Acts 19: in Ephesus - when the Gospel comes into conflict with worldly wealth

A number who had practised sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. Acts 19:19

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said:

‘You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 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 gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 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 worshipped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.’

When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ Soon the whole city was in an uproar. Acts 19:23-29

Acts 19 covers various events in Ephesus, but there are two that stand in stark contrast to each other, both taking place when the truth of Jesus Christ stands in opposition to the financial economy.  I'll start with the one that comes second.

Ephesus was home to the cult of Artemis, who boasted a great and famous temple.  Many wanted to worship Artemis, and as well as coming to the temple, they could also have a shrine in their house.  It may be difficult for us to imagine bowing down to statue and believing it to have divine powers, but for the Ephesians, this was how their religion worked.  Of course, for the silversmiths like Demetrius, who make the shrines, this was lucractive business.  Their whole livelihood was embedded into the worship of Artemis.  It's not difficult to imagine how they may have felt when a new religions started sweeping the city - one that had no need of silversmiths - potentially putting their business at risk.

But the fact is, as Demetrius correctly alludes to when quoting Paul's teaching: gods made of human hands are no gods at all.  If one is to feel sorry for the Ephesians when their way of life is threatened, then one must remember that it is a far greater sorrow for them to be trusting in something that will not deliver.  Jesus himself considered it was even better to enter glory with one's hand cut off or eye gouged out that to enter hell as a 'whole' person (Matthew 5:29-30).

Demetrius puts it to his fellow silversmiths, and to the people of Ephesus, that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and maybe that is a concern for him too, but there is no doubt that his bank balance and his position in the local economy that is heavily driving his actions.  Even if something about the gospel of Jesus seemed attractive, or if he had started to have creeping doubts about his own religion, this was where he had invested his time and his money. As Jesus says: "...where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). Notice its the heart that follows the treasure, not the treasure that follows the heart. It is much harder for the person who has invested a lot in this world to give those things up - as Jesus himself said: "...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24).

But what of the second, or first example?  The people mentioned in Acts 19:19 are of a slightly different religious persuasion - those from various ethnic backgrounds, including Jews, who have been practising sorcery.  And the amazing thing here?  We see the proverbial camel go through the eye of the needle! After making that particular remark Jesus' disciples asked: “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25), to which Jesus replied: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).  Despite what our psychology tells us, lives change.  Those who turned away from idolatry - from seeking things that are not God and will not lead to life - did so at huge financial cost.  They could have sold their goods, but they didn't - knowing that passing them onto others would simply lead others into sin.  It seems amazing, but if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Lord Jesus has a profound and miraculous effect on people's lives, because when we come to him, we see true life, and true assurance.  That is where the true treasure is, and whatever hold the world has on us, Jesus has the power to break it.

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