Acts 19

The author of the letter to the Hebrews speaks of baptisms and the laying on of hands as among the elementary things of Christ, but we might as well to admit that we have found these things to be matters of some complexity. It may help us to consider why it was that these could be considered elementary matters by the earliest community of faith. Even those who had received very little instruction in the Scriptures or in Christian theology knew about their own life experiences. There were common experiences among the earliest disciples in Judea. Many had received the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance, a preparation for the coming of the Messiah to Israel. When people heard the gospel preached, it was a normal thing for those who believed to be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. This was often connected with the laying on of hands which might also be a separate experience. This blessing of the apostles was associated with the giving of spiritual gifts, such as tongues and prophecy. These things were a part of the common order of life in the early church.

Here Paul, travelling in a more remote area on his way to Ephesus, encounters some disciples who have only received John’s baptism. They then received Christian baptism, and Paul laid hands on them, at which point they showed sign of the receiving of miraculous gifts. While this may seem different from our own experience, we are dealing with a time of transition between the age of the Law and the era of the gospel. Major revelatory events have taken place in the coming of Christ, things that John had spoken of when He prepared the people for the One who would come after him. During this foundational period of New Testament life, God identified the authorized apostles through there ability to lay hands upon others for healing and the bestowal of special spiritual gifts. The first New Testament gospels and letters were being authored at this same time, and there were many miraculous attestations of all of these great new developments that signaled the turning of the ages.

Not that everything that the apostles and the church did was miraculous. In Ephesus, for instance, even though amazing deeds were performed, and various events, both good and bad, caused many there to have fear and respect for the church and for the Name of Jesus Christ, it was through the daily teaching of the word of God over many months that the disciples in that city were built up in the faith. This regular teaching of the truth was leading to changed lives, where those who had once been dedicated to occult practices were willing to burn their valuable scrolls as a testimony of their rejection of the lives they once lived. As with Antioch, Corinth, and many other places, Ephesus became a city of which it could be rightly said that “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” The influence of this great work of God was felt throughout the entire region of Asia.

Towards the end of Paul’s long stay in that place, something happened that conclusively demonstrated the profound impact of all this teaching and preaching on the city. So many people were listening to Paul’s contention that man-made idols were not gods at all, that it hurt not only the pride of those engaged in the business of idol manufacture, but also upon their economic prosperity. Led by a group of artisans who made their living in crafting Artemis statues, a large crowd was so stirred up, that it was the judgment of the disciples and of others that Paul should not even be permitted to go into the theatre where the mod was congregating. They all shouted for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians,” in what began to look like a case of raising the volume on a less than persuasive point that very few people still genuinely believed.

Finally, a government official was able to quiet the crowd and convince them that they were in danger themselves of being charged with unruly conduct, and they were all dismissed. Nonetheless it became one of those powerful points of evidence furnished by the enemies of the gospel, showing us that the Word was having enough of an impact to cause quite a stir in this city.

We have seen events like this in previous chapters that focused on the anger of those who were worshipers in the local synagogues. But in all of these cities the Jews and associated God-fearers were still a distinct minority. It would take a massive movement among the Gentiles to hurt the economy of a whole region like this, and to cause a disturbance among all the inhabitants of such an important place.

All of this took happened because Jesus came not only to save Jews, but to save the world. Those who once thought it undeniable that Artemis was someone great, and that having her silver statue at hand couldn’t be a bad thing, were now turning away from these false objects of devotion because they had come to know Jesus Christ. Artemis would not be queen of Ephesus very much longer. All pretenders of divinity will eventually have to fall beneath the weight of the God-Man Jesus the Messiah, who has atoned for the sins of His people. He is God of miracles, who has changed the world through the preaching and teaching of His Word.