While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. He told them “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” Ooo now I’m curious!
They answered “ We haven’t heard if there is a Holy Ghost!” Uh oh! Sounds like blasphemy to me!
So Paul asks them in water manner had they been baptized. Oh they had been baptized by John the Baptist . Paul explained that John’s baptism was the baptism of repentance. He told the people that they should believe in the guy who came after him, Jesus Christ. Of course when they heard that they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he put his hands on them they Holy Ghost came out and they spoke in tongues and prophesized. There were about twelve guys.
Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, arguing and persuading about the kingdom of God. But when the crowd disagreed and didn’t believe him, they spoke evil about that way of the kingdom of God. So Paulie left and started arguing at a school in Tyrannus. And this continued for two years, so all of the folks who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both the Jews and Greeks. Oh I think I’ve been misunderstanding what they meant by Asia.
God made special miracles through Paul’s hands. He could give out aprons and handkerchiefs that he had touched and the diseases and evil spirits would leave them. Wow, it sounds like God gave him more power than he gave his beloved son JC.
A certain vagabond Jew was visiting the people possessed by evil spirit, telling the spirits to leave in the name of Jesus, who Paul preaches about. Wow I think the people think Paul has the big power too. A Jewish chief priest named Sceva had seven sons, who all did that too. But the evil spirit asked them “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” And then the evil spirit physically attacked them. It overcame them and they fled the house naked and wounded. The Jews and Greeks in Ephesus heard this were afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Wait what? Yeah the fear makes sense but how was JC’s name magnified any more than Paul’s?
And a lot of the believers came and confessed and showed their deeds. Many of the people who used the curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all o the men, and they added up how much the books were worth and it was fifty thousand pieces of silver. Wow! That’s some big money! And hey I don’t care what the books are, don’t burn them, if you don’t like them don’t read them. Whatever. So the word of God prevailed.
After all of that, Paul went through Macedonia, Achaia, on to Jerusalem, and then he decided he had to see Rome! So he sent Timotheus and Erastus, but he stayed in Asia for a season. And that caused a big stir. Because a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines for Diana, which earned him some serious money. He called together some other silversmiths to tell them “You know we make our money out of smithing, and you’ve seen and heard that Paul’s persuaded and turned a lot of people onto the idea that there are no gods made with human hands. So our craft is in danger of becoming nothing, but on top of that they hate the temple of the great goddess Diana and her magnificence should be destroyed. But all of Asia and the world worships her!“
When they heard that they were pissed yelling “Diana of the Ephesians is awesome!”
The whole city was filled with confusion, and they caught Gaius and Aristarchus from Macedonia, who were Paul’s companions in travel and they rushed them into the theatre. Paul wanted to enter the crowd but the disciples stopped him. A certain chief or Asia, who was his friend, sent a message telling him not to go to the theater. Everything was really confusing, people were shouting different things, and some of the people didn’t even know why they were there.
Alexander tried to defend his people beckoning with his hand but when they found out her was a Jew the people started crying out “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” They did that in unison for a couple of hours.
When the townclerk finally appeased the people and said “You men of Ephesus, who doesn’t know that we worship Diana, who fell down from Jupiter? They can’t take that from you, so you ought to be quiet and don’t do anything rash. You brought these guys here, and they aren’t church robbers, they haven’t even blasphemed against your goddess… yet. Where is Demetrius and the other craftsmen, if you have a problem with these people, take them to the courts and deal with it in a lawful assembly. This uproar today is a mess and nobody knows what happened. Now go home people!”
Hurray for the town clerk, a just and logical man no doubt familiar with the laws of ancient Greece, Rome! My new biblical hero, someone who uses logic!
I don't think the guy using logic was a christian, they never seem to be in the bible. And I agree Diana of the Ephesians is awesome! She was always my favorite of the greek/roman goddesses. I liked how she could kill you with her silver bow and arrow and how she drove the moon chariot. Very romantic.
ReplyDelete