Acts 19:41 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

NIV: After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

NASB: After saying this he dismissed the assembly.

CSB: After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.

NLT: Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.

KJV: And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

NKJV: And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

When Demetrius and the craftsmen of Ephesus realized Paul was drawing people away from their idol-making businesses, they probably didn't intend to cause a riot. They just wanted to rally the city to renew the people's devotion to Artemis (Acts 19:23–27). After all, Ephesus is the city of Artemis. It is the home of the great temple—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—as well as the "sacred stone that fell from the sky" that sits in the temple (Acts 19:35).

A mass of people joins their cry: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" They grab two of Paul's companions, march to the theater, and chant for a full two hours, but the people don't know the entire thing is about money. They're just caught up in the excitement (Acts 19:28–32).

The city clerk, meanwhile, chooses his moment. He lets the crowd wear themselves out for a couple of hours before addressing them. He affirms their devotion to their goddess. He also points out the men they grabbed haven't disrespected the goddess in any way. He then addresses Demetrius and the craftsmen: if they have a legal charge against Paul, they should take it to the court. As it stands, the mob is an illegal assembly, on the verge of becoming a riot, and if they continue the Romans will have to intervene (Acts 19:34–40).

Gaius and Aristarchus survive the harrowing ordeal. Paul writes to the church in Corinth about the "deadly peril" from which God delivered them (2 Corinthians 1:8–10). Paul and his team leave soon after, traveling north to Troas before finding a ship for Macedonia (Acts 20:1).

Paul visits with the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:17–38), but never sees Ephesus again. Even so, the church in Ephesus stands strong until 1923. After the Turkish war, Greeks in Turkey resettle in Greece, taking their church with them. Paul walks into a city filled with witchcraft and demonic activity (Acts 19:11–20). He leaves having planted a church that remains there for almost 1900 years.

Acts 19:35–41 describes one way to deal with unruly mobs; much the same as one might with over-tired toddlers. A crowd has formed in the Ephesian theater to renew their devotion to Artemis. The mob was started by idol makers whose businesses are threatened by the decreasing demand for shrines for Artemis as city residents convert to Christianity. The town clerk of Ephesus needs to disperse the crowd. He lets them wear themselves out, affirms their feelings, shows them they have nothing to fear, reminds them of the proper way to handle disappointment, and tells them the consequences if they don't behave. It works, and the crowd goes home.

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.