No Gods at All

 Acts 19:23-41

Good morning! Today we continue our series in the Book of Acts, looking at the second half of Chapter 19. Last week, John shared about the events surrounding Paul’s arrival in Ephesus, and today’s passage will also take place in this city. The first part of the chapter tells us that Paul spent his first three months in Ephesus “speaking boldly” and “arguing persuasively” in the synagogue. We are told in verse 9, “but some of them became obstinate, they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way,” the “Way” being a term for followers of Christ, a term that is undoubtedly connected to Jesus’ own words “I am the way and the truth and life. No man comes to the Father except through Me” which is in John 14:6. I would point out that if only “some” of those in the synagogue became obstinate, then others did not – and in fact there grew to be a population of Jewish believers in Ephesus. But it seems that at the end of those three months, Paul was no longer welcome in the synagogue, and so we are told that Paul left the synagogue and began to have daily discussions in a place called the lecture hall of Tyrannus. We don’t know the details, but whoever controlled that location was likely a believer who offered this facility in support of Paul. This brings us to Acts 19:10, which is quite a remarkable verse:

This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. – Acts 19:10

It is estimated that 2 million people lived in the province of Asia. Did all 2 million of them hear the gospel by going to the lecture hall of Tyrannus? No, I don’t think this is what the passage is implying. What it is implying is that Paul trained disciples at the lecture hall of Tyrannus, and these disciples went out throughout the province of Asia so that no significantly sized community in the entire province did not get exposure to the gospel through these disciples. Did Paul even train every disciple personally? No, I don’t think so. In the Great Commission the disciples are told by Jesus to go and make disciples, and the result is the power of multiplication – exponential growth. Over the past few years, we have seen the negative effects of exponential growth by watching how the Covid virus so permeated the world that almost every human has been exposed. But over this two-year period in Paul’s life, the gospel spread in an equally unimaginable way, spreading with astonishing speed, changing individual lives, families, communities, and ultimately, the entire region.  No, Paul did not save each person personally – indeed, he almost certainly never even met the vast, vast majority of those who came to faith in Christ in this period.  

Now the passage goes on to say that God did do extraordinary miracles through Paul; even handkerchiefs and aprons which touched him God used to bring miraculous healing and deliverance from evil spirits. And so I do not doubt that the crowds that surrounded Paul were large, much like what happened around Jesus. But these things only helped to spread the gospel, the good news of what Jesus has done, even faster. 

One more event and its aftermath is described in last week’s passage: Seven sons of a Jewish chief priest decided to take it upon themselves to ty to drive out evil spirits from demon-possessed people by invoking the name of Jesus. This backfired – the demon stated that he knew Jesus and knew about Paul but never heard of them, and then the man possessed by the spirit overpowered them all. News of this event spread like wildfire throughout Ephesus, causing many to be filled with godly fear and turn to the Lord. As a result, some who had practiced sorcery brought the scrolls together and burned them publicly. 

And so, putting these events together, what we can say is that the gospel was spreading and deeply infiltrating not only the Jewish community in Ephesus, but the march larger Gentile population, and not just in Ephesus but throughout the surrounding area. This brings us to today’s passage.

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 worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” – Acts 19:23-27

Now, Ephesus was more famous for its Temple of Artemis than it was for anything else. This temple was just outside of Ephesus. It has been designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, along with the Great Pyramid of Giza (which is the only one of the Seven Wonders still in existence, although its façade is mostly gone), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.  

The first version of the Temple, dedicated to the goddess Artemis, was destroyed by a flood in the seventh century BC. Myths attribute its building to the Amazons. The Temple was rebuilt in a much larger form from 550 to 540 BC, funded by Croesus, king of Lydia. Shortly after completing the project, Croesus was defeated by Cyrus the Great, the same Cyrus mentioned in the Book of Ezra. This Temple stood until 356 BC, about 200 years, when it was destroyed by an arsonist named Herostratus. He did this simply because he wanted to be famous. He was of course executed for this crime. There is a term named after him, Herostratic fame, which means fame sought at any cost. 

A third version of the Temple was built starting in 323 BC, this time paid for locally by the Ephesians. Alexander the Great offered to pay for it, but the Ephesians – with great tact – told him that it would be improper for one god to build a temple to another. This Temple was 150 yards long (so 1.5 times longer than a football field) 75 yards wide, and 60 feet high, with at least 127 columns. Literary sources describe the Temple as adorned by paintings and sculptures from the very best artists and sculptors of the time. This was the Temple that stood at the time of the Book of Acts. 

Now, the Romans often conflated gods together, and they identified Artemis with Diana, daughter of Zeus, sister of Apollo, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, fertility, and the Moon. For those into DC movies, the superhero Wonder Woman was written with these stories in mind, as Wonder Woman was connected to the Amazons, and even had the name Diana. 

Now the appearance of Diana throughout the Roman Empire was as a beautiful woman, but the appearance of Artemis of Ephesus was something entirely different, something more ancient. Countless small figurines of this image were made, often with wood, and adorned with metal jewelry and precious stones. 

In our passage, Demetrius was a silversmith who either made standalone silver images or silver coverings of wood figurines of Artemis. At this time, skilled laborers were members of something like guilds, kind of like modern trade unions, and based on what this passage says, it is likely that Demetrius was a leader of a trade guild that seemingly included multiple trades, not just silversmiths. And Demetrius brings all these people together and tells them that Paul and his Christianity were a threat to their livelihoods, because so many people were turning to Christ and away from the traditional gods. And in reference to our title for today’s message, he says that Paul is teaching the people that “gods made by human hands are no gods at all.”

Ironically, we have absolutely nothing left of either the silver coverings or complete silver sculptures of Artemis. Being a valuable metal, anything made of silver was undoubtedly melted down to be used for some other purpose. And so quite literally, the gods made by Demetrius and his fellow silversmiths today are not only not gods at all; they aren’t anything at all.  

Now, we all know that God forbids making personal idols to false gods, and that is exactly what these were. 

Now Demetrius masterfully stirs the people up by appealing to fears of (1) losing their income, (2) losing their honor as tradesmen, and (3) having their goddess herself greatly dishonored. I think it is hardest for us to appreciate the third appeal, so let me say a bit more about it. The people of Ephesus were extremely proud of their Temple, not only because it brought so much income from visitors to Ephesus, but also because their very identity as a city – of which they were very proud – was completely linked to Artemis and her Temple. It is hard for us to identify with the depths to which ancient peoples often tied their identities to their cities, but this was a huge thing back then. You may identify as an American, or a South Carolinian, or your high school or college football team, but it is not the same. 

What is the result of Demetrius’ speech?

When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. – Acts 19:28-31

The content of their shout ties into this idea of their identity. Note that they don’t say “Great is Diana,” using the terminology of Rome, but “Great is Artemis,” and even that is not enough – they knew their Artemis was unique, ancient, and to them, special. So they didn’t just say “Great is Artemis,” but “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” That Artemis. 

The ”theater” here is likely the main theater in Ephesus. From archaeology we know where it was, and some ruins of it still exit. It was a huge outdoor place cut into a hillside, a place that 25 thousand people could fit into. We aren’t told how many people came there, but it is possible they filled the place. The situation is very unstable – this is the nature of mob behavior. The people wanted to solve the problem immediately by finding Paul and killing him. Paul was not there at the time, and as the passage says, he wanted to address the crowd, no doubt to attempt to share the gospel with them, but Paul’s friends who were officials begged him not to, because they knew the people wanted blood. 

These officials in the Greek were called asiarchs, people from the Roman government who watched over the local leaders to make sure that they keep their people in line. They were called asiarchs because they were the officials in the province of Asia. In other provinces they had other names, such as Galatiarchs in Galatia, Macedoniarchs in Macedonia, and so on. Why were some of them friends with Paul? Probably because they had become believers in Christ.

Now I want to point out that although Demetrius is the person who whipped up these people into a frenzy, and Demetrius bears responsibility for the results of his actions, the ultimate mastermind behind these events is not Demetrius, but Satan. This has been true throughout Acts. When people harden their hearts against the gospel message, Satan is able to use them to accomplish his own purposes, and one of his greatest purposes is to thwart the spread of the gospel. And this is because every advancement of the gospel is simultaneously a retreat for Satan. I think of Matt. 16:18, where Jesus said, “I tell you that you are Peter (which means rock), and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” To not overcome a building project means that the land is successfully taken, kept, and transformed, that the building is built. Advancement of the church means shrinkage of the kingdom of Satan. 

The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” – Acts 19:32-34

And so there is general chaos, with lots of people just coming out because they heard shouting – many of them still have no idea what is going on. Even though the situation was quite dangerous, Luke writes with a humorous touch. The people hear shouting, so they leave their homes or workplaces to go to the source of the noise and join in on the shouts, saying “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” over and over. In between shouts, they shout to the people closest to them, “What’s going on?” And the people next to them shout back, “Not a clue!” They shrug their shoulders and keep on with the chant. It’s certainly more exciting that whatever they were doing, anyway. Ephesus had a long history of rebelling against its overlords and even switching sides in battles, so maybe some of them saw this as an opportunity to protest their Roman governance. This makes sense to me given the words of the chant, choosing the name Artemis rather than Diana, and being specific about Artemis of the Ephesians, the ancient Artemis – in their minds, the ”real” Artemis. 

Now let’s talk about the actions of the Jews who were no doubt non-Christian Jews. The passage is short on details, but it is likely that they know what is really going on and see it as an opportunity to get the crowd as a whole to turn against Paul and get rid of him once and for all. Now, we don’t know for sure who Alexander is, as it is a pretty common name, but an Alexander is mentioned in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. This letter is a flash forward to the future of multiple years, maybe 10 years or more. Paul is now in chains, arrested for his faith, something we will see more about in the coming chapters of Acts. And the letter has a deeply concerning line: Paul tells Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:15: “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.” I do not take this to mean that Christianity has died out in the province of Asia, not at this point, but it does mean that among Paul’s small circle of direct contacts, these people have abandoned Paul now that he is in chains. Paul goes on to mention the household of Onesiphorus, who was of a great help to him in Ephesus. But I am getting off track – the verse I want to mention is 2 Tim. 4:14: “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.” Is this the same Alexander? Possibly. The fact that he is a metalworker, and that the riot in Ephesus was started by Demetrius, another metalworker, is suspicious. Paul also mentions an Alexander, possibly the same one, in 1 Tim. 1:20, who he says he has handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. So if this is the same Alexander, it may have been someone who first behaved as a believer but then split from the believers and took many confused believers with him. Again, this might be the same Alexander in our passage or it might be someone else, but the fact that he is a metalworker is at least an interesting coincidence. In any case, the Alexander in Ephesus is a Jew who seemingly wishes to see Paul stopped. It is possible he is a believer, trying to present the gospel, but I don’t think this is the case, as I think Luke would be much clearer and call him a Jewish believer, not just a Jew. The Jews usher him to the front, and he tries to talk, but the crowd can tell he is a Jew by his attire, and they react, because they don’t see the Ephesian Jews as “real” Ephesians. After all, they don’t worship Artemis either! They certainly don’t buy their trinkets of Artemis. 

And so the crowd goes on shouting for two hours. This is a long time – it is surprising that nobody official shows up sooner, but perhaps they are afraid of the size of the crowd and not sure how to stop the riot. Or perhaps it takes this long to send word for the right officials to come and for them to get there and figure out what is actually happening.

The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, 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? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. – Acts 19:35-41

And so at last a city official comes and speaks to the crowd. His opening statement is, in my opinion, very telling. Fellow Ephesians, 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? It seems that this official understands why this crowd has in fact erupted – the gospel is spreading so rapidly throughout the area that those who still believe in the old gods feel threatened by it. This reaction to the gospel is very common, and it still happens in many parts of the world today. Ministering in Hindu villages, for example, the evangelist at first may meet open, welcoming people, because they already worship tons of different gods, so what is one more? But as people turn their lives over to Christ, they also forsake all the lowercase g gods they used to worship. People in the village first see this as strange, but not a big deal. But when the gospel starts to really spread and more and more people stop worshiping the old gods, they feel threatened, and it is often at this point that real persecution begins. This is exactly what was happening in Ephesus, and I believe this is why Luke, directed by the Holy Spirit, includes today’s passage with all of its details in Acts. 

And so the city official starts by directly addressing this angst brought on by the fact that the gospel is spreading so significantly that it feels like, to these unbelievers, that the city itself is changing – which it certainly is, by the way, as that is what the gospel does – it transforms societies as well as individuals. An example of this is the ruling this week of the SC state supreme court affirming the abortion law passed by the legislature. There aren’t a lot of atheists out there that are opposed to abortion. It is predominantly the significant number of Christians in this state that have led to the pressure to get the legislature to act to produce this law. 

The general population of Ephesus saw Christianity as a sect of Judaism – they didn’t really care if Alexander or the other Jews there were Christian or not. They saw Christianity and the disruption and threat it was to their city, as a Jewish problem, because Paul and a number of other leaders of the movement looked Jewish, acted Jewish, and so on. And the city official is not making a distinction either. He points out that they have not robbed temples, and not – directly at least – blasphemed their goddess. But this is what Christianity does – it results in people leaving their idols behind, in no longer believing in what they formerly believed in, and when this happens on a large scale, as it did in Ephesus, and as it continues to happen around the world, the nonbelievers don’t like it, and neither does Satan, who works behind the scenes to fan the flames of discontent and persecution.

This riot was dispelled peacefully. Paul and the believers were safe. But this is not always the outcome. Persecution occurs somewhere around the world daily. We should remember our brothers and sisters around the world and pray for their safety, encouragement, and that the gospel would continue to spread and that believers would continue to multiply. And finally, we should prayerfully look for ways to be a part of the multiplying gospel, being disciples that make disciples, ourselves.

Burnt Offering

Acts 19:1-22

Good morning, everyone!  We are going through the first portion of chapter 19 in the book of Acts today.  It’s a change of location, and the end of chapter 18 has a lot of movement, too.  So let’s talk through it briefly.

At the beginning of chapter 18, Paul is in Corinth.  That is in the southern part of Greece.  Paul ministered there for a year and a half.  Then, after that, Paul leaves Corinth and makes a brief stop in Ephesus on his return to Syria.  Priscilla and Aquila stay at Ephesus.  Though Paul’s visit in Ephesus is brief, he still goes to the synagogue and reasons with the Jews.  These Jews ask Paul to stay with them for a while.  Paul declines their invitation but tells them he will return there if it is the Lord’s will.

Paul then goes by ship to Caesarea on the coast not too far from Jerusalem.  He goes to visit the church in Jerusalem, and then returns to Antioch in Syria.  After a stay in Antioch of some time, Paul then journeys by land through the length of Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey.  He travels to the churches he had previously planted and strengthens the disciples there.

Remember, Paul had left Priscilla and Aquila there in Ephesus where they had met Apollos.  While Apollos was already speaking boldly about Jesus, he did learn more adequately from Priscilla and Aquila about the way of God.  Apollos then goes on to Corinth, encouraged by the disciples in Ephesus and supplied with their introduction.  And in Corinth, Apollos was a great help to the believers.

That brings us to the beginning of chapter 19.  So, let’s pray and jump into our passage.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending people to us to share the good news that Your Son Jesus is the Savior of the world.  Teach us how to be lights to those around us.  Help us to point other toward You.  Encourage Your saints from Your Word in Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

Acts chapter 19 beginning in verse 1 …

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?” “John's baptism,” they replied. – Acts 19:1-3

Ephesus was the leading city of the province of Asia which was on the eastern coast of modern day Turkey.  Population estimates go into the low six figures, so 100,000 inhabitants perhaps more.  For antiquity, it was a major city.

It’s not clearly stated how these disciples had come to faith.  Perhaps, they had an incomplete understanding because they had their message from disciples of John the Baptist since we see that they mention John’s baptism.  Or, they had received their teaching from Apollos during the time he had an incomplete understanding of the way of God.  We know that in chapter 18 Apollos only knew of the baptism of John before Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of God to Apollos more adequately.

We don’t even know why Paul was prompted to ask them about the Holy Spirit.  This is the only time that we see Paul frame this question.  Something or Someone had alerted Paul to ask.  When I say Someone, it has it’s a capital “S” Someone in my notes.  The Lord may have prompted Paul to ask.

Paul said, “John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. – Acts 19:4-7

John the Baptist was a contemporary of Jesus.  In fact, John was Jesus’ cousin.  John was executed before the crucifixion.  However, John did have followers, disciples.

John’s message was not a bad message.  It was a message of hope.  There is one coming after me.  He is much greater than me, so great that I am not even worthy to behave as His servant.  I’m not even worthy enough to take off His shoes. (Matthew 3:1-12)

John did proclaim Jesus, and when John saw Jesus, he told the people there who had come out to see John at the Jordan River, he told them that Jesus was the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and that Jesus is the Son of God. (John 1:29-36) At that time, John also told his listeners that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

And yet, these twelve that Paul met have believe in Jesus, but have not received the Holy Spirit.  But they are ready to receive.  This is another key moment where the Holy Spirit is given separately with the laying on of hands.  This working of the Spirit is similar to Pentecost and to Cornelius’ household.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. – Eph. 5:18

God always wants us to go deeper. We tend to sip where we could drink deeply; we drink deeply where we could wade in, and we wade in where we could plunge in and swim. Most of us need to be encouraged to go deeper and further into the things of the Holy Spirit.

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. – Acts 19:8-9

Paul makes good on his commitment to the Jews during his first visit there in Ephesus.  Perhaps because of his invitation or perhaps because of the larger size of the city or perhaps both, Paul spent the longest time teaching in the synagogue of Ephesus of any city.  In other cities, Paul only taught for a few weeks.  Still though similar to the other cities, opposition arises in the synagogue and Paul moves on to another location in the city.

We don’t know who Tyrannus was or where his lecture hall was located within the ancient city of Ephesus.  Tyrannus was likely a philosopher or an orator of rhetoric, a kind of teacher.  My study bible tells of an early Greek manuscript that says Paul taught in the middle of the day and early afternoon which would have been the hottest part of the day.  Tyrannus would likely have used his hall in the morning when it was cooler.  However, people would be less busy during the hottest time of the day.  So there was a sort of trade off which likely benefited the spread of the gospel.

This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. – Acts 19:10

Two years of daily teaching.  It’s literally thousands of hours of teaching.  It’s no wonder that people all throughout the region were exposed to the gospel as a result.

This is the longest stay in one missionary location that Luke records.  As mentioned at the beginning of the message, this area of Asia refers to the western half of the area of modern-day Turkey.  Ephesus served as a center from which the gospel could flow out either by new believers carrying the message with them or the people in the surrounding regions coming to Ephesus on business for a variety of reasons and hearing the gospel there.

This also happened at Pisidian Antioch in chapter 13 (v. 49) that the message went out to the whole region as a result of their teaching at a major city.

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. – Acts 19:11-12

Some translations have the word unusual instead of extraordinary.  I don’t think there is any such thing as an ordinary miracle.  But the miracles that happened at Ephesus had some “extra” or special quality to them.  Nothing quite like it had happened before.

Handkerchiefs here would be like sweat bands today.  Aprons were the dirty working garments possibly belonging to Paul, but more likely to the people who had come to hear Paul.  Humble articles.  Nothing that would be associated with power or majesty.

God was doing a mighty work there in Ephesus.  We don’t know for sure why there were so many miracles, but as we will read in a moment, there was a lot of weird, dark spiritual activity in Ephesus from sorcery to idol worship.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that believing wrong things makes miracles more likely.  But, it seems that there was a need for miracles among the people of Ephesus that perhaps were not needed in Corinth, for example.  The people of Ephesus were in a spiritual bondage where such miracles were needed.

And, in the midst of a need, there are always ones looking to take an advantage for themselves whether monetarily or for notoriety and fame or for power.

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. – Acts 19:13-17

The opening phrase gives the impression that these itinerant exorcists were successful at least to some degree.  The fact that they are Jews or claim to be seems strange, but then if you look back to chapter 13, we met Elymas and he is described as a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet.  What in the world is a Jewish sorcerer?

Obviously, they weren’t completely satisfied with whatever they were doing because they decide to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus to increase their success.  Perhaps this even had worked or appeared to work and even more than once.

But, one day.  One day the evil spirit answered!  That had to be terrifying.  It’s also fascinating what the evil spirit said.  It knew Jesus.  And, it knew about Paul.  Jesus is the Son of God.  That demon knew that.  God’s might working through Paul was also known to this demon.  But these other self-proclaimed mystics, they are nothing to this evil spirit.

Then, it gets crazy.  These mystics likely had very ostentatious robes and clothing so that they would look very important, so that they would look the part.  Of course, there was no power in their clothing, and we could even say costumes.  One man beating seven and then the seven having to flee naked demonstrates their utter lack of control of the situation.

Naturally, the people of Ephesus are impacted by this dramatic event.  If there were ones who wanted to disregard the spiritual, it would be hard to do that in light of this.  For others who dabbled with spiritual forces, it was suddenly no longer a game.  At least, it wasn’t something that they could believe they could control anymore.

And through it all, God is glorified.  Jesus’ Name is held in high regard as a result.  Jesus is God.  He has all power, all authority.

Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. – Acts 19:18-20

Take note that the many here are believers.  These “many” come from the church of Ephesus.  They heard about what happened to the unbelieving sons of Sceva.  And they come forward in confession and repentance.

We see sorcery was one thing that they were attached to.  That was an area of weakness and sin among these new believers, but I am sure it was more than that.  Luke doesn’t provide a list here.  He says only that they confessed what they had done.

Here is the list from Galatians 5:19-21.  Paul describes these as the works of the flesh:  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Any of these are a barrier between us and a right relationship with the Lord.  They are sin.  What is sin?  I John 3:4 tells us, “Sin is lawlessness.”  Sin is a disregard for God’s commands.  In II Corinthians 3, Paul contrasts the Old Testament Law as ministry of condemnation.  He talks of the new covenant, the New Testament, as a ministry of righteousness.  

The people of Ephesus confess the unrighteous things they were still holding on to.  The most outwardly obvious thing they did was to burn their scrolls of sorcery in public.  We don’t know how many people brought scrolls, but back then paper was not cheap.  Today, there is paper everywhere.  We have paper in our bathrooms!  That was not the case back then.

Luke gives us the value of the scrolls because it shows how serious the believers in Ephesus were.  The value of the silver alone in today’s money would have been above $150,000.  Considering that money sometimes represents more than its material value, some estimate the value of these scrolls above a million dollars in today’s money.

Regardless, that’s a stunning burnt offering.  It reminds you of Jesus’ words.  In Mark 9:43-47, Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.  And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.  And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.”

I don’t often think in those terms.  Jesus doesn’t even say sin here.  He just says what causes you to stumble.  Do you think about what causes you to stumble?  How do you respond to it?  Do you cast it out?  Do you try to get as far away from it as possible?  Or do you keep it in the closet or on your computer or under your bed?

Paul wrote to Timothy, admonishing him, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”  There are several verses that talk about fleeing from different particular sins.  I Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee from sexual immorality.”  That’s the one I remember as a young believer in college.  Whenever there would be something inappropriate, one of the guys would say, “You gotta flee!”

But I think I am in good standing when I say, “Flee from sin.”  And in Paul’s words, “all this” captures all the things which are opposed to righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.  

I’m not trying to put a guilt trip on you or bring about needless fear.  I’ve seen some odd things done like where people got rid of their stuffed animals from when they were kids because they “might” be idols.  And I suppose in some rare case that might be needful, but it seems highly unlikely.

At the same time, I have thrown away and even burned things in the past because they were causing me to stumble.  I’m sure that the believers in Ephesus could have sold their scrolls and gotten some if not all of their investment back.  But that’s the point, they weren’t going to give the things that caused them to stumble to someone else.

I will leave it with you.  Please think on the things that are causing you to stumble.  Are their things you need to get rid of?  Are their things you need to flee from, to stay away from?

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." He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little  longer. – Acts 19:21-22

Paul is planning to go to Jerusalem.  However, he’s going by way of Macedonia and Achaia.  And, it turns out, he’s going to come back through those places as well before heading down to Jerusalem and on to Rome, but perhaps not getting to Rome the way he first expected.

We know of Timothy who joined Paul in Galatia in Acts 16 and has traveled with Paul to Macedonia and Athens and Corinth and now Ephesus.  Timothy is now heading out on his own, but not alone.  Rather than following behind, Timothy is sent ahead.  Timothy is growing in maturity and leadership.

Erastus is an interesting figure.  He only appears in scripture 3 times and each mention is rather brief.  Here, we learn he was a helper of Paul.  He also travels as a missionary and companion of Timothy.  He next appears in Romans 16 where we get another piece of background information which says that he was the director of public works or the city manager, literally the steward of the city there in Corinth.  Then, Paul mentions Erastus in II Timothy.  Paul wrote II Timothy from prison in Rome.  He only says of Erastus that he had stayed in Corinth.  In other words, he was not with Paul at Rome.

These little bits of information help us realize the diversity of the early church.  All sorts of people from different backgrounds come to Christ and are transformed.  Erastus had a varied experience as an administrator and a helper of Paul.  Luke likewise was a physician and a key author and helper in the early church.  God works through everyone He has called, never doubt that for a moment.

That’s the end of our passage, but not the end of Paul’s visit to Ephesus.  Paul’s time in Ephesus really goes out with a bang.  That will be our focus next week.  But we’ll close here for today.  Let’s pray.

Father God, we thank You that You are the God who is able to keep us from stumbling and to make us stand in your presence blameless and with great joy.  I pray that You would help each of us to make right decisions to walk in a blameless way before You now.  Help us to eliminate or separate ourselves from things that make us stumble.  In everything, we pray that You would be glorified.  Amen.

Keep on Speaking

 Acts 18:1-28

Welcome! Looking back, we have this passage from Acts 15:

“Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” – Acts 15:36-41 

They essentially doubled their effort.  We have been looking at Paul’s effort on that second missionary journey for more than a month now.   

If you remember, last week we ended up at the end of Acts chapter 17 in Athens. Acts Chapter 18 begins with Paul leaving Athens and going to Corinth. Corinth was conquered by Rome about 200 BC. Around 150 BC, the Corinthians rebelled, and the Romans made an example out of Corinth and utterly destroyed them. The town lay mostly uninhabited and in ruins for one hundred years, until around 50 BC, it was rebuilt by Julius Caesar. About 25 years later (and about 75 years before Paul visits), it had grown sufficiently so as to become the capital of the province of Achaia. Compared to the ancient city of Athens, the rebuilt Corinth seemed all-new.

Corinth actually had two seaports, one on the Gulf of Corinth on the west and one on the Saronic Gulf on the east. Corinth sat on a narrow land bridge between these two bodies of water. Bringing goods from one port to the other through Corinth was a much shorter and cheaper prospect than going all the way around the south. Small ships and the cargo from large ships would actually be taken over land on large rolling carts from port to port. A special paved road was made for this purpose that was approximately 5 miles long. Called the diolkos (which means “to carry across”) the construction of this road dates the 7th century BC.

The Isthmus of Corinth is only about 4 miles wide at the narrowest point. It is the narrow land bridge which connects the Piloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland Greece.  Within twenty years after Paul’s visit, the emperor Nero announced that he was going to have a channel cut. Using a golden pick, Nero himself cut the first chunk of earth out, and carried the first basket of earth on his back. But Nero soon died, and nothing more happened. In 1893, a canal was actually cut through the Corinthian isthmus. Today ships can pass through this canal.  

Because of its important location, Corinth became a center of trade, and many Corinthians became incredibly wealthy. Perhaps because of this wealth, Corinth became known as a center of sinful activity and corruption. The fact that Corinth was a recreation place for large numbers of sailors only added to the problem. To call someone a “Corinthian” was to imply he was immoral and a drunk. You might say that Corinth was the Las Vegas of its time.

Towering 2000 ft. over Corinth was the Acrocorinth (or Corinth marketplace), which included the giant temple of Athena, goddess of love. In this temple there lived about 1000 temple prostitutes who each evening would come down into the city to offer their services. This sin-indulging behavior was done under the auspices of a religious service to the “fine people of Corinth” – for the proper fee, of course. Population approximately 700,000 Two thirds were slaves.

Into this challenging environment came the apostle Paul. There he met a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla. It is easy to forget that when Paul went on his missionary journeys, he often had to work full time to make money. Paul was a tentmaker.  Aquila and Priscilla were also tentmakers, and having so much in common, Paul stayed with them. They were from Rome, and we know two things: they became believers and they eventually got back to Rome, because in Romans 16:3 Paul writes, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.”

Paul was not the “boss” in Corinth, simply a fellow laborer – a laborer making tents and a laborer of the gospel. On the Sabbaths, Paul would go and share the gospel in the synagogue to the Jews there. Priscilla and Aquila are also mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:19 and I Corinthians 16:19.   Priscilla and Aquila had a house church in Ephesus. 

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." – Acts 18:5-6

So eventually Silas and Timothy came as instructed by Paul back in chapter 17. They may have made money themselves at some labor, sufficiently enough so that Paul could do full-time preaching. Or, they may have had a gift of money from the Macedonian churches that enabled them (at least Paul) to do this. Paul talks about this in II Cor.11:8-9:

I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. – II Cor. 11:8-9

As had happened many times before, the Jews opposed Paul, and it says they became abusive.  A paraphrase of what Paul said in Acts 18:6 would sound like this: “Enough! I have told you the gospel. You know it. What you do with it is your own responsibility.   I will go to the Gentiles since you have rejected the good news of the gospel” And so Paul went to the Gentiles to the Gentiles Corinthians in this case.

Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized. – Acts 18:7-8

We see some interesting fruit here – the guy who lived next door to the syngagogue – a Gentile “God-fearer”, someone who had been attending the synagogue and adopting Jewish customs, and his household, and also the leader of the synagogue! Often when Paul left a synagogue, many of the Jews – those who believed – left with him, and this made the leaders angry and jealous. This time, the main leader also left. And there was much fruit among the so called depraved, corrupt, sinful Corinthian Gentiles. Remember, the gospel is for all people, especially those who, as Jesus said, “are sick and know they need a doctor.”  With the exception of Carl we are all Gentiles.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. – Acts 18:9-11

Luke doesn’t tell us much of what happened before this vision, but it is easy to imagine. Look at Paul’s life. City after city after city, he has been accused, arrested, attacked, beaten, and forced to flee. Here he is in Corinth, probably the most sinful and least godly city he has yet visited, and perhaps he is simply thinking ahead.  He wonders “When will it happen again?”. “Should I leave now, while I can?” Other New Testament passages hint that Paul was going through an extreme period of stress in Corinth. Listen to this in I Corinthians 2:1-3

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. – I Cor. 2:1-3

Is this Paul? In weakness and fear, with much trembling? Yes. Everyone has a limit. There is only so much anyone can take. And Paul has taken a lot. I wonder if somehow his experiences in Athens, the previous city, had been the “last straw.” He was mocked and ridiculed there among the “intelligentsia”, called a “seed-picker,” a derogatory term for someone who is an intellectual lightweight, like a little bird, or today we would say a “bird brain.” Corinth was an imposing city. It was an evil city. People who do missions work full time talk about how certain locations are demonic strongholds. There is no question that Athens was such a place. And even more so Corinth must have been a demonic stronghold.

But listen again to the message Paul was given in his vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." First: Paul, do not fear. Literally in the Greek, it reads, “You are being fearful. Stop it!”.  Second: what to do. Keep on speaking, do not be silent. Third: Is the reason. “I am with you and no one is going to attack and harm you.” Why? Because God has His own people in this city. 

How many other times in the Bible do we see God give a similar message? Here are just some of them: Gen. 15:1: “After this the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’” Deut. 31:6, to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified of them, for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jeremiah 1:17-19, to Jeremiah: “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land – against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you.”

So what did Paul do after receiving this vision? He stayed. He spoke. He obeyed.

While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law." – Acts 18:12-13

What is this? I thought God was going to protect him. Here we go again. How will it turn out this time? 

Will Paul be beaten again? Worse? Will he be killed? No.

Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." So he had them ejected from the court. Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever. – Acts 18:14-17

Note Gallio did not want to set a president here.  Otherwise there would be no end to these types of disputes over the Jewish laws. 

Notice that Paul didn’t even get a chance to speak. Now we shouldn’t gloat in the failures of our enemies, but it is hard not to here. Who was Sosthenes? He wasn’t Crispus. He was the new synagogue leader.  I don’t know if it was as a result of his beating here or not but it appears he is with Paul later in Ephesus when Paul writes his first letter to the Corinthians.  Paul begins his letter as follows:

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Cor. 1:1-3

Notice how Paul calls him our brother.

Continuing our passage in Acts we read:

Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. – Acts 18:18-21

Paul, led by the Spirit, was ready to end this missionary journey and begin the journey home. He spent relatively little time in Ephesus, but seeds were planted. It may be that his vow was connected with his reason he could not stay longer.  We don’t really know.

When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. – Acts 18:22-23

He went up to Jerusalem elevation between 2400 ft and 2500 ft above sea level and down again and then down to Antioch elevation about 100 feet above seal level.

Now Paul doesn’t stay put. He goes throughout the region, strengthening the disciples. We will see in later messages that this this journey will eventually become the apostle Paul’s Third Missionary Journey.

Now, how do you “strengthen” a believer?  Let’s look at some examples from the New Testament and see how Paul did this. 

Paul wrote to the church in Rome to strengthen and encourage them:

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. – Rom. 1:11-12 

Paul told the church in Corinth that prophesies are for their strengthening:

But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. – I Cor. 14:3

Paul told the church at Colossae:

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. – Col. 2:2

Paul told the church in Ephesus that he was sending Tychicus:

I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. – Eph. 6:22 

Paul also told the church in Colossae that he was sending Tychicus:

Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. – Col. 4:8 

Paul told the church of the Thessalonians:

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith – I Thess. 3:2

So sometimes Paul went himself to strengthen the brethren and sometimes he sent them letters and sometimes he sent them encouraging brothers.  

This is what we are to do for one another.  It’s not really us who does this. Like Paul and Tychicus and Timothy we are conduits for God’s Spirit to strengthen one another.

We may go ourselves or send text or emails or make phone calls or send others.  A good example for us is communicating via email to Gretta in Taiwan, and how Amanda is going to visit Emma in Austria and how March and Kristin are planning to visit Gretta in Taiwan. 

Continuing with today’s passage we read:

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more accurately. – Acts 18:24-26

Now three things strike me here: 

1. Apollos was a bold learned man and fervently and accurately taught in the synagogue of Jesus but he knew only of the baptism of repentance taught by John the Baptist.

2. Priscilla and Aquila were only tent makers.  They were probably not as well educated as Apollos was but they were aware of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  

3. Priscilla and Aquila took what they did know and imparted it to Apollos and this new knowledge helped him become even more successful in refuting the Jews in public debate.

We can all learn from this.  Just because Carl and John and I are ordained ministers doesn’t mean we have the market cornered on the whole truth of the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit may have enlightened you on one or more scriptural subjects and if we are humble like Apollos was we can become even more effective in our ministry after the saints like yourself share with us what you have been learning from the Scriptures.

Listen to how this played out with Apollos:

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. – Acts 18:27-28

So, with this new imparted knowledge Apollos was able to refute the Jews and prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (the Messiah that was to come).  Carl and John and I study and teach from the scriptures, but we never stop learning, and neither should you.  We would hope that you would share with us and with each other what the Lord has been teaching you so we all can be more effective in reaching the lost. 

Since We Are God's Offspring

Acts 17:16-34

Good morning! Today we continue our series in the Book of Acts, looking at the second half of Chapter 17. To have context, let me remind you of the first half of the chapter, which was discussed last week. Paul is in the middle of his second missionary journey, in Macedonia, which today is Greece. At the end of Chapter 16, Paul and Silas depart Philippi after having been beaten with rods there and thrown into prison. But God rescues them with an earthquake, and the jailor and his family come to faith in Christ. 

Now an interesting detail is that Chapter 16 uses the pronoun “we”, whereas Chapter 17 returns to the pronoun “they”. Assuming that the “we” included the author of Acts, Luke, it would appear that Luke stayed behind in Philippi when Paul and Silas depart. This would make sense, as the body of believers is very young in the faith and could benefit from further teaching and encouragement. 

Now their next significant stop is in Thessalonica. Along the way they go through Amphipolis and Apollonia. It is a 30-to-40 mile journey from each city to the next. At Thessalonica, Paul began his outreach, as he did so often, in a Jewish synagogue. Some came to faith, but others were jealous and stirred up people against them. They could not find Paul and Silas, but instead rounded up Jason, at whose whom they were staying, and some others who had believed, complaining before the city officials. 

Because the whole city was stirred up against Paul and Silas, the other believers kept them hidden until nighttime when they sent them away to Berea, about 50 miles away. Once again, Paul and Silas start in the synagogue. The Berean Jews were much more open to their message than the Jews of Thessalonica were, eagerly examining the Scriptures to verify what Paul and Silas were saying to them, and many came to faith along with many Gentile Greeks. But the Jews of Thessalonica learned what was going on in Berea, and they went there, seeking to once again turn the town against them. They were successful, and so once again Paul was sent away. This time, it was apparently just Paul who went. We are told that Silas stayed behind along with Timothy. 

This was a longer journey, all the way to Athens. We are told that Paul’s escorts brought him to the coast, to the sea, a journey of about 30 miles, and then I think it is likely that they went by boat to Athens, a distance of around 200 miles. Paul asked his escorts to send word for Silas and Timothy to join him. 

Regarding Athens, I am going to quote from Wikipedia, which in turn quotes from multiple sources: “Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. It was a center for the arts, learning and philosophy, and the home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political influence on the European continent—particularly Ancient Rome.”

Plato’s Academy was founded by Plato himself in 387 BC and continued until 83 BC. One of the people who studied there, from 367 to 347 BC was Aristotle, who then started his own school, the Lyceum, which continued until 86 BC. Both these schools widely quoted Socrates, who was also an Athenian and is considered the founder of Western philosophy. Although these schools were no longer in existence at the time of Paul, their existence for hundreds of years strongly influenced the city as a whole, and at the time of Paul, Athens continued to be the world’s premier place for schools of philosophy, philosophical debates, and learning in general. Additional famous people who lived and worked in Athens prior to the time of Paul include the playwrights Aeschylus (who wrote the Oresteian trilogy – Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides), Sophocles (who wrote the Theban trilogy – Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone), and Euripides (who wrote Orestes and the Bacchae). (If you never studied these, and they’re all Greek to you, that’s fine!) The physician Hippocrates and the historian Thucydides were also Athenians. 

Although the “golden age” of Athens was about 400 to 500 years earlier, Athens was still a dominant city in terms of its effects on philosophy, history, science, mathematics, and culture at the time of the New Testament. It is no exaggeration to call Athens the pinnacle of the Gentile world at that time, and Paul now faced this city, alone. 

And this brings us to today’s passage.   

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) – Acts 17:16-21

There is a tremendous amount to unpack here. Let’s start by talking about Paul’s “great distress.” I really like the King James’ translation of this verse: “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.” What does this mean? Weren’t all the cities Paul visited wholly given to idolatry? What was different about Athens? I believe it was the pervasive extent of worship. Ancient writers said that no city was more devoted to their gods than Athens. This means that not only did you see countless idols, you also saw even more countless people making offerings and performing worship in front of these idols. More than 20 years ago, I visited Ulan Bataar, the capitol city in Mongolia, a city that is ostensibly Buddhist. While there I visited a famous Buddhist temple containing the largest indoor Buddha statue in Mongolia, one about 75 feet tall. Ulan Bataar was a large city, but the place was nearly empty. It felt to me that Ulan Bataar was much more secular than it was Buddhist, especially among the youth. My point is that even though the vast majority of people of Ulan Bataar would have identified themselves as Buddhist, I would never have described Ulan Bataar as a “city wholly given to idolatry.” And there are reasons for this. The USSR has strongly influenced Mongolia in the past, and its atheist teachings permeated the schooling system for many years. 

As for Athens, I think we can make a similar kind of comparison. Most cities in the Roman Empire were more like Ulan Bataar. Yes, they were all idolatrous, but their zeal for idolatry was more muted than that in Athens. The zeal of Athens for idolatry was unmatched. 

How would you feel about coming to a city like this, where everyone is deeply devout but devoted to false gods? Would you feel afraid? Would you feel like it was hopeless to try to spread the gospel? Not Paul. It stirred him up. Like Jesus saw before him, he saw that these people were lost and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. And he knew that the power of the gospel was independent of his own strength; indeed, when he was weak, God was strong.  

And so, once again, we see Paul doing what he did again and again. He met with Jews and God-fearing Greeks at the synagogue, and he also went to the busy agora, the central marketplace of the city, to talk to anyone who would listen. Archaeologically speaking, we know exactly where this agora was, and many monuments (many temples, unsurprisingly) have been discovered along the site. 

Let’s talk about the Epicurian and the Stoic philosophers. As already explained, even at the time of Paul there were multiple ongoing schools of philosophy. Each of these “schools” had current students and teachers, as well as a long “proud” history of their school of thought. The Epicurians were started by Epicurus, and Zeno started the Stoics, both centuries earlier.

The Epicurians were actually what we today might call “practical atheists”. They couldn’t say this openly, as it might get them killed. But they believed not in fate, but in chance determining what happened to people. They publicly stated that yes, there were many gods, but they taught that the gods didn’t really care about people, and so they did not influence what happened to people. They also taught that “dead was dead.” That is, when you died, you turned into worm food and ceased to exist. A consequence of these beliefs was the principle that you should make the most of the short life that you have. Although you could place them among the hedonists, they also emphasized that maximizing pleasure equally meant minimizing pain, so they did not advocate being reckless. Instead, they suggested seeking modest, sustainable pleasure with peace and freedom from fear.  

Now the Stoics also had a non-traditional view of god (non-traditional for that time period). They believed, kind of like modern new-agers, that god was in everything, or more precisely, everything was god. The trees were god, the rocks were god, the cows were god, you were god, and so on. They believed that people have an individual nature as well as a universal nature (the god part), and that keeping these two natures in harmony was essential to avoiding misery. They believed that a happy life was not found in possessions, but in the pursuit of virtue, and their four cardinal virtues were temperance (restraint, self-control), courage, justice, and practical wisdom. They focused on controlling their own thoughts and opinions, because they believed they had no control over external events. This meant that they worked hard to eliminate “toxic” emotions, which for them included fear and anger but also hope. 

The Stoics and the Epicureans were, at the time of Paul, two dominant schools of philosophy, probably the two dominant schools. They disagreed strongly on practical advice about how to live your life. The Epicureans saw nothing wrong with material possessions, with tuning out of politics or otherwise remaining uninvolved, and the Stoics saw the opposite, that possessions were a trap, that making a difference in the world was essential.  Each school saw the other as not only wrong but foolish, silly. There wasn’t really outward animosity between the two groups, though. Maintaining civil discourse was the above-all rule in Athens.

Paul spoke publicly, and both groups gathered to listen. Paul was saying something different from both of them, something they could not really follow at all. They began to (politely) ridicule him, calling him a “babbler,” literally a seed pecker. They were basically calling him something like a silly chicken, kind of like how Clemson fans sometimes refer to their nemesis. 

Now it says that they brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus. The term Areopagus has multiple meanings. First of all, it is a location. It is a prominent rock outcropping in Athens, and the name means pagus, or hill, of Ares, which is the Greek name for Mars. Thus, another name for this location is Mars Hill. Centuries before the time of Paul, this location was used as the location for the Athenian governing council to meet, and then it was restricted to the location for the meeting of the Athenian judicial council, or court. A common belief was that this location was where the war god Ares was tried by the other gods for the murder of Poseidon’s son. 

At the time of Paul, it is believed that court proceedings (still called the Areopagus) no longer took place at the location called the Areopagus. So what is Acts saying happened to Paul? So, most likely, either he was put in a criminal trial at a location other than Mars Hill, or he was taken to Mars Hill because that was a popular location for philosophical discussions and debates. I personally do not believe he was on trial, as the passage does not seem to describe it in this way. I believe he was brought to Mars Hill to present his novel philosophy. I believe that the group that met there contained many of the influential people of the city, and that they had a group called a council, and that they could call in public officials if something criminal were to take place (for example, to declare outright atheism and say that the gods don’t exist), but that they in themselves did not have the authority to pronounce criminal sentences. 

The parenthetical comment seems to support this idea, as it seems that debating philosophy seems to be what this is about. They are still quite polite, and it seems like they just want something fresh to hear. It does not seem like Paul is on trial.
Now the following is a generalization, but my experience talking with philosophy majors and philosophy professors is similar to this. They seem to be very eager to hear and debate new ideas, but it is almost a form of entertainment for them. I have repeatedly gotten the impression that they aren’t really interested in determining what is actually true, or in changing how they live their lives in response to what is true. Instead, they tend to be fairly set in their beliefs, and although they may live in accordance to these beliefs, their beliefs don’t really place very stringent demands on their lives. I would argue that the same was true of the Stoics and the Epicureans.  

The Stoics remind me of people today who excessively promote things like minimalism (minimizing your possessions), minimizing your carbon footprint, promoting the cultural awareness cause “du jour”, and so on. I’m not saying that reducing your possessions is bad, or being environmentally conscious is bad, and even in the area of cultural sensitivity, we should not go out of our way to offend people, but these things are far from the most important things to think about when you think about our relationship with God and what it implies about how we should live our lives. The Epicureans remind me of an even larger group of people who never get involved, who don’t make waves, who just go to work and then focus on living a nice life with a nice variety of possessions. Again, these things are not necessarily bad, but if they are the primary focus of your life, you are again not thinking about who God really is and what He would say about how we should live our lives. 

Although it is true that the Epicureans and Stoics were two major schools of philosophy, it is also true that most average people did not prescribe to either philosophy. As the passage says, these were people who loved to discuss philosophy and who had little else to do. Your average person had to work and was strongly devoted to their particular gods that they believed had helped them in the past. As I mentioned already, Paul was likely not just disturbed by how many altars he saw, but also how many people he saw at them.  

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. – Acts 17:22-23

The word translated here as very religious we could also translate as pious. Paul uses this word as a compliment. The alternative would be to say they don’t care about God, which would be extremely offensive to them. It’s a tricky message to give, because he has such a diverse audience. He has the Stoics and the Epicureans, who both don’t really believe in the gods in the traditional way. But there are likely also government officials there and others who would be upset if he said anything negative about their objects or methods of worship. And even the Stoics and Epicureans would be offended if you said they were not pious (even though, in a very real sense, they are not). 

There’s an interesting story about the altar to the unknown god. It seems that hundreds of years earlier, there was a plague on Athens, and it was believed it was because a god was dissatisfied with the amount of offerings being made to him or her. They discussed what to do at this very location, the Areopagus, and poet Epimenides told them to gather a large number of goats and set them free in the city, following them even as they split into smaller groups, looking to see where they stopped. Wherever a group of them stopped, if there was an altar nearby, they would presume that that particular god was dissatisfied, so they would slaughter those goats and offer them at that altar. Well, they did exactly this. It turns out that a significant group of goats settled down in locations where there weren’t any altars. So what to do? The people quickly erected altars “to an unknown god” and slaughtered the goats there, assuming that the god would know that the offerings were meant for him or her. This account – which seems to be true – was well-known, and so the offer Paul made here was actually powerful and intriguing.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ – Acts 17:24-28

This is such a powerful opening. Note that it challenges both the views of the Epicureans and the Stoics. The Epicureans believed that matter was eternal, that nobody created it. And the Stoics believed that God was in everything, so God couldn’t have created God. And it challenges the views of the, shall we call them traditionalists, who worshiped their particular gods out of fear or coincidences in their lives in the past. It challenges them by saying that there is an infinitely more powerful God out there that you should be a lot more concerned about. 

And then Paul explains that this God, the one who made everything, is quite unlike their gods. He doesn’t live in temples built by human hands. Now wait a minute. What about the Temple? Well, we would not say that God, the entirety of God, lived in the Temple. We would say that God’s presence filled the Temple, but the Temple did not contain God. Consider Solomon’s own dedication speech at the Temple. He starts by praising God for keeping His covenants and for His promise to David. Then he says this:

“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built!” – I Kings 8:27

Now the Greeks placed their sacrifices at their altars, thinking that either their gods needed this, or in any case demanded it. But God has no need of anything from people. Without explicitly saying that what they are doing is meaningless, that their gods don’t exist, Paul is contrasting God with their gods. God doesn’t need anything from us. In fact, the opposite is true: We need everything from Him. He gives us life and breath and everything else.

Yes, there was a sacrificial system in the Old Testament, but it existed to point out our continual sin and need for forgiveness. It was a foreshadowing of the completed work of Christ on the cross. It wasn’t to “feed” God, or even to keep Him happy. It was to point out that our sin separates us from God, and that the cost for repairing this separation is the blood of someone innocent, free of sin. There were also thanks offerings of bread, but again, these were not to feed God. They too were symbolic of things fulfilled in Christ.  

Next, Paul talks about how from one man He made came all the nations. This means that God is not God for only one group of people, but all peoples. He is not the God of the Jews, but the God of humanity. This was in sharp contrast to the multitudes of gods that were worshiped in Athens, some by particular people groups, some even down to particular families. You continue to see this today in Hinduism. There is no human on earth that doesn’t owe his life to God, and so there is no human on earth that has an excuse for ignoring or refusing God.  

And then Paul so powerfully explains the why. Why did God create us? Because He wants to give us Himself, to be in relationship with us. How incredible, and how unlike the lowercase g gods, who were either petty and demanding, or aloof and uncaring, depending on what you believed. 

And then Paul quotes from two of their own poets! The first quote, quite ironically, comes from Epimenides, the very poet who came up with the solution of the goats. The second quote comes from Aratus. How did Paul know these quotes? Probably because they were common sayings at this time, almost like famous movie quotes or, visually, memes. The first quote, “in him we live and move and have our being” is one in which the original poem is lost, but likely it was a kind of platitude, not to be taken all that seriously, used to “flatter” whatever god was being addressed. The second quote is one in which we have the original poem. Here is the opening:

“From Zeus let us begin; him do we mortals never leave unnamed; full of Zeus are all the streets and all the market-places of men; full is the sea and the havens thereof; always we all have need of Zeus. For we are also his offspring…”

This is also quite ironic, because it says, “him do we mortals never leave unnamed,” yet Paul applies it (rightly so) to the unnamed God. And by the way, more irony: our God is quite literally unnamed. When Moses asks for His name, when he wants to know what to tell the Israelites when the ask Moses who is sending him, God answers, “Tell them that ‘I am’ is sending you.” That’s not a name. 

Now note that Paul has taken two quotes from Greek poets who were referring to a different god. Is this OK? Yes. The point is that even their own poets understood that there was a god who was their creator, and in whom they lived. They were wrong about who this god was, but they were right about the concept. This is what Paul is doing with these quotes. 

Continuing with Paul’s speech:

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” – Acts 17:29-31

What is Paul’s argument in verse 29? He is saying that since we are created beings, beings created by God, then nothing we ourselves create, something we make with gold or silver or stone, can be God. God created us, so we certainly cannot create God. Idols are just pictures. God cannot possibly be in them. You cannot force God to be anywhere. Your act of making an idol does not draw Him (even a part of Him) into that location. That is what Paul is saying.
If you believe such things about idols, then your view of God is far too small. Paul explains that in the past He overlooked such ignorance. That is, He revealed Himself first to the Jews, and held them to a higher standard. He gave them the Law and expected them to abide by the Law. 

But Christ has now died and risen. And in doing this, He has now paid for the sins of all who would put their faith in Him. This was not just for the Jews, but for all people. And now that it has happened, God expects all people to turn in faith to Him. To not do so means you are still in your sins, and when Christ returns, He will judge every person on the basis of whether they have repented and believed. 

So many verses confirm this, but here is one:

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. – 2 Thess. 1:8-10a

God hates idolatry, not just with regards to the Jews, but with regards to everyone, because it prevents them from getting to know God. And knowing God, through a repentant, faith-based relationship, is necessary for experiencing a future eternal life with Him, because the unholy cannot stand in the presence of the Holy. God has provided the most incredible gift in the history of the universe, the gift of forgiveness through faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ, but the gift must be received. It must be opened. And we do this through repentance, by faith, in Him.  

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. – Acts 17:32-34

Now the teaching of the resurrection challenged the incorrect beliefs of the Epicureans, who believed that “dead is dead” and that the gods didn’t care about people. But it also challenged the Stoics, who believed that everyone and everything was god and that fear (of what God will do) and “repentance” were toxic emotions. Some rejected this out of hand, but others wanted to know more. Note that Paul did not fully explain the gospel at this encounter. He left them hungry for more. He had given them a lot to think about. He was challenging what many of them had believed since birth, and his teachings were utterly foreign to them. He would talk with them later, after they had digested what had been already said, and fully explain the gospel to them then. 

It says Paul left the Council. So what does this mean? I still think the Council was not a criminal court, but it was a formal group that met to discuss matters of religion, philosophy, and faith. And we see among the people who turn to Christ was one of the members of the Areopagus, as well as a woman whose lack of description leads us to think that she was simply a “commoner.” Why is she named? I think because God is no respecter of persons. He welcomes rich and poor, important in the world’s eyes and unimportant, equally. All who come by faith are welcomed fully into the kingdom of God.