(མཛད་པ། 19:21-27)

 

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

About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 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. 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.” (Acts 19:21-27)

 

Once again as in Philippi (Chapter 26 verses 16-24) there was a threat to wealthy business. It was not the worshippers of idol gods who felt threatened, but silversmiths and other tradespeople who feared a fall in their profits. This was because so many people were repenting of idol-worship and following the Way of Jesus.

With great success Demetrius stirred up the craftsmen. Read on to find out what happened next.

(མཛད་པ། 19:28-41)

 

When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 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. But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 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. 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. 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!”

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? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 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. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 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.” And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. (Acts 19:28-41)

 

The silversmiths succeeded in stirring up a great commotion, but two things protected from harm both Paul’s companions and Paul himself:

1. On the one hand, most people in the mob did not know the cause of all the noise.

2. On the other hand, the city of Ephesus had well-established procedures for keeping law and order such as modern civilized countries possess. Some high-ranking friends of Paul gave him wise advice at the beginning to keep out of sight. Then the town clerk, having learned eventually that the cause of the riot was not really religion at all, declared that if there were any actual individual complaints, then the law courts presided over by Roman officials were the right place for settling them.

མཛད་པ།1:1-3

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3)

 

The Acts of the Apostles is the history told by the physician Dr Luke of how faith in the Saviour Yeshu Ma Shi Ga spread first in Israel and then to other parts of the world. Luke wrote both like a journalist, and in very scholarly language; he was careful in recording facts and detail.

His story is told to a believer called Theophilus. And to this man he had already written the gospel story in another book called The Gospel of Luke, in much the same way as Mark had told the same good news to the people living in Rome.

The first three verses are a reminder of how Yeshu made appearances in his risen body to the close disciples and to others, and taught them over a period of time before being carried up into heaven.