Acts 19:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

NIV: The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.

NASB: So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.

CSB: Some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

NLT: Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.

KJV: Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.

NKJV: Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

It is universally acknowledged that people tend to oppose other's freedoms when it costs them money or power. Paul has been in Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31). The city is saturated with demons and witchcraft and defined by worship to Artemis. The Holy Spirit has given Paul power over sickness and demons, and people from all over the province of Asia have come to hear how to find the kingdom of God. Many have burned their magical spells and abandoned Artemis (Acts 19:8–12, 17–20).

The craftsmen of the city watch as their financial prospects dissolve. With fewer people worshiping the Greek gods, fewer people will buy their idols and shrines. They start a campaign to reaffirm Artemis's place in Ephesian culture. What starts as a chant, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" (Acts 19:28), becomes a protest march and then a mob that fills the theater. They can't find Paul—and Paul's friends hold him back from entering the fray—so they grab two of Paul's companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and yell for two hours (Acts 19:23–31, 34).

It's worth noting that most of the people don't know what's going on. The theater is also used as a forum where people meet three times a month to work out issues that threaten the peace of the city. This is not a forum, it's a mob that has been worked into a frenzy.

This is a very applicable warning for the church. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). We cannot let our guards down when people start yelling that some force or another is threatening our rights and our identity. We need to be like the Bereans and carefully investigate what is really at stake and how instigators profit by causing disturbances and fear. The craftsmen in Ephesus know that fearmongering only leads us farther from the truth of the kingdom of God.

In Acts 19:28–34, a marketing campaign turns into a riot. Silversmiths and other craftsmen are losing business because so many in the city of Ephesus are turning to Jesus. They shout their allegiance to Artemis, the city goddess, as they march through the streets. Other residents join their cry and follow them to the theater. Along the way, they grab two of Paul's companions. Paul tries to intervene, but other church members hold him back. The mob marches to the theater, most of them not knowing what is actually going on, and chant for two straight hours.

Acts 19 recounts Paul's three-year visit in Ephesus. He starts by revealing how Jesus of Nazareth has brought to life the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit validates Paul's message by healing those struck with physical ailments and demon possession. Amazed by Paul's authority over evil spirits, so many magicians turn to Christ that the craftsmen who make idols fear for their livelihoods. They nearly incite a riot before the town clerk settles them down. Paul realizes his time in Ephesus has ended, and he travels to Macedonia (Acts 20:1).

Acts 19 is the meat of Paul's third missionary voyage. He has already revisited the churches in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). Now he returns to Ephesus for a three-year stay. After firmly establishing the church there, rescuing many from pagan magic and the worship of Artemis, he returns to Macedonia and Greece. A threat on his life sends him back up to Macedonia and across to Troas. He meets briefly with the Ephesian elders to tell them they will not meet again (Acts 20). When he returns to Jerusalem, he is arrested and, eventually, taken to Rome.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.