Historical Background
for Ephesians Bible Study Series
Acts 18:18 – 20:1
Acts 18, Verse 18: Paul, having remained many days longer [in Corinth], took
leave of the brethren and put out to sea [on a ship headed] for Syria,
and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had
his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow.
· Paul left Corinth after
investing between 18-24 months there helping to lead people to Christ, disciple
new converts, train leaders, and establish the churches. But the time had come
for him to move on.
· The beginning of Paul’s
friendship with Priscilla and Aquila is recorded in Acts 18:1-4 – “After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2
And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from
Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to
leave Rome. He came to them, 3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed
with them and they were working, for by trade they were tentmakers. 4 And he
was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and
Greeks.”
· Paul and this remarkable
couple formed a powerful synergistic ministry team.
Verse 19: They came to Ephesus, and he left them [i.e., Priscilla
and Aquila] there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with
the Jews.
· I’m certain this move from
Corinth to Ephesus was by design and not a spur of the moment decision. It was
a strategic evangelistic/church planting move.
Verse 20: When they [the Jews] asked him to stay for a longer time,
he did not consent,
· The Jews of the synagogue
were obviously intrigued by the Gospel message coming from Paul, Aquila, and
Priscilla. At this point there was still an openness to consider their message
of Jesus, the Messiah.
Verse 21: …but taking leave of them and saying, “I will
return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus.
· Paul entrusted the nascent
Ephesian ministry to Priscilla and Aquila and continued his journey back to Jerusalem
and Antioch to check in with his supporting churches.
· However, he had every
intention of returning to Ephesus.
Verse 22: When he had landed at
Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church [in Jerusalem], and went down to
Antioch.
- “…he went up and greeted
the church and went down to Antioch.” When you read verse 22 you must think in terms of
elevation above or below sea level rather than in compass
directions.
- Caesarea Maritima, as it was known in its day, was
the port city on the Mediterranean closest to Jerusalem. It was located on
the coast about 30 miles north of Joppa (modern day Tel Aviv).
However, the road from Caesarea to Jerusalem required a walk of a little
over 81 miles, nearly all of it uphill. That is because Jerusalem
sits at an elevation of 2,550 feet above sea level in the high hills of
Judaea. Jerusalem is the highest city in the whole region. It was the
Denver of its day. That is significant because to the Jews, the Holy City
of Jerusalem has always been the high point of their temporal and
spiritual life. The New Testament contains the phrase “up to Jerusalem”
twenty-two times. Westerners will often view any place north as “up
north,” whereas in the Holy Land the region around the Sea of Galilee,
although technically in the north of Israel, it is referred to as “down
north,” because it is lower in elevation. So, from the Galilee, the Jordan
Valley, the Coastal Plains, or anywhere else in the country, it was a
journey up to
Jerusalem.
- The Caesarea that Paul knew had been founded by
Herod the Great. In Paul’s time the city featured magnificent palaces and
public buildings, a large marble temple to Emperor Augustus, an amphitheater,
a hippodrome (seating 20,000 spectators), and a theater, which was built
facing the sea on the southern side of the city. King Herod also built an
artificial harbor with huge breakwaters 200 feet wide that extended 600
yards out from the shore in a graceful arc, enclosing a harbor of about 40
acres. This gave Caesarea the best harbor, after Alexandria, in the entire
eastern Mediterranean.
- The ruins of ancient Caesarea are a National Park
in Israel today, located about halfway between the cities of Tel Aviv and
Haifa, and about 70 miles northwest of Jerusalem as the crow flies, and a
comfortable 1½ hours by car.
- “When he [Paul] had landed at
Caesarea, he went up and greeted the [Jerusalem] church and then went
down to Antioch.” Paul had many
friends in Jerusalem. He had many personal supporters and prayer partners.
He was a missionary going home on furlough. Jerusalem was one of
his sending churches. The other, of course, was the church in
Antioch (Syria). From Jerusalem he probably traveled overland, making his
way down from the Judean hills into the flat country, heading north,
passing through the Galilee region on up into Syria, through Damascus and
on to Antioch. It was a journey of about 330 miles. That is a long walk to
visit a supporting church! To put it into Oregonese, it is the distance
from Portland to Baker City plus about 30 miles.
Verse 23: And having spent some time
there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia,
strengthening all the disciples.
- “And having spent some time there…” This, of course, refers to Antioch. But the text
is vague. We do not know if he spent six days, six weeks, or six months.
However, we get the impression that he did not stay long—just long enough
to renew acquaintances and re-establish relations with his
sending/supporting church. This is what missionaries have been doing for
centuries. Today we call it “furlough” or “home assignment” but it is the
same thing that Paul did as often as he could work it into his schedule.
- “…He left and passed successively
through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the
disciples.” When Paul left Antioch, he
embarked on what we call his “Third Missionary Journey.” This is described
in Acts 18:23-21:17. It is interesting to note that here in just two
verses (vs. 22-23) we see Paul making a journey of approximately 1,500
miles! From Caesarea to Jerusalem to Antioch, and then on through the
regions of Cilicia, Galatia, Pisidia, Phrygia, and all the way through
Asia until he came to the city of Ephesus. These places were all Roman
provinces located in what today we call “Turkey.” Paul had visited this
same area earlier on his “Second Missionary Journey” (cf. 16:6). Now he
went back to those same places to strengthen and encourage the new
converts he had led to Christ on his first and second trips.
Verse 24: Now a Jew named
Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to
Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures.
- Here we meet a fellow who is worth knowing. We
learn that he was a Hellenistic Jew [i.e., Greek speaking] who had been
born in the North African city of Alexandria. Apparently, he arrived in
Ephesus about the time that Paul was leaving Antioch. Nothing suggests
that they met.
- Alexandria was a major seat of learning in ancient
times. It boasted the greatest library in the world. It was the home of
Philo and was the birthplace of the Septuagint (LXX), which was the first
translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek language. Thus,
Alexandria was a meeting place of Jews and Greeks.
- “…an eloquent man…mighty in the Scriptures.” This description reminds me of people like Josh
McDowell, Luis Palau, John MacArthur, and R.C. Sproul. I think Apollos
would have fit in very well with them. He was both an orator and an
apologist for Christianity. He spoke with clarity, courage, and conviction.
I am sure that his hearers must have sat spellbound by his ability to
exegete the Scriptures and to prove from the Word of God that Jesus was
truly the Messiah who had been promised. I wish I could have heard him
preach!
Verse 25: This man had been
instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he
was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being
acquainted only with the baptism of John;
- “This man had been instructed in
the way of the Lord.” Somewhere along
the line someone, possibly an Egyptian Christian, had led Apollos to a
saving knowledge of Christ. We do not know who that person was. His or her
name is never mentioned in the Bible. But I will bet that Apollos could
have told you, because we always remember the person who led us to Jesus.
Somewhere there was a little nobody Christian who had taken the time to
share the message of salvation with Apollos, and he had placed his faith
and trust in Christ to be his Savior and Lord.
- And apparently it did
not end there because it says, “he had been instructed
in the way of the Lord.” I am certain that he got more than
just the “Four Spiritual Laws.”
Someone had put in the effort to disciple him. And look what that
did for him: “…and being fervent in spirit…”
This word “fervent” comes from the Greek word that means “boiling.”
This guy was on fire! He was a boiling hot witness for Christ!
- And look where that
took him. You can see the progression here: “He
was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus.” He
did not know everything but what he knew he was sharing with anyone who
would listen. And he was “teaching accurately.”
That is a big deal! We are told in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as
a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word
of Truth.” I believe Apollos exemplified
that verse.
- “…being acquainted only
with the baptism of John.”
This phrase has led to much debate over the years. Clearly his Christian
teaching was deficient in some way. Since he knew “the things concerning Jesus,”
we must assume that he had a rather complete knowledge of the life and
teachings of Jesus, probably including His death and resurrection.
Moreover, the practice of believer’s baptism was an integral teaching of
Christianity from the very outset. Thus, I am inclined to the view that he
was lacking in his knowledge of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts
given to the Church. The “baptism of John” was a baptism of
repentance, yet even John had promised that One was coming who would baptize
with the Spirit. I think that was the missing link for Apollos.
Verse 26: and he began to speak out
boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him
aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
- Although Apollos was “mighty in the Scriptures”
there were still some gaps in his knowledge. Remember, back in his day he
could not just look things up in a commentary or turn to Paul’s epistles
for guidance. All he had to work from was the OT Scriptures. And Apollos
was a relatively new convert himself. He was still learning and studying
and trying to make sense of the things he was finding in God’s Word. He
did not have the Internet. He did not have a seminary where he could go
and take some classes. He did not even have a Ryrie Study Bible J.
- But what he had was just as good—he had a godly
husband-and-wife team that God sent at just the right time to fill in some
of the blanks in his theology. But what I love about this is how it all
unfolded. Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak in the synagogue. They were
impressed but recognized immediately that he needed some help. So, this
lay couple lovingly “took him aside and explained to him the way of God
more accurately.” That was amazing! But equally amazing was the
fact that Apollos would humble himself before them and allow them to teach
him. Some people in the same situation might have just written Apollos off
as a heretic, but not Aquila and Priscilla. And some great preachers would
resent it if a lay couple were to attempt to straighten them out
doctrinally, but not Apollos. He got “a little help from his friends.”
Verse 27: And when he [i.e., Apollos]
wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the
disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those
who had believed through grace,
- Achaia. That is the province where Athens and
Corinth were located, in the southern part of Greece, from which Paul and
Aquila and Priscilla had recently come. Luke does not tell us why Apollos
wanted to go there but we can guess. Aquila and Priscilla had almost
certainly told him of the exciting work in Corinth, and the marvelous
things that God was doing, and he wanted to have some part in it.
- So, the Christians in Ephesus wrote letters of
recommendation for Apollos and sent him off to the mission field of
Achaia. And God was obviously the One directing in all of this because, “…When he had arrived, he greatly helped those
who had believed through grace.” God used Apollos just as He
had Paul, Silas, Timothy, et al. Later, Paul wrote to Corinth reminding
them, “I
planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor.
3:6).
Verse 28: for he powerfully refuted the
Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
- Most people would rather take a flogging than to
speak in public. However, Apollos was a preacher and an orator. What was
nearly impossible for most people came naturally to him. Now I believe
that with some practice anyone can learn to speak publicly. But are they
going to like it? Probably not. But Apollos “powerfully refuted the Jews in public,”
that is, in public forums and open discussions. He did not care how many
were in the audience. He knew his God, and he knew the Word of God, and he
was “always ready to make a defence to
everyone who should ask him to give an account for the hope that was in
him, yet with gentleness and reverence” (cf. 1 Peter 3:15).
- “…demonstrating by the Scriptures
that Jesus was the Christ.” Here we see the tool that
Apollos relied on—the Word of God. He was not just giving his own
ideas but was faithfully proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the
Promised Messiah of Israel.”
Act 19, Verse 1: It happened that while
Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to
Ephesus and found some disciples.
- Paul had been traveling through Turkey and the
Roman provinces of Cilicia, Galatia, Phrygia, Pisidia, and finally on to
Asia where the city of Ephesus was located.
- Of course, Ephesus was now the city of Aquila and
Priscilla, Paul’s dear friends. And we know that there were also other
faithful believers living there. In fact, it seems that a church had
already been established. However, we read that Paul, “…found some disciples.” Apparently, these
folks had not yet contacted the other Christians in Ephesus. And in
talking with them Paul quickly figured out that they had a problem.
- Bible scholars have long argued about whether
these “disciples” were truly saved people. Some say, “yes” while others
say, “no.” Let’s examine this situation. First, the word “disciple” simply
indicates a person who is a follower and a learner of a teacher. In the
NT, the word is normally used to describe the followers of Jesus,
but not exclusively. It also refers to people who were not Christ
followers. For example:
Ø John the Baptist had disciples who followed him. John 1:35-37 speaks clearly of them: “Again the next day John was standing with
two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He
walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two
disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.” Andrew was
one of those two men, and the other was probably John.
Ø John 9:28, referring to a blind man whom Jesus had healed,
says, “They [i.e.,
the scoffing Pharisees] reviled him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we
are disciples of Moses.’”
Ø Mark 2:18 speaks both of John’s disciples and of the
disciples of the Pharisees: “John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they
came and said to Him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of
the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?’”
- I give these examples to show that you cannot
immediately jump to the conclusion that these people in Ephesus were
necessarily Christians. They were “disciples” to be sure but, of whom?
That is the issue!
- However, in the context I must conclude
that they were indeed believers in Jesus, although like Apollos, they had
only partial knowledge and some gaps in their theology. Like Apollos, they
needed a mentor.
Verse 2: He said to them, “Did you
receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No,
we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
- As he visited with them Paul seems to have quickly
picked up on the fact that they were ignorant of certain facts. He
questioned them saying, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
This last phrase, “…when you believed” is convoluted in
the King James Version. There it says, “…since you believed” giving the
impression that receiving the Holy Spirit is something that should be
expected to occur sometime after conversion. However, the NASV,
NIV, and other modern translations have translated the phrase more
accurately. Notice that Paul is not calling their belief into question. He
takes them at their word about their salvation experience.
- And they said to him, “No, we
have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” They are
not saying here that they have never heard about the Holy Spirit.
Anyone with even a little bit of knowledge of the OT would know of the existence
of the Holy Spirit. Their answer must mean that they had heard no
distinctively Christian teaching about the Holy Spirit. Apparently,
they had not heard about Pentecost. They knew only the message of John the
Baptist—that people should receive a baptism of repentance in anticipation
of the coming One, the Messiah.
Verse 3: And he [Paul] said, “Into
what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
- Paul quizzed them about their understanding of
what their baptism signified. “Into what then
were you baptized?” We can easily criticize these guys as being
ignorant yahoos. However, if we were to quiz people in the average evangelical
church about the true meaning of their baptisms, how many of them do you
think would be able to give an articulate answer? Not very many I am
afraid. They answered, “We were baptized into
John’s baptism.” In other words, “What John said to do, we
did. What he said it means, is what we believe it means. We repented
of our sins and believed in the coming Messiah.” So, Paul
seems to take them at their word. In one sense they were just like many
others who came to the Jordan to hear John the Baptist preach. They
humbled themselves before God, repented of their sins, and placed their
faith and trust in the Savior who was soon to appear. Some of those people
came to understand that Jesus was that Messiah, while others
believed on Him without knowing His name. I believe that was the case with
these people that Paul met in Ephesus. They knew Him but not by name.
Verse 4: Paul said, “John baptized with
the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who
was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
- So, Paul explained it all to them. He explained
that John was the Forerunner who was promised by the prophet Malachi. John
baptized for repentance and told of the One coming after him who would
baptize them with the Holy Spirit. He explained that that Promised One was
called Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. Paul explained that John’s
whole ministry was to point to Jesus, and to get people to believe
in Jesus.
Verse 5: When they heard this, they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
- This must have been an amazing story to them. They
had apparently left Israel before Jesus appeared on the scene. They had
apparently not known about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They
had not been there on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit showed up
and did all those amazing things. For whatever reason they had left the
region and had missed seeing all those things.
- Theologians have long argued about whether these
guys were saved or not. After all, they did not know much. It seems that
they did not even know who Jesus was. At least they never mentioned His
name. And they did not know about the Holy Spirit being poured out on the
believers on the Day of Pentecost. That was news to them. It seems that
all they knew was that they were sinners and needed to throw themselves on
the mercy of God and to trust in the substitutionary death of the One who
would appear and would die in their place, as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
- Interesting enough, that is 90% of the Gospel!
And Paul recognized that these guys were indeed believers. That is because
it is not what you know, but WHOM. By faith they knew the Messiah,
the Savior. They did not know His name, but they knew HIM. On the other hand, there are lots of
people running around who know His NAME but do not know HIM! Which
is better?
- One more thing… these folks were just like the
saints of the OT, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, et al, who believed
God’s promise of a coming Messiah. They were saved by grace, through faith
in the One who was to come. Abraham never heard the name of Jesus, but he
was saved. Job never heard the name of Jesus, but he was saved. David
never heard the name of Jesus, but he was saved.
Verse 6: And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with
tongues and prophesying.
- Notice that Paul did not try to evangelize them.
He did not try to convince them of anything. He did not ask them to say a
prayer of come forward or raise their hands. That is because they had
already become children of God back when they first believed, back when
they were baptized by John in the Jordan. Of course, they were not saved
by John’s baptism. They were saved by faith in the Saviour who they were
told would soon appear, and their faith was reckoned to them by God as
righteousness.
- Now, all Paul did was to lay his hands on
them. Was there power or magic in
Paul’s hands? No, of course not. Paul had no power of his own. He had no
power to bestow the Holy Spirit upon these people. However, God used Paul
as an instrument to show that these people were part of the same Body that
had been established at Pentecost when the Church was born.
- Notice what happened to them when Paul laid his
hands on them. “…The Holy Spirit came on them,
and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” That is
exactly what happened to the believers in Jerusalem on the Day of
Pentecost! This was a mini-Pentecost right there in Ephesus, 1,500 miles
from Jerusalem where it happened the first time. More accurately, it was
just an extension or continuation of Pentecost.
Verse 7: There were in all about twelve
men.
- Some have tried to make something of the number 12
here. You probably already know that there are dozens of books that have
been written through the years about the numerology of the Bible.
Religious wingnuts and moonbats have long tried to find meaning in every
number mentioned in the Scriptures. This passage is no exception. People
have tried to tie these 12 men to the Twelve Tribes of Israel and make
some connection. Others have seen a connection to the Twelve Apostles. To
me that is all nuts! You might as well try and tie these guys to the
Twelve Days of Christmas. Call me “simple-minded” if you want, but I am
just naïve enough to believe that the number 12 here means nothing more
than that there were about a dozen of these Jewish guys that God had Paul
run into so that he could get them straightened out and headed in the
right direction. It goes to prove the theorem that if a person will act in
faith on the truth he has already received, God is faithful to bring
someone along to give him more truth. These 12 guys did not know everything,
but they knew enough to be saved. They apparently also were not shy
about discussing their faith. They were certainly willing to talk with
Paul about these things. So, what did God do? He brought Paul along at
just the right time and in the right place to fill in the gaps in their
understanding.
- Just one more thing… Bible scholars have long
puzzled over the significance of this mini-Pentecost in far-flung Ephesus.
Here is my theory. In Acts 2 we read of the birth of the Church and the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Jewish believers in Jerusalem. In Acts 10
we read about the salvation of Gentiles at Cornelius’ house and the
outpouring of the same Holy Spirit on them, showing that they were part of
the same Body of Christ. Now here in Acts 19 we see the Holy Spirit poured
out again, but this time thousands of miles away on the mission field, far
from Israel, showing that these people too were part of the same Body of
Christ. Same event, same meaning, same sign gifts.
Verse 8: And he [Paul]
entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months,
reasoning and persuading them about the Kingdom of God.
- So, following
his usual strategy Paul started his ministry in the place with the fewest
cultural barriers. In the synagogue he was with his own people, who spoke
the same language and came from the same culture. He began his ministry in
Ephesus by offering the Gospel to the Jews.
- He tried his
best to show them from their own Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah,
and that through Him the Kingdom of God was already being established
on earth. “... [He] continued speaking out
boldly for three months.” Paul was never one to be shy about
sharing the Gospel. In Romans 1:16 he wrote, “For
I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek.” And in 2 Corinthians 3:12 he said, “Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness
in our speech.”
- “...reasoning and persuading them...” In 2 Corinthians 5:11, Paul wrote: “Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade
men.” Many Christians think that we must be all gentle and
pussyfoot about sharing our faith. Where does that idea come from?
Certainly not from Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, or a host of other biblical
characters. No, that idea comes from fearful Christians who are more
worried about whether people will like us than whether those folks will
spend eternity in Heaven.
Verse 9: But when some
were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way
before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples,
reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
- So, what was it
that convinced Paul that it was time to move on? After three months of
sharing Christ with these Jews, after explaining the Gospel over and over
again, after answering all their questions and fielding all their excuses,
when it became evident that some of them had closed their hearts and minds
to the truth he had given them, Paul knew it was time to find a new
audience. It appears that most of these Jews were positively disposed to
the things Paul was teaching but the hardened minority had such influence
over the congregation that Paul knew he needed to try a new tactic. “...some [not all] were becoming hardened and
disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people...”
“The people of THE WAY” was one of the common names given to the early
Christians. It came from Jesus’ affirmation in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no
one comes to the Father except through Me.” The name just
stuck.
- So, Paul
gathered up those who had believed in Christ and received the Gospel, and
he shifted his center of operations to the “school
of Tyrannus.” But who was Tyrannus, and what kind of school did
he run? To be frank, we do not know anything about Tyrannus except for his
name. We do not even know if he was a believer or not. All we really know
is that he owned the school where Paul set up shop after he left the
synagogue. Evidently, it was a type of lecture hall, a school of
philosophy and oratory where traveling philosophers would often be invited
to teach. One ancient Western Text, the Greek manuscript of Acts in the Codex
Beza, tells us that Paul used the lecture hall from 11 AM until 4 PM
during the hottest part of the day. During those hours, the Ephesian men
were expected to be conducting leisure activities...not work. During those
hours, men pursued their hobbies, they rested, or they took part in great
discussions in the lecture hall about philosophy and theology. Paul
probably plied his trade as a tentmaker from dawn until 11 AM to support
himself. Then he spent the rest of the day teaching, debating, and
explaining the Word of God to any who came by.
Verse 10: This took
place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord,
both Jews and Greeks.
- “...all who lived in Asia heard the word
of the Lord.” This is of course, hyperbole. I
am sure that not every person in the whole western region of Turkey
heard the Gospel, but Luke is simply saying that by the end of those two
years the message reached far and wide, to every town and village, to both
Jews and Gentiles. Of course, Paul did not do all this communicating on
his own either. He remained in Ephesus, but as people were getting saved,
they were spreading out and taking the Good News with them wherever they
went.
- As an aside,
today we use the term “Asia” to include the whole of the Orient, and we
use the term “Asian” to describe people from Japan, India, China, Vietnam,
Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, etc. However, as the word is used in the NT,
“Asia” technically only refers to the westernmost province of Anatolia in
what is now called Turkey, which was the area that included the seven
churches of the Book of Revelation. The Roman province of Asia was a
Senatorial province governed by a proconsul. Ephesus was the capital of
the province and thus where the Roman proconsul resided.
Verses 11-12: God was
performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that
handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the
diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out.
- “God was performing extraordinary miracles.” Seriously, is there any miracle that is not
extraordinary? But even as miracles go, these were off the charts!
- Notice that
Luke is clear about who was doing the miracles—God! Paul had
no power of his own. He had no authority to heal or cast out demons except
that power and authority conferred on him by Christ. The miracles happened
“...by the hands of Paul” but he
was just a channel, an instrument through whom God worked. Moreover, there
is no basis for saying these rags or articles of clothing were
deliberately sent out by Paul for the purpose of healing. The Spirit of
God sovereignly chose to use these things; it was not a plan cooked up by
Paul or his colleagues.
- Except for the
accounts of people being healed when they touched Jesus’ garments (cf.
Mark 5:27ff; 6:56), to my knowledge, this is the only reference in the
Scriptures whereby God’s healing power was attached to inanimate
objects. Much has been made of this over the years by religious quacks
and charlatans who sell handkerchiefs, holy healing oil, and all kinds of
other bobbles and gizmos, and manage to separate sincere yet gullible
people from their hard-earned money.
- On the other
hand, I have no trouble believing that this really happened. During those
few early years of the church God did a lot of amazing things to
authenticate both the preaching of the Apostles and the establishment of
His Church. However, I am skeptical of people who show up nowadays
claiming to have these same abilities. It has been my observation to this
point that all such claims have been fraudulent. 1 John 4:1 warns
us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world.” That is my default
position. I figure they are just lying wackadoodles unless they can prove
to me otherwise.
Verse 13: But also,
some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name
over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I
adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
- Even in those
days there were people who claimed to have power over the demonic forces.
There were Jewish exorcists/magicians who travelled around claiming to be
able to free people from demon possession and demonic oppression (cf.
Matt. 12:22ff; Luke 11:19). In fact, exorcism was common in the ancient
world; and the most common method was by chanting magical names in
formulae (as “God of Israel,” “God of Abraham,” etc.). And you need to
know that Ephesus was a center of magic. The place was full of magicians
or people claiming to be able to do supernatural things. If the exorcist
knew the name of a more powerful spirit than the demon that had taken up
residence in the afflicted person, by calling on that stronger name he
could overpower the spirit and make him come out. At least, that was the
theory.
- What is
interesting is that some of them were trying to do this in the name of
Jesus, even though they did not believe in Him personally, or love
Him, or serve Him. They were trying to use His name like an amulet, a good
luck charm. In other words, they were name-droppers. These guys had
seen or heard about the miracles performed by Paul’s hands in healing the
sick and casting out the demonic spirits. So, they decided to use Paul’s
method. They wanted to be like Paul. They wanted the people to Ooo and
Aaah over them the way they did over Paul. They wanted the notoriety and
fame. And for them, it was just a matter of learning Paul’s technique. They
knew that he did everything in the name of Jesus. He healed people in
the name of Jesus. He cast out demons in the name of Jesus. So, they tried
doing it like he did it, invoking the name of Jesus to cast out the
demons.
- So, they would
say things like, “I adjure [i.e., order, command]
you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” As
you can already imagine, the demons were not impressed by these guys. In
fact, what follows is, in my opinion, a hysterically funny story about
just how miserably this approach failed.
Verses 14-15: Seven
sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 And
the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about
Paul, but who are you?”
- This Sceva fellow
was a Jewish bigwig, a chief priest. He had seven sons who must have
thought they were hot stuff. They had been trying to cast out demons
saying, “I command you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” It had not
been working but they were convinced that they were on the right track.
One day they came up against another demon possessed person and thought
they would try it again. They said, “We
command you to come out of him, demon, by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
- I do not know
for sure, but I think even demons have a sense of humor. This demon, using
the man’s voice, said to the sons of Sceva, “Jesus I know, and I’m
familiar with Paul, but who the heck are you guys?” I do not know
why, but that just strikes me funny every time I read it. This demon was
not threatened by them in any way, shape, or form. They had no power, no
authority—nothing. The demon was not afraid of them and felt no obligation
to obey them.
Verse 16: And the
man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of
them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked
and wounded.
- Read that verse
again carefully. Parse it out. You must use your creative imagination
here. I have always thought this would make a great scene for a movie. One
demon-possessed guy tears into these seven preacher-boys and beats them to
a bloody pulp. He “leaped on them...subdued
them...and overpowered them.” Not only that, he ripped the
clothes off all seven of them. They barely get away with their lives, but
they leave their clothes, their dignity, and their reputations behind.
Moreover, I have a hunch that these guys got out of the exorcism business
that very same day! “...they fled out of that
house naked and wounded.” Now that is funny! Can you imagine
them showing up at the Emergency Room of Ephesus General Hospital trying
to explain this one? And what do you think their dad said when they got
home?
Verse 17: This
became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell
upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.
- This story
spread out in every direction and the result was that the whole city was
filled with awe. I am sure that old Sceva, the father of the seven
preacher-boys, tried everything to keep a lid on this story but it got out
anyway. And everyone who heard the story, Jews, and Gentiles alike, marveled
again at the power of God.
- Look again at
the verse: “...and fear fell upon them all
and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.” The
people who heard these things were filled with awe and wonder. And they
connected the dots! They realized that this one about whom Paul was
preaching, and in whose name he performed these mighty wonders, must
indeed be the true Son of God, the Messiah. So, “...Jesus was being magnified,” which means He was “built
up, made large, made known.”
Verses 18-19: Many also
of those who had believed kept coming, confessing, and disclosing their
practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their
books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they
counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
- This story of
the 7 sons of Sceva getting demon-whipped had another effect. People who
had been clients of the wizards and magicians saw the error of their ways
and came and confessed their involvement in the occult for what it was—SIN
AGAINST GOD.
- Not only that,
the wizards, and magicians themselves started showing up. In the face of a
real demonstration of divine power they realized that they had been
playing for the wrong team. “They brought
their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone.”
That shows a total turning from their old occultic practices to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else can explain what happened to them. Now
that they had encountered the real thing they could never go back to the
counterfeit.
- To sorcerers, a
magical spell is potent in direct proportion to its secrecy; so, the way
to destroy their power was to destroy the books which contained the
secrets. Notice also, the phrase, “...they
kept coming, confessing, and disclosing their practices.” They
were divulging their secret practices and telling their spells, which was
the other way to destroy their power. Don't you know, that is the only way
to break the back of sin, any kind of sin—confess it and disclose it? Then
it dies and has no more power over us. Sin cannot stand the light of day.
- Magical scrolls
were numerous in the ancient world although they were outrageously
expensive. They were even dubbed, “Ephesian letters.” Luke tells us that
the calculated value of the scrolls burned there was, “...fifty thousand pieces of silver.” Each
one of those silver coins, called a drachma, was the equivalent of a day’s
wage. Now, that is a lot of money! The NLT translates this verse as
follows: “The value of the books was several
million dollars.” No wonder this was such an extraordinary
event and the news about it went out quickly.
Verse 20: So, the
word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.
- I love this
verse! This is the dream of every pastor, every evangelist, and every
missionary. This is the thing we all pray for, work for, and hope we will
get to see in our lifetime.
Verse 21: Now after these things were
finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed
through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see
Rome.”
- “Now after these things… Paul purposed in the spirit
[or Spirit] to…” In some of your Bibles the word
“spirit” here is capitalized, while in others it is not. The original
texts did not use capitalization, so we are left to interpret this based
on the context. Personally, I believe it is referring to Paul’s human
spirit rather than the Holy Spirit. I believe that Paul, in his heart,
wanted to visit these various places, including Rome, before reaching his
ultimate destination. He was planning to retrace his steps from his
previous missionary trip by going from Ephesus to Philippi in Macedonia,
down again to Corinth in Achaia, hopping a ship to Caesarea and Jerusalem,
and then after a while, going on to Rome where he knew lots of people.
However, Rome was not his ultimate destination. Paul wanted to
carry the Gospel to the farthest reaches of the Empire. He shared his plan
with the Roman believers in Romans 15: 24-28. Writing to the Christians in
Rome he explained: “I am planning to go to
Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have
enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my
journey. 25 But before I come, I must go to
Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. 26 For you see, the
believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for
the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.
27 They were glad to do this because they feel they
owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual
blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the
least they can do in return is to help them financially. 28 As soon as I have
delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come
to see you on my way to Spain.” So, you see, Spain was
his ultimate destination. And while it was the desire of his heart and was
the thing he had purposed in the spirit, it was not God’s will for him,
and in fact, he never set foot in Spain, although he did make it to Rome.
Verse 22: And having sent into Macedonia
two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in
Asia for a while.
- He sent these two fellows on ahead, intending to join them shortly.
Verse 23: About that time there occurred
no small disturbance concerning the Way.
- “There occurred no small disturbance…” This is what you call an understatement!
It turned out to be a big disturbance indeed!
- “…concerning the Way.” What is this about? The first time we encountered
this term in Acts was back in 9:1-2, which says, “Now Saul, still breathing threats and
murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and
asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he
found any belonging to the Way,
both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”
The next time the expression appears is in Acts 19:9 where Luke describes
what was happening in Ephesus when the Jews rejected the Gospel and began
to murmur against the Christians. “But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient,
speaking evil of the Way
before the people, he [Paul] withdrew from them and took away the
disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.” So, you
see that The Way referred to followers of Christ, who declared Himself to
be “The Way, the Truth and the Life.”
Verse 24: For a man named Demetrius, a
silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little
business to the craftsmen;
- This man, Demetrius, was a metalworker. He, along with many other
skilled craftsmen in Ephesus, made his living by fashioning silver, gold,
bronze, and copper replicas of the goddess, Artemis, and of her temple.
These were used by people in their homes to set up a personal “god-shelf”
where they could offer their daily family sacrifices. The goddess was
always depicted as a 20-breasted, large, ugly woman with a huge crown on
her head. She was believed to be a fertility goddess. An army of virgin
female priestesses attended to her temple. This was a very lucrative
business because Ephesus was a tourist city and well known as a pilgrimage
destination. People would come from far and wide to ask for the blessing
of Artemis.
- By the way, the Greeks worshipped another version of this same
goddess; however, the two Artemises were not the same. The Ephesian
Artemis was the ancient mother-goddess of Asia Minor and commonly known as
Cybele. Her temple in Ephesus was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World.
Verses 25-26: 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.”
- It appears that this Demetrius fellow was a natural leader. He may
have been some kind of union boss over their metalworkers’ guild. At any
rate, he put this meeting together and was the first one to take the
microphone.
- “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this
business.” He got right to the point. This
was about money more than religion! Paul and the other Christians had
started to affect his bottom line. Paul’s ministry was so effective that
the sale of idols and shrines was on the decline.
- Moreover, he recognized that what was
happening in Ephesus was just the tip of the iceberg. The Ephesian Artemis
was worshipped in 33 places all around the ancient world. Furthermore, he
understood correctly what Paul had been preaching about idols—namely, that
they were nothing more than shiny pieces of useless junk. “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.” That is
exactly what Paul had been teaching. Demetrius hit the nail on the head.
In fact, I am guessing that Paul probably referred to passages such as
Isaiah 44 and Jeremiah 10 to make his case. Check those texts out for
yourself.
Verse 27: “Not only is there danger that
this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great
goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of Asia and the
world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”
- So, Demetrius’ concern was three-fold:
1.
That the shrine-making trade might go
belly-up and be disrespected, thus wiping out his income,
2.
That the temple of Artemis might come
to be regarded as worthless,
3.
That Artemis herself might end up
being dethroned as the Queen Mother of the gods.
- I am sure that if you could have asked Paul about this, he would
have said, “And so, what is your
point? That is exactly what we hope will happen.”
Verses 28-29: When they [i.e., the mob]
heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is
Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The
city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into
the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions
from Macedonia.
- So, the people all started running around invoking their goddess by
name, probably wanting her to come down and destroy these gatecrashers.
- Eventually the mob ended up at the largest meeting place in the
city, the huge arena. This was the most magnificent structure in Ephesus.
It was located on the slope of Panayir Hill, opposite Harbor Street, and
easily seen when entering from the south entrance to Ephesus. It was first
constructed in the Hellenistic Period, in the third century BC, but then
during the Roman Period, it was enlarged and modernized. It was the
largest theater in Anatolia and had a capacity of 25,000 seats.
Verses 30-31: And when Paul wanted to go
into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. 31 Also,
some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and
repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater.
- When Paul saw his good and faithful friends, Gaius, and Aristarchus, being dragged off by
the mob he was ready to get in there and crack some heads. Just because
you are a Christian does not mean that you must be a weenie! Sometimes a
man must take a stand and fight back. Paul was not one to stand by and see
his friends abused. However, I think sometimes Paul had the tendency to be
a little bit hot-headed. This was one of those times. A few of the other
disciples grabbed him and held him back. They could see that it would only
end up in more violence.
- “Also, some of the Asiarchs, who were friends
of his…” Paul had made some friends in
high places who now come to his rescue and talked sense into him, possibly
saving his life. This word “Asiarchs” is an interesting word. This
is an example of what Greek scholars call a hapax legomenon,
meaning, “a word occurring only one time in the text.” In fact,
this is the only time we find this word in the whole NT. Literally it
means, “rulers of Asia” (archon, ruler + Asia).
Verses 32-34: So then, some were shouting
one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the
majority did not know for what reason they had come together. 33 Some
of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward;
and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to
the assembly. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a
single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours,
“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
- These verses remind me of the so-called “Occupy Movement” that
occurred some years ago. Most of those people did not even know what they
were there for. No one could figure out who was in charge. The message was
fractured by hundreds of different voices shouting different things. This
is how mobs always operate. The leaders wanted this to be a town meeting,
but they could not hold it together, so it quickly degenerated into a
mindless lynch mob. It would be funny if it were not so pitiful!
- This fellow, Alexander, seems to have gotten caught in the middle.
He tried to speak to the group, but his intentions were misunderstood. I
suspect that he was trying to speak on behalf of his fellow Jews to
explain that Paul and the others were no friends of the Jews, and the Jews
should not be blamed for what was going on in the city. However, the mob
thought he was trying to defend Paul, so it enflamed them even
more. That sent the group off on a two-hour rant of praise to Artemis and
begging her to come down and wipe out these infidels.
Verse 35: After quieting the crowd, the
town clerk said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know
that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis
and of the image which fell down from heaven?
- So finally, after the crowd quieted down a little the town clerk
spoke up. He was a city magistrate, the executive officer of the city
assembly and the liaison officer between the City of Ephesus and the Roman
governor and as such, he would be held responsible for such a riotous
gathering.
- His comment tells us that the commonly held belief in Ephesus was
that the original image of the goddess had fallen out of the heavens
directly from Zeus and landed in Ephesus, and that Artemis herself had
appointed the Ephesians to be guardians of her temple. They all saw this
as a divine obligation.
Verses 36-37: So, since these are undeniable
facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37 For
you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor
blasphemers of our goddess.
- “Since these are
undeniable facts…” How many times
has this been said, and been wrong? I am thinking of poor old Galileo who
correctly concluded that the earth spins around the sun and that our
galaxy is not the center of the universe. However, the rest of the world,
including the Roman Catholic Church disagreed with him. It turns out he
was right, and all the rest were wrong. This guy in Ephesus thought that
his theories were gospel truth.
- However, the town clerk correctly pointed out to the crowd that Paul
and his colleagues had not actually done anything wrong or illegal. They
had not robbed the temple of Artemis nor done anything else that was
really disgusting or nefarious. His words show that Paul and the others
had spent their time proclaiming Christ rather than denouncing Artemis.
There is an important principle in there for us. He went on to say…
Verses 38-39: “So then, if Demetrius and the
craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in
session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one
another. 39 But if you
want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.”
- The town clerk continued his explanation: “If you want to prosecute these men for a crime then do it
lawfully. Either take them before the proconsul now, or wait and take them
before the assembly,” which normally met three times a month and was
presided over by the Roman proconsul.
Verses 40-41: “For indeed we are in
danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since
there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to
account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 After
saying this he dismissed the assembly.
- The Romans were practical people. In nearly every region they
conquered they would put local people in charge of keeping the peace.
Rather than putting Romans directly over the people they would appoint
nationals to be their surrogates. But those local leaders lived with fear
stemming from the knowledge that if things ever got out of hand the Romans
were always more than ready to charge in and crack heads and take names.
- From his comments it is easy to see that this “town clerk” was
worried that this crowd was getting too rowdy and making too much noise.
If it had risen to the level of drawing the attention of the Romans, it
would have been his neck on the block.
Acts 20, Verse 1: “After the uproar had ceased,
Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had exhorted them and taken his leave
of them, he left to go to Macedonia.”
