Acts 19 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Acts 19

Paul in Ephesus

19:1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland¹ country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in² the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.³ 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

The Sons of Sceva

11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all⁴ of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

A Riot at Ephesus

21 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.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 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. 27 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.”

28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 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. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs,⁵ who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 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. 33 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. 34 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!”

35 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?⁶ 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 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. 39 But if you seek anything further,⁷ it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 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.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Footnotes

[1] 19:1 Greek upper (that is, highland)
[2] 19:5 Or into
[3] 19:9 Some manuscripts add from the fifth hour to the tenth (that is, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
[4] 19:16 Or both
[5] 19:31 That is, high-ranking officers of the province of Asia
[6] 19:35 The meaning of the Greek is uncertain
[7] 19:39 Some manuscripts seek about other matters

Commentary

v1: Paul is on his journeys to strengthen the disciples. Winning converts is never enough; they must become disciples.

v2-4: Paul discerns that these disciples are disciples of John Baptist, not of Jesus; presumably they left Judea after being baptised by John, without meeting Jesus; see also 18.25, Apollos was in the same position.

We do need to identify where people need to be "taught about Jesus accurately."

v5-7: The clear demonstration that the baptism of John is different from coming to faith in Jesus Christ. All twelve testify in tongues and prophecy.

v8: Paul spends three months regularly speaking in the synagogue at Ephesus. This is 'spiritual warfare' just as praying and fasting is. It was certainly God's strategy for reaching the whole area; v10 refers to all the Jews and Greek living in the province of Asia.

v9-10: Paul stays at least a further two years in Ephesus, see 20.31 which refers to a longer period. The 'discrepancy' is readily explained;

Paul has been in Ephesus a while before going into the synagogue;
There was a gap between leaving the synagogue, and beginning to teach at the school of Tyrannus;
The times given at estimates.

Many come to the lecture hall of Tyrannus, and hear the word of the Lord; this reflects Ephesus' importance as a key centre in Asia. Ephesus is a key city, after Jerusalem and Antioch, in the NT; it is a place of spiritual conflict; false teaching, idolatry, evil spirits, magic; the gospel cannot compromise with such, and conflict is inevitable.

The question to what extent Paul operated to a specific strategy is discussed by Roland Allen:

‘Just as he refused to preach in native states and passed through large towns in the territory of Antiochus … (he preached in) Lystra and Derbe; military posts in which there was a strong Roman element.’
‘The centres in which Paul established his churches were all centres of Greek civilisation.’
‘Nearly all the places in which Paul established churches were centres of Jewish influence.’
‘Paul established his churches at places which were centres of the world’s commerce.’

Having said that, ‘we must also recognize that for missionary work, they were strategic centres because he (Paul) made them so.’ (Roland Allen, Missionary Methods)

v11-12: The "extraordinary miracles" are evidently part of the conflict.

v13-14: Words without power, ritual without reality; Jewish exorcists; a further indication of the occultic powers at Ephesus.

v15: The evil spirit cannot be deceived; it recognises the real Jesus and His power (Luke 8.28); it also recognised Paul as the agent of God. Known in hell! What a reputation!

v16-17: The power of the enemy is well known in Ephesus; and the power to defeat the enemy brings honour to the Lord Jesus.

v18-19: Real repentance; confessing and forsaking sins; deciding to have nothing to do with sin.

One drachma (piece of silver) is one day's wages; so this fire is expensive, around 140 year's wages. The world may consider this a waste; but the Lord demands real commitment and loyalty.

We also note that these events happened in Ephesus; when Paul later wrote to the Church that was established there, he included the 'spiritual armour' in chapter 6.

v20: No wonder God blesses His people; just as He blessed Gideon when he broke down the altar of Baal.

v21-22: Paul's intention is to move on, although subsequent events keep him in Ephesus. This is the first time we read of an explciit reference to a specific, future plan. Previous references to 'the work,' for example in Acts 13.2, seem to be more general.

v23: A great disturbance, or commotion; the gospel opposes the idolatry of Diana (Artemis), which is centred in Ephesus; see also v28, 34-35.

v24-25: The grip of idolatry; a vital part of the economy of Ephesus.

Today many earn a living from drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, etc., and others grow crops for drugs; but many in Ephesus burned their past, and trusted in the Lord for their needs.

v26-27: The accusation against Paul, "He says that man-made gods are no gods at all." They claim that many have been influenced by him. Here is the battleground; Paul has influenced many in practically the whole province, and Diana is worshipped throughout the province. Their fear is that she be robbed of "her divine majesty."

The influence of the gospel meant that many deserted temple worship. Early in the second century, Pliny wrote to the emperor Trajan, commenting that the temples were almost deserted.

v28-34: Confusion reigns; this is not the work of the Spirit of God in those who belong to Christ. Here is religious hysteria, shouting for two hours in praise of a man-made idol, with many not knowing why.

v35-36: The city clerk brings a calmer approach to proceedings; he even declares the doctrine of Diana, which is not questioned; the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of Diana, who fell from heaven. This is "undeniable," and accepted in "all the world."

v37: The city clerk points out that Paul and his companions have done nothing wrong; he has simply preached Christ. Compare Judg 6.31; cannot this powerful idol defend herself.

Alternatively, if the doctrine of Diana is true, then Paul's efforts are futile, arguing against the truth!

v38-41: The clerk continues; a grievance can be settled properly, without rioting. He is both reasonable and persuasive, defusing the situation. This calms things down, allowing Paul to leave the city.

Ultimately, the clerk is God's instrument, leading to changed circumstances, and the furtherance of the gospel.