Community Bible Study -- Acts
 Text of Presentation, Lesson 17, Acts 19:1b-20:1

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Paul’s 3rd Missionary Journey (Part 2)

Last week Paul completed his 2nd Missionary Journey in Ephesus and returned to Antioch. Judging from his letter to the Galatians, he went to Antioch – and perhaps Jerusalem – to fight a renewed challenge from the Jewish circumcision-legalists. After a period of discussions and debriefing, he began his 3rd Missionary Journey.

Ephesus is one of the largest and most important commercial centers of the Roman Empire. It was abandoned in the 8th century after the harbor silted up, and archaeologists have uncovered a marvelously preserved city; the pictures on the web site are only a sample. Like Corinth, Ephesus is a logical hub from which to spread the gospel. Paul had gone to there with Pricilla and Aquila, left them in charge when he returned to home base, and rejoined them after his time in Antioch. Apollos came to Ephesus while Paul was away . . . but Apollos has gone to Corinth when Paul returns.

When Paul arrives in Ephesus, he finds a dozen disciples who have only John’s baptism of repentance – like Apollos – and know nothing about the Holy Spirit. Paul baptizes them in the name of Jesus, and they receive the Holy Spirit . . . but what’s strange is that Priscilla and Aquila have been there giving instruction all this time; a church even meets at their home (1 Cor 16:19). One wonders . . . why didn’t Priscilla and Aquila re-baptize these disciples and instruct them about the Holy Spirit?

We don’t know the answer to this question . . . but one thing we do know: the people we encounter in Acts aren’t following the New Testament . . . their lives are writing it, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They are to the New Testament what Patriarchs from Adam to Moses were to the Old Testament: God’s law wasn’t written on a scroll; it was real time instructions directly from God. 

The time is about 53 AD. The gospels of Matthew and Mark may have been written – but no written gospel has been distributed to the churches. Paul has written letters to Galatia and Thessalonica . . . but these haven’t yet been distributed. The church in Jerusalem is recognized as the “mother church,” but logistically is in no position to dictate policy; it would have been impossible to distribute even the decision of the Council of Jerusalem about Gentile-Christians to all churches. Hence there is no standard of Christian faith and practice. Instead, over the last 25 years, Jews and God-fearing Gentiles throughout the Roman world have learned the story of Jesus in bits and pieces as they encounter Christians in Jerusalem or elsewhere. Paul’s 1st letter to the church in Corinth – written while he is in Ephesus – states this concern: 

There are quarrels among you. . . . One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Peter"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? . . . What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  (1 Cor 1:11-13, 3:5-7)

Rather than being one family following a risen Lord Jesus, the Christians in Corinth are breaking into groups who follow a particular evangelist . . . like Jews following different rabbis! And, of course, the lack of a standard of faith and practice means some Christians are unaware of baptism in the name of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit . . . and despite the decision of the Council of Jerusalem, some Christians still insist that new Gentile-believers must be circumcised.  

This illustrates why it was so important that the New Testament was written and distributed . . . because only then did believers have a uniform understanding of the words and message of Jesus – along with case studies and authoritative opinions about how to behave under the New Covenant of Jesus.

Today we have this standard of Christian faith and practice. Yet Christians today are still divided . . . and not just into different denominations – which may be a good thing. There are warring factions which focus on fine points of doctrine and look down on others who follow a different plan of salvation. To them we can only ask again Paul’s prophetic question: “Is Christ divided?” The only really important thing is that Jesus died to take the punishment for our sins, and if we believe in Him, we inherit eternal life (John 3:16) . . . and that following Him requires us to love one another (John 13:34) and to do to others as we would have them do to us (Matt 7:12).

That’s essentially where Paul is at this point. After multiple failures to evangelize both Jews and Gentiles with logical arguments, he determined in Corinth he would preach the gospel simply . . . and it made all the difference. Paul likely follows this pattern in Ephesus, and again meets with great success. As in other cities, he first goes in the synagogue and argues that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in scripture. After 3 months, the non-believers publicly malign his message so forcefully that he walks out and takes his teaching elsewhere, as he did in Corinth. But in 3 months he has attracted too large a following to meet in someone’s home; so goes to the lecture hall of one of the leading pagan philosopher-teachers of Ephesus.

Acts 19:10 shows Paul’s strategy: “(Paul’s teaching in the lecture hall) went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). Paul has set up a “seminary” in a major commercial center, where he trains people in the gospel of Jesus, and sends them out to spread the word. Paul uses this technique so effectively that in two years, the good news of Jesus is known to everyone in the cities around Ephesus; one of his students, Epaphras, started the churches in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (Col 4:13). 

God adds to the impact of Paul’s ministry by allowing him to do extensive miracles: curing physical and spiritual disorders. Even when Paul is absent, faith in Jesus through Paul allows cures: handkerchiefs touched by Paul heal the sick. The only other New Testament record of such remarkable power is with Peter, shortly after Pentecost (Acts 5:15-16)!

Jesus is widely accepted in Ephesus – even by the Jews, as illustrated by the story of the 7 sons of Sceva, whom Luke refers to as a “Jewish chief priest” (Acts 19:14). The 7 sons try to drive out an evil spirit in the name of Jesus, but the evil spirit turns and gives them a brutal beating: saying he knows Jesus and Paul, but not them (Acts 19:15-16)! The details of the story are confusing: what is a “Jewish chief priest” doing so far from the temple in Jerusalem? . . . and why is he acting as a professional exorcist – like Simon, the Samaritan “sorcerer” in Acts 8. Nevertheless, when this story spreads, Jews and Gentiles are awed by the power of Jesus: they repent and “confess their evil deeds” because they are “seized with fear” (Acts 19:17-18). Sorcerers even burn secret magic books valued at the equivalent of 200 years’ wages for a laborer. “In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (Acts 19:20).

Paul’s 2-plus years in Ephesus are the height of his ministry. He is more successful here than anywhere else bringing both Jews and Gentiles to Jesus. Why? Partly it’s his decision to preach the gospel simply, as mentioned earlier. Partly it’s his persistence: he continues to preach – despite being abused and run out of many towns – and he continues to refine his evangelism techniques. But mostly it’s the power of God and the Holy Spirit . . . because in the 9 years since Paul and Barnabas first went to Cyprus, the gospel has also spread in a variety of other ways to those whose hearts God has prepared – like Apollos and the 12 other disciples in Acts 19:6-7, even though they knew the gospel imperfectly.

Yet Paul’s successful ministry comes to an end when a silversmith named Demetrius realizes that widespread acceptance of Jesus will negatively impact his profession – just like the sorcerers, who have sustained huge financial losses. That’s because the focus of pagan worship in what is now Western Turkey is Artemis (also known by her Roman name Diana); and the center of Artemis-worship is her temple in Ephesus: one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world . . . three times the size of the Parthenon in Athens. Many craftsmen in Ephesus earn their living making and selling Artemis “cult objects” to locals and travellers. (Although the Greco-Roman goddess Artemis/Diana is normally depicted with a bow-and-arrow as a huntress, the Artemis of Ephesus is a goddess of fertility . . . as shown by the photos on the web site emphasizing lots of breasts!)

Demetrius sees that Christianity is taking over Ephesus: miracles by Christians have replaced sorcery. He reasons it won’t be long before Christianity replaces Artemis-worship and silversmiths feel the pinch. So he calls his fellow craftsman together – “along with the workmen in related trades” (Acts 19:25) – and tells them: “Paul has convinced . . . large numbers of people in Ephesus and . . . Asia . . . that man-made gods are no gods at all. There is danger . . . that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess, . . . worshiped throughout . . . Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty” (Acts 19:26-27). The craftsmen quickly realize their main source of income is at risk. They riot . . . grabbing two of Paul’s companions and gathering in the Great Theater (also called the stadium: about the size of Rupp Arena).

While this is going on, Paul is on Harbor Road . . . a wide, straight boulevard from the Great Theater to the harbor. He can see and hear the activity; he wants to go and reason with the people. But his companions – and friendly city officials – convince him this is foolhardy: the craftsmen in the Great Theater are an unreasoning mob.

The Jews want to help the silversmiths get rid of Paul, so they push a spokesman forward. But when the mob realizes he’s a Jew – who doesn’t worship Artemis – they won’t allow him to speak . . . they drown him out with chanting! It sounds like Rupp Arena at a big game . . . except that instead of shouting “Go Big Blue,” they shout “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” . . . over and over . . . for 2 hours! Paul hears them from where he is on Harbor Road . . . and he may worry where this is going!

But the city authorities are even more worried where this is going. The city clerk – perhaps backed by a 1st century SWAT team – stands up to address the crowd. Like Proconsul Gallio in Corinth – and some scholars suggest Gallio set the legal precedent for what he says – the clerk tells the assembled craftsmen: “You have given no evidence these Christians have committed a crime. If you have such evidence, take them to court . . . but unless you disband now, we’re going to start arresting people for rioting!”

Paul isn’t forced out of Ephesus . . . but he has already been planning to visit the churches in Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 19:21) on mainland Greece to collect money for the destitute church of Jerusalem, and he decides this is a good time to leave. So once again, when Christians impact the pocketbooks of pagans, the Christians must go! . . . just like when Jesus caused a herd of pigs to be drowned in the Sea of Galilee (Matt 8, Mark 5, Luke 8) . . . and when a slave girl in Philppi lost her value as a fortune-teller when Paul cast out her evil spirit (Acts 16:19).

One final point . . . according to Catholic tradition, Jesus’ Mother Mary came to Ephesus after Paul left, and her Assumption occurred here. She would be at least 70 years old by this time. There is, however, no hard evidence or New Testament reference for this, and the house venerated as Mary’s home was only identified by a vision in the 19th century (http://www.sacredsites.com/december2001pages/mary_ephesus.htm). Hence some scholars suggest this is only legend. We all know how the church “Christianized” many pagan festivals and venerations: such as Christmas on December 25 replacing a pagan festival; and prayers to Christian saints replacing prayers to household gods. Hence the veneration of Mary may have begun as a substitute for Artemis-worship: replacing one mother-symbol with another . . . replacing the temple of Artemis with the “temple” of Mary’s body.

Next week concludes Paul’s 3rd Missionary Journey. He returns to Macedonia and Achaia and collects money for the church of Jerusalem. Then, accompanied by believers from all over Turkey and Greece, he travels to Jerusalem in triumph . . . even though he knows bad things will happen there. Within this framework Paul offers some inspiring last words . . . which are part of next week’s focus. Paul avoids Ephesus because of the riot, but meets the Ephesian elders in Miletus . . . which gives a reason to post on the web site some of the magnificient ruins of Miletus. Finally, Paul travels to Caesarea, where he meets some old friends: Philip the evangelist and Agabus the prophet.