One of the constants of human
society is this: somebody who needs to make a buck will move others, by
whatever arguments are at hand, to oppose anyone who stands in his way. We see
that here with a silversmith named Demetrius:
(Acts 19:21-41 NIV) After all this had happened, Paul
decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I
have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." {22} He
sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in
the province of Asia a little longer. {23} About that time there arose a great
disturbance about the Way. {24} A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver
shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. {25} He called
them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men,
you know we receive a good income from this business. {26} And you see and hear
how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here
in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made
gods are no gods at all. {27} There is danger not only that our trade will lose
its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be
discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province
of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty." {28} When
they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis
of the Ephesians!" {29} Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people
seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and
rushed as one man into the theater. {30} Paul wanted to appear before the
crowd, but the disciples would not let him. {31} Even some of the officials of
the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture
into the theater. {32} The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one
thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.
{33} The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted
instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before
the people. {34} But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in
unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" {35}
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all
the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the
great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? {36} Therefore, since
these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash.
{37} You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples
nor blasphemed our goddess. {38} If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen
have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.
They can press charges. {39} If there is anything further you want to bring up,
it must be settled in a legal assembly. {40} As it is, we are in danger of
being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not
be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it."
{41} After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Background
No one really knows today what
the temple of Diana looked like. Diana is the Roman name for the Greek
Artemis. In classical mythology she was the goddess of the hunt; by this time
in Ephesus she had transmuted to the goddess of fertility. Her festival,
celebrated in May, was a month long orgy, and people traveled great distances
to be in on the party. We do know some things about the temple and its
worship:
·
The temple itself was the fourth such on the site, and it was one
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Little but the base and some broken
pillars remain today. It was so famous that one man (in 356BC) set fire to it
- simply so that his name would be remembered as the man who did it. The
Ephesians responded by making it a crime to mention his name.
·
It is generally believed to have been centered around a large,
lumpy meteorite - which was therefore (in their minds) an image thrown down
from heaven. It's a little difficult to transmute this into the goddess, but
the lumps in question were long thought to be breasts - which was thought to be
the origin of Diana becoming a fertility goddess.
·
Recent research indicates, however, that the lumps shown on the
little copies made by Demetrius and his trade might very well have been
something quite a bit more gruesome. It seems that one way to worship this
goddess was to cut the testicle sac off of a bull and present it as an offering
to this fertility goddess. They were evidently hung on this meteorite.
Demetrius
We know from ancient history a
bit about Demetrius and the others here. The implication from the original
language is that Demetrius is an owner of a shop which makes and sells these
devotional images of Diana. He moves the workers in his and other shops to
this riot. The shrines themselves are small silver boxes, the outside of which
resemble the Temple in various ways. Inside might be found an image of the
goddess.
Paul
Paul was not looking for this
dispute. Indeed, it can be seen that he has not paid any particular attention
to Diana; she's just one more of the gods and goddesses made by man. Paul, in
fact, is thinking of leaving town anyway. What's on his mind?
·
He has left behind, in Corinth and other cities, many new
Christians, and he is anxious to instruct them further in the way.
·
More than that, he longs to go to Rome - the center of the known
world. From there he can see the cause of Christ exploding over the empire.
·
But first there is a duty he must perform. He must carry a gift
from the churches in Asia Minor (now Turkey) to the church in Jerusalem, which
is in a famine at this time.
So Paul, not looking for trouble
(but as usual always ready for it) is about to leave town anyway. He was not,
however, looking to leave at the front of a riot. We see here both the evil in
the attack and God's goodness in his care for the saints.
Evil Displayed
Demetrius is ever with us, for
wherever money is mixed with religion, the profiteer is ready. Indeed, one of
the roots of idolatry is the love of money - first, that in seeking a partial
god most seek financial gain through spiritual influence, and next that there
are always those willing to sell trinkets to the devout.
But if you want to start a riot,
you will need more than greed. The motive is money, but the method is
different:
·
First, he appeals to their superstitions. The logic is faulty
(as the town clerk shows eventually) - if Diana is so great, what need has she
of this riot? But they don't see it that way. So he arouses the faithful who
really believe in Diana.
·
But an even greater appeal is at hand: conservatism. These
people are changing things! Why, they don't even participate in the annual
orgy! What kind of wild-eyed radicals are these people, anyway?
·
But - and this is always useful - the real kicker is local
pride. The chant is not "Great is Artemis" but "Great is
Artemis of the Ephesians." Root for the home team, and don't let
these outsiders fool you!
You can see why most of the
people
did not really know why they were there. If they did, they'd have gone home.
Religion and Art
Religion and art are intertwined
throughout history. Indeed, at the start of the Jewish nation, with Moses, God
commands the use of artistry in the Tabernacle and in the Ark. So we cannot
really say that art has no place in Christianity. (Indeed, we may have much to
learn about this from the Eastern Orthodox.) But we also know that art may be
misused in the faith. Indeed, we see three kinds of art and artist:
·
There are those for whom their art and their worship of God are
so intertwined that they cannot be separated. Art is an expression of the
self, and if it is given in praise to God, then it is worthy indeed.
Athanasius tells us that in music we are closest to heaven, for only then does
the whole of the heart, mind, body and soul come together praising God. How
can we recognize such art? I give you the "Notre Dame" test: do you
know the name of the architect who designed that cathedral in Paris? Neither
does anyone else - he did it for the glory of God.
·
There are also those supremely talented individuals - such as a
Michaelangelo - who take a commission from the church to produce art. That
this is great art cannot be denied. Its greatness comes from the skill of the
artist in moving the saint to praise God, not in the inherent worth of the
artist.
·
Then - and by far the most common, unfortunately - there are
those who make their living producing art which is neither great artistically
nor spiritually. Demetrius is a prototype of such. We see this today. Go to
your nearby Christian bookstore. On prominent display you will find three
kinds of items:
1. You
will see books recently written, giving you the latest in pop psychology and
the "Gospel of Wealth." You will have to look on the bottom shelves
for sound doctrine.
2. You
will see cutesy folk art pictures, usually with Bible verses painted on them or
someone's devotional thought. Pay some attention to the price tags, and
compare them to similar items in a secular card shop. The benefits of
competition are seen at the card shop.
3. Music
- again, the latest in fashion - will be on display. Some of the greatest
music ever written was made to praise the Lord; you will not find it here.
Does this mean that all such
books, artwork and music are nothing but trinkets? Not at all. But there are
two problems that we can see:
·
Sometimes this art crowds out from our view the purposes of God. If
we have a picture of Christ over our table, do we see it as Jesus blessing us -
or as a reminder to feed the hungry? If the art moves us toward Christ, it is
blessed.
·
The peril is not just for us - but for the artist. You cannot
use the road to heaven as a shortcut to the drugstore. Churning out Christian
art is not the same as being a real Christian.
God's Goodness Displayed
Before we begin, it must be made
clear that God does have expectations of the worker - even the artistic worker:
·
First, whatever we do, we are to do it as if to the Lord.
This alters many common attitudes. We are not working "just to make a
living." Rather, God has permitted you the job you have so that you might
turn it into service for Him.
·
We are to work hard.
Laziness is not a virtue.
·
We are to work wholeheartedly.
·
And we are not to worry about the results - for God will provide.
Now, picture the artist doing
this. Now you can see the architect of Notre Dame hard at work. Work, seen
through the eyes of Christ, is a sacrament.
God's providence
In this day we often think of the
government as the enemy of the church. Sadly, it is often so. But it should
not be. Here, the town clerk exercises a proper function of the government in
quelling this riot. We are taught to ask for peace in our time; why? So that
the Gospel might spread more easily.
Paul - the model of the
Christian: completely fearless, continually cheerful and constantly in trouble
- wants to talk to these people. We see a riot; he sees a lot of people to
preach to all at once. From his actions we can see some lessons:
·
First, note again he has not directly assailed the temple, the
goddess or the silversmiths. Rather, he has put forth Jesus Christ - and all
else follows naturally. It is a lesson for those who criticize first and then
preach the Gospel.
·
It is also a lesson in humility. Paul accepts the advice of
those who care for him, and lets wisdom overrule courage.
Our Trials
It does seem that Paul has more
than his share of troubles for the Gospel. Why, then, is this permitted? Is
it not so that God may bring a greater good out of the troubles?
·
First, in our afflictions we are more likely to think of things
eternal than things of this world. "Depend upon it," said Samuel
Johnson, "when a man knows he is to be hanged in a month, it concentrates
his mind wonderfully." When things are going well the sermon seems too
long; when things are perilous, we listen attentively. Indeed, if the illness
is grave enough, we may come to the point of understanding that to be with
Christ is gain.
·
Affliction makes us attentive to God. You think not? Let me
make you a comparison. Suppose, on the same day, you attend both a wedding and
a funeral. At the wedding there will be champagne, there will be crude
innuendoes of what will happen in the hotel that night, there will be much
laughter and forgetting of sorrow. The ministers words on the seriousness of
marriage will be over quickly, and the party will be long. But at the funeral
- while there may be as much food, and at some as much drink - the attention of
all is pointed at the common fate of man. From which of these two events do
you think your spiritual life will profit the most?
Sometimes we long for life to
make sense. Why do I have this job, this career? Why can't I be a rich man?
Why am I suffering? If only I had this, that or the other! God says, trust me
- and I will make sense of it. Perhaps not now, perhaps not soon - but at the
end of all things, you will see and receive your reward.