What does Acts 19:27 mean?
The story of the silversmiths in Ephesus is intensely relevant for the modern world. Paul brings the message of Jesus: His loving sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection that offers forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The Holy Spirit works through Paul to heal infirmities and release people from bondage to demons and witchcraft. People from all over the district come to find the grace they so desperately need (Acts 19:8–12, 18–20, 26).But the worship of Jesus threatens the livelihoods of craftsmen who make idols (Acts 19:23–25). They gather to brainstorm a marketing campaign. What they come up with is the fact that the province of Asia is identified by the worship of Artemis. If people return to worshiping Artemis, the craftsmen will get their business back.
It's telling that the worship of their goddess is a means to an end: the financial exploitation of people. The craftsmen would rather see the people stay enslaved to demons and witchcraft than find freedom. It's easier to make money off people who are oppressed than those who are free.
Asia is a province that takes up a large part of the southwest portion of modern-day Turkey; Ephesus is its capital. The temple to Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Despite that the craftsmen nearly start a riot and Paul leaves soon after (Acts 20:1), pockets of Greek people in Asia continue to follow Jesus until 1923, when they are relocated to Greece after the Turkish war.