Monday: A Riot in the Amphitheater

Read Acts 19:21-20:1. What lessons can we draw from this story?

Paul’s witness in the large, sophisticated city of Ephesus was so effective that it impacted an important economic engine for the city, tourism focused on the Temple of Artemis. And what a temple it was! This magnificent structure was composed partly of 127 pillars, each 60 feet high, of Parian marble, a pure-white, flawless marble highly prized for sculptures. Thirty-six of these pillars were sculpted and overlaid with gold, earning the temple its reputation as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com

Concerned that Paul’s anti-idolatry rhetoric was draining financial support from the temple (Acts 19:27), Demetrius the silversmith whipped his fellow craftsmen into a frenzy. A rapidly expanding and highly energized crowd swept from the marketplace into the large amphitheater, which seated some 25,000 people. There the commotion continued, featuring two continuous hours of shouting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:34, ESV). After the crowd is dispersed by the town clerk, Paul meets with the believers and leaves the city.

At the end of his third missionary journey, Paul meets with elders of the Ephesian church. How would you summarize Paul’s concerns? (See Acts 20:17-38).

A tentative chronology of Paul’s relationship to Ephesus:

A.D. 52: Paul’s initial, brief visit to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-21).
A.D. 53-56: Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-20:1). He composes 1 Corinthians near the end of his stay there (1 Corinthians 16:5-9).
A.D. 57: While at Miletus, Paul meets with the elders from Ephesus (Acts 20:17-38).
A.D. 62: Paul composes his letter to the Ephesians, probably from confinement in Rome.

“Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears,” said Paul (Acts 20:31, NKJV).

What do you think Paul would warn our church about today, and why?

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Amen!