your Holy Spirit to grant us understanding of what you desire and fresh resolve to do your will in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The first thing I thought about when I read this morning’s passage from the book of Acts concerning the riot which took place in the town of Ephesus was a song which first came out in the middle fifties but was covered later on by a number of artists, including Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi of the Blues Brothers. The title of the song was “Riot in Cell Block #9” and it had the line in it “There’s a riot going on down in Cell Block #9”. It had a catchy tune and I guess that’s why I remembered it.
But this morning’s riot was much more serious than some silly pop song. Luke, the author of Acts, tells us what caused it, “About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, ‘Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by 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 will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.’”
As a matter of interest, when Luke says, “About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way”, what he’s talking about is Christianity. Calling it “the Way” was one of its earliest designations. It came from the words of Jesus which he said to the disciple Thomas on the night of the Last Supper. Jesus had said to his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them and that they knew where he was going. Not understanding, Thomas had said to him, “‘…Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’” (John 14:5) This was the reply of Jesus, “‘‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 15:6) And although the term “the Way” is no longer used to describe our Christian faith, it still very much rings true. Christianity is a way of life. It's the way of faith and hope. It's the way of love. And it's the way of the Cross.
But, back to our riot. What had taken place was that the Apostle Paul was having great success in his missionary work in the town of Ephesus. Many people were turning away from worshipping false idols and were coming to faith in Christ. In last week’s lesson we heard about the new converts to Christianity publicly burning their books on magic which in today’s terms would be valued at over 5 million dollars.
And now it was the turn for the silversmiths to suffer loss. Paul was converting people to Christ, which meant the people were no longer buying the small silver idols which the smiths made. This was a financial problem, so one of them, Demetrius, gathered his fellow tradesmen together and said to them, “‘Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by 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 will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.’”
That was deception on the part of Demetrius, his only concern was the fact that he was losing money, but he knew that only his fellow tradesmen would care about that, so he had to look for another excuse to stir up the populace. So, he focused on the fact that the main god of Ephesus was being ignored. Demetrius went on to claim that the religion of the city was threatened and that Artemis, the goddess the city worshipped, was insulted by this loss of income and was in danger of losing her stature in the eyes of the world.
So, Demetrius used the excuse that the god of Ephesus was being cast down as a means to incite the mob to riot in an effort to salvage his lucrative business of making and selling silver amulets. But he would have acted differently if only he had known these words of Jesus which he said to his disciples, “‘For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?’” (Mark 8:36) But he didn’t and so the crowds grew and filled the streets with their cries of, “‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’”
But, as we know only too well, that wasn’t the first time Paul had to confront a crowd which had been incited to riot by someone who saw Christianity stealing their cash cow. Back in the 12th chapter of Acts Paul had driven an evil spirit out of a slave girl whose owners were making money off her through fortune telling. Once the spirit was gone the girl came to her senses and she was valueless to her owners. They grew so angry that they dragged Paul and his companion, Silas, in front of the local magistrate who threw them in jail for the night. But that didn’t deter Paul, he used his prison time to convert the jailer and his family to follow Jesus. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade!
But this time it was much more dangerous, Luke writes, “When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travelling-companions. Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; even some officials of the province of Asia, who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theatre.” Demetrius and his fellow silversmiths had worked the crowds up to such a state that Paul would have been in danger for his life, so his fellow missionaries prevented him from challenging the rioters.
Paul wanted to go in and speak to them. He wasn’t the least bit hesitant when it came to any opportunity to spread the gospel message. But his friends recognized that the mood of the crowd was ugly. Even some of the political rulers of the province of Asia, who reported to the Roman overlords, but were friends of Paul, were concerned and sent word to him not to venture into the theatre. Paul had made friends among these rulers. They understood and were impressed by the message of Christ.
But in the end the mobs were subdued by the town clerk, who reasoned with them, saying, “‘Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple-keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. You have brought these men here who are neither temple-robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.’” Demetrius’ plan was foiled, the riot was quelled, and things returned to normal. The hand of God had intervened once again for Paul.
So, what can we learn from this story? First, we can see how powerful and effective the gospel is. Paul's preaching had such an impact that it threatened the livelihood of those who profited from idolatry. The gospel message exposes the futility and emptiness of false gods and calls people to turn to the living God who made heaven and earth. But we also must always be aware that telling people about Jesus Christ also provokes opposition and hostility from those who resist his message and cling to their idols. We shouldn’t be surprised or discouraged when we feel uncomfortable or face persecution or rejection for our faith.
Secondly, we can see how God protects and preserves his servants. Paul was not harmed by the mob, even though they wanted to kill him. God used his friends and even some pagan officials to keep him safe. God also used the city clerk to calm down the crowd and prevent further violence. God is sovereign over all things, and he can use anyone or anything to accomplish his purposes.
Thirdly, we can see how we should respond to such situations. Paul did not run away or compromise his message. He wanted to speak to the crowd and defend his faith. He was bold and courageous in his witness. He also did not retaliate or seek revenge against his enemies. He trusted God to vindicate him and judge them. He was humble and gracious in his attitude. A great lesson for us all as Paul showed his true faith in God.
In summary, what Paul and his fellow missionaries did was teach the truth daily and send out the new believers to witness to the lost people in the city. And as more and more people got converted, fewer and fewer people were interested in worshipping the false god, Artemis, and fewer customers were available to purchase the silver idols. It cost the idol makers, but it was a cost that brought many to eternal life.
Apostle Paul and his companions did exactly what Jesus Christ had done and what he sent them into the world to do. They preached the gospel so that men and women saw their true way to God, and they taught them how to live the way Jesus had himself taught them. Paul and his companions didn’t arouse the opposition of the silversmiths by picketing the temple or staging anti-idolatry rallies. They stayed true to their mission and brought the light of Jesus to the people by being humble and staying true to his instructions.
And that’s what we’re to do, as well. Try the best we can to live a holy life and bring others to Jesus. By doing so we will have an effect on our families and our community, bringing people to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Ultimately bringing them to eternal life with God.
Let us Pray:
We ask, Lord, that you would give us such a spirit as Paul so that we can share the gospel with others. Let us pray that God would open their eyes to see their need for Christ and turn from their idols. Let us pray that God would protect us from harm and deliver us from evil. And let us pray that God would be glorified in all things. Amen