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The Book of Acts
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BIBLE STUDY ACTS 19:1-41 REVIEW: In Chapter 18, Paul came to Corinth where he stayed and worked with two Jews, Aquila and Priscilla, who had fled from persecution in Rome. As per his usual routine, Paul proclaimed in the synagogue at first, but later moved his mission work to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Luke specifically mentions that this new meeting place was located next door to the synagogue and that even the official of the synagogue, Crispus, became a believer together with his entire household. (Crispus is later mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:14.) Although the Jews tried to mount an attack against Paul by reporting him to the Roman authority, Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, chose not to involve himself in religious affairs. Near the end of the Chapter we see that Paul concluded his second missionary Journey by returning to Jerusalem and then back to Antioch. Leaving Corinth, we learn that Paul was accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla as far as Ephesus. Apparently Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Corinth. Finally, at the end of Chapter 18, we are introduced to another Character, Apollos, who was from Alexandria (Egypt) and “taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.” Apallos apparently came into contact with Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus and was informed (by them) more fully in “the Way,” according to the teachings of those affiliated with Paul’ mission. CHAPTER 19:1-7 “Receiving the Holy Spirit in Baptism” “While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—altogether there were about twelve of them”. It is one thing to give up on going down the wrong path—to repent. It is another thing to take up a new direction. What I, Pastor Josh, take from this section is the meaningful image that the Christian baptism (called “the Way”) involves both of these motions: an emptying and a filling. Not only are we, as Christians, to “renounce the devil and all his empty promises” (from LBW, Rite of Baptism), we also are to accept the inheritance of God’s presence—the Holy Spirit. In this short story, Paul is said to have simply laid his hands on them and the Holy Spirit entered them. Notice the ease by which this is done; that this is not another exorcism story. John’s baptism of repentance had made these men (about twelve of them—a number signifying Israel in its entirety) fertile soil ready for planting; or empty vessels, ready for the occupation of God’s Holy Spirit. May we be filled with the Holy Spirit through our baptism’s in our own day and age! CHAPTER 19:8-10 “The Word of the Lord heard throughout Asia” “He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.” At this point in the narrative, we see Paul’s prophetic ministry turning into a regional movement which takes place over the course of two year’s time. So much so, that “all the residents of Asia (minor), both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.” Although not all believed, all were at least aware of this regional movement. The Jews who “stubbornly refused to believe” are portrayed here as “hardened” in a way reminiscent of Pharaoh in the story of the Exodus. Appropriately, Paul proceeds to separate his followers from the “evil” speaking of the Diaspora Jews, who opposed the “Way.” CHAPTER 19:11-20 “God’s Extraordinary Work through Paul” “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest name Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” Not only was the “Way” promoted by Paul becoming known to all the residents of Asia, now even in the spiritual realm this was so. In a way, this story is a way of describing how the work and role of Pauline Christianity, as a spiritual force, had come to prove itself more powerful than Diaspora Judaism and perhaps even other forms of early Christianity. Luke here has developed, through his skillful narration, a “spiritual hierarchy.” Notice how in the hierarchy of spiritual power, these Jewish authorities, who tried to usurp or steal from the prophetic power of Paul, were “mastered” by the evil spirit, while objects, such as handkerchiefs and aprons, associated with Paul by degree of separation (merely touched by him) are said to have healing power and the power to cast out demons. Then, “those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices…collected their books and burned them publicly.” The Greek word for “became”, the Perfect, Active form of pisteo, indicates that a valid translation could rightly be “those who had become believers.” Therefore, this passage may actually be referring to other forms of early Christianity—those who had already become believers due to the work of other missionaries and evangelists. Contextually, this would make sense, considering the sudden attention paid to a figure such as Apollos, who is presented as being right according to the Way, but not as right as Paul. The practice of book burning in antiquity was a way of controlling the spread of unacceptable ideas, especially in the early church. The term perierga, translated “magical arts,” can mean simply “curious things.” No matter what the exact content of these books, the point of Acts 19 is clear. Paul’s “Way” was becoming more and more popular, it was more spiritually effective than other religions (namely Judaism), and moreover, it was displacing the curious practices (magic?) of yet more people in the Mediterranean world. Or, as the author of the Book of Acts says, the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” CHAPTER 19:21-32 “Travel Plans” “Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone there, I must also see Rome.” So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Asia.” Although Luke does not give expression for Paul’s motivation to go to Jerusalem, Paul himself writes about his effort to collect money from the Gentile churches in order to deliver an offering to the Jerusalem church. Throughout Paul’s letters, this initiative to collect money for “the poor” in Jerusalem is a crucial element of Paul’s work. (see Gal 2:10; 1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8-9; Rom 15:25-32). Paul’s desire to “see Rome” matches the sentiment he gives in Romans 15:24 and 32. Here we see that Timothy, one of the most important figures in the Pauline mission, continues on as a central delegate who was sent out by Paul. Erastus, mentioned only here in Acts, is also mentioned in Romans 16 (verse 23) as “treasurer” of Corinth. 2 Timothy also places Erastus there. CHAPTER 19:23-41 “The Ephesus Riot” “About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, “Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.” When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travel companions. Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; even some officials of the province of Asia, who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater. Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. You have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.” According to Daniel Harrington’s commentary—The Acts of the Apostles, Luke is accurate, in this colorful story, regarding the cult of Artemis in Ephesus. He is also skillful at conveying in narrative form, many of the dynamics of Paul’s time in the region. In remarkably few strokes, he…compresses all the features associated with the unruly mobs and popular assemblies of the Hellenistic cities, known to us both from histories and romances of the period: the violent emotions, the throngs in the street, the convergence on the theater, the noise and confusion, the efforts of the local leaders to quell the disturbance in the name of good order and out of fear of reprisal. Luke also effectively conveys the way in which Jews could be caught up in such disturbances and made their victims (Harrington, 352). Although Luke involves Paul in this story by detailing his reaction to the riot or the dilemma of his decision to stay away, this account is actually more of a snapshot into the socio-cultural dynamic of the early Christian mission. Paul, however, in his own letter (1 Cor 15:32 and 2 Cor 1:8-9) attests to his own “afflictions” and the danger of his experiences in Asia/Ephesus. -------------------- Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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