Douglas Wilson

INTRODUCTION

So Paul is resolved to go to Jerusalem, and apparently a sense of destiny rests upon him. He is repeatedly warned what will happen if he does, and Luke records the warnings carefully. This is not to make us think that Paul was disobeying the Spirit. The prophecies did not say, “You must not go,” but rather, “This is what will happen if you go.” This warning happens in “every city” (Acts 20:22-23). It happened in Tyre (Acts 21:4). Agabus also warns him (Acts 21:11). Nevertheless, Paul is resolved to do what he must do. He may even have the long game of appealing to Caesar in mind.

THE TEXT

“And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara . . .” (Acts 21:1–16).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

We begin with another accounting of their travel itinerary. Having left Miletus, they came to Coos, and then to Rhodes, and then Patara. Coos and Rhodes were small islands off the coast of Asia, and Patara was a seaport in Asia (v. 1). They found a ship going to Phoenica, the east coast of the Mediterranean (v. 2). They passed Cyprus on the left, sailed to Syria, but landed at Tyre, where the ship unloaded (v. 3). They found some Christians there, they remained for a week (v. 4). In the Spirit, these believers warned Paul against Jerusalem (v. 5). After a week, these folks—wives, children and all—accompanied Paul’s group down to the shore, knelt there and prayed (v. 5). After the farewells, they got on the ship, and the believers returned home (v. 6). They came to Ptolemais, a city in Phoenicia, greeted the Christians there, and remained for a day (v. 7). The next day Paul’s band left for Caesarea, and 30 miles away (v. 8).

They came to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven men appointed in Acts 6, and they stayed with him (v.8). Philip had four virgin daughters, all of them gifted with prophesy (v. 9). They were there quite a few days, and a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea (v. 10). He was the one who had prophesied the famine in Acts 11:28 (v. 10). When he arrived, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own hands and feet, prophesying in the Spirit that Paul would be so bound by the Jerusalem Jews and handed over to the Gentiles (v. 11). Hearing this, Paul’s band and the house of Philip urged not to go to Jerusalem (v. 12). Paul replied that their weeping was breaking his heart. For the sake of the Lord Jesus, he was ready to be bound and to die at Jerusalem (v. 13). Paul remained unmoved, and so everyone resigned themselves to the will of God (v. 14). So then they all packed up, and headed to Jerusalem (v. 15). Some of the disciples from Caesarea came with them, bringing with them an elderly Christian from Cyprus, a man named Mnason, and they were going to stay with him in Jerusalem (v. 16).

PROPHECY AND SCRIPTURE

The believers in the book of Acts had their Old Testaments, a few scattered epistles, and perhaps a gospel or two, but they did not have a complete New Testament. This gap was filled by the extant gift of prophecy, which appears in “every city.” We are told that Philip had four daughters who were prophetesses, but we don’t have any of their prophecies recorded. Why do I bring this up?

In debates with our charismatic brothers, who believe that the gift of prophecy is still operative today, I have often asked why nobody is taking notes. Why are the words of prophecy not recorded, typeset, printed and bound? Why are they not printed as the sequel to the Holy Bible? When I ask this question, it is usually not long before Philip’s daughters come up. They were prophetesses, and none of their prophecies are in the Bible. So we therefore know that not all prophecies need to be in the Scriptures.

This is certainly true, but that is not the issue. The issue has to do with who makes that decision. It is the Word of God, and He can dispense with it if He chooses. Say that Philip’s house burned down, and all the prophecies with it. But if we are in possession of words that we believe to be inspired by God Himself, do we have the authority to toss them? No. We must treat them as the Word of God.

FAREWELLS A DESIGN FEATURE

One of the themes emphasized by Luke is the element of bittersweet farewells. Paul bids farewell at Ephesus (Acts 18:21), promising to return if he can. There is an implied farewell at Troas, where he preaches all night (Acts 20:11). He gives an emotional farewell to the elders of Ephesus (20:25), saying he will not see them again. He bids farewell to the disciples at Tyre, kneeling down with them on the beach (Acts 21:5-6). And a hard farewell is implied at Caesarea (Acts 21:10-14).

The point here is that the Great Commission cannot be fulfilled without farewells. The church cannot grow together without also, in another sense, be growing apart. All our church plants here on the Palouse mean that you don’t see some of your friends nearly as often as you used to. Worshiping in three services means the same thing. When a church grows to a certain size, coming in a different door can amount to the same thing. Churches grow, and they call a pastor, but he comes away from a church, a church that was dear to him. We could try to fix this problem by ceasing to be vibrant, but after enough time, we would realize that ceasing to be vibrant means ceasing to be dear to one another. In any growing Christian movement, the bittersweet is baked in.

READY TO DIE

What does it mean to witness? What does it mean to testify? It means far more than having a set of Christian talking points, and being willing to recite them. Paul says here that he is willing for both imprisonment and death. This is not for any wrongdoing (1 Pet. 4:15), but for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).

And this is the pattern that the Lord Jesus Himself established for those who would follow Him.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

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INTRODUCTION

The great apostle had invested much of himself in the course of his ministry at Ephesus. It was one of his most successful ventures, and he had poured himself into it. He was about to let go, departing from them, commending them to God forever. This in-person farewell happened in the mid-50’s, and he wrote the book of Ephesians to them in the early 60’s. They stayed on his mind, in other words.

THE TEXT

“And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you . . .” (Acts 20:17–38).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Paul summoned the Ephesian elders to come see him at Miletus (v. 17). When they came, he said, you know how I have lived in your presence from day one (v. 18). Through tears, temptations, and Jewish plots, he had served the Lord in true humility (v. 19). He held nothing back in his teaching, whether in homes or publicly (v. 20). The content of his message, to both Jews and Greeks, was repentance toward God and faith toward Christ (v. 21). And now, constrained in spirit, he was traveled to the unknown future at Jerusalem (v. 22). Unknown, that is, apart from the Spirit’s testimony that it would include bonds and affliction (v. 23). But he was unmoved, and just wanted to finish his race with joy, and his ministry that was testifying to the grace of God in the gospel (v. 24). He knows that these men would not see him again, men among whom he has preached the kingdom (v. 25). He calls them all to witness that he free was from blood guilt (v. 26). For he did not hold back from them the whole counsel of God (v. 27). He called upon these bishops to heed to themselves and tend the flock, which God had purchased with His own blood (v. 28). And why? He knows that grievous wolves will attack the flock savagely (v. 29). Even some of their own number would, for the sake of a following, lead people off into perversion (v. 30). So watch, and remember, Paul says, how he had warned them night and day with tears (v. 31). He then commended them to God and to His grace, which is able to build them up, and grant them an inheritance (v. 32). Paul had coveted nothing that belonged to anybody (v. 33). He pointed to his hands, reminding them that he had supported himself and his companions (v. 34). This was probably tentmaking again. He lived out what he taught—workers should support the weak (v. 35). He quoted Jesus on the blessing of giving over receiving (v. 35). And so saying, he knelt and prayed with them all (v. 36). And so they all wept, embraced Paul, kissing him, most grieved over the fact that he said they would not see each other again (vv. 37-38). And they then went to the ship (v. 38).

REPENTANCE AND FAITH

Paul states the message in an interesting fashion here (v. 21). He says that repentance is towards God, who is the source of the divine laws that we have sinned by breaking. And faith is toward Christ, who is our appointed Savior, able to deliver us completely.

FREE FROM BLOODGUILT

The principle that Paul appeals to here is laid out clearly by the prophet Ezekiel.

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 3:17–19).

On this subject, Paul defends himself in two different ways. First, he reminds them that when it came to teaching, he was not guilty of any sin of omission. In other words, he did not leave anything out (vv. 20, 27). If it was in the text, he taught it, even it was something of a jagged pill. Secondly, he lived and worked in such a way that he did not contradict his message through any sin in his lifestyle (vv. 18-19, 33-34). He did not covet. He did not sponge off others. They saw clearly how he was a man who was “all in.”

QUOTING JESUS

We see something curious in Paul’s citation of something the Lord said. This is known as an agrapha, a saying attributed to Christ, but with that saying not found in any of the gospels. That said, the Lord did say, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This fits and is fully consistent (Luke 6:38; Matt. 5:42).

CHURCH POLITY

In verse 17, he summons the elders of the church at Ephesus (presbyteroi). In the course of his discussion with them (v. 28), he calls them overseers or bishops (episkopoi). This demonstrates clearly that in the first century, these terms referred to the same office. The same thing happens in Titus, where Paul says to ordain certain kind of men as elders (presbyteroi) in every city (v. 5), and the reason give is that a bishop (episkopoi) must be blameless (v. 7). Note also Phil. 1:1.

WITH HIS OWN BLOOD

Paul uses shorthand here—God purchased the church with His own blood, even though God doesn’t have blood. He is of course referring to the Incarnation of the Son, through whom the blood which purchased us was shed.

Some elders will let their position go to their head, and they will start thinking of the flock as somehow theirs. And if it is theirs, they can start distinguishing themselves from others (and from Paul), in order to make their portion of the flock more obviously theirs. In order to pull this off, however, they have to begin saying perverse things (v. 30).

The antidote is to remember that the church is not just “a church.” It is God’s own possession, bought with the blood of His own Son.

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INTRODUCTION

Mammon is frequently a behind-the-scenes god. The celebrity goddess has an impressive sacred space dedicated to her, which cost a lot of money, but that was just the investment, the outlay. The returns come in the form of the merch. The sacred space was there on the hill, but going in or coming out you would be likely to walk past the Stoa, where the T-shirts and knick-knacks were for sale.

We have already discussed the economics of grace, but here we see it on full display. The overture was the burning of the occult materials. The full performance was the spectacle of rioting merchants.

THE TEXT

“And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion . . . ” (Acts 19:23–41).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke states it mildly—the riot was not tiny (v. 23). A silversmith named Demetrius was a maker of very profitable silver shrines for Diana (or Artemis). Luke is mild again—“no small gain.” He called a meeting of his fellow tradesmen, and told them that their craft was their wealth (v. 25). He drew their attention to the impact that Paul had had, both in Ephesus and throughout Asia. He was turning people away from gods made with human hands (v. 26). Not only would diminish their trade, but his work would bring the temple of Diana into disrepute, a goddess currently worshiped throughout Asia and the Empire (v. 27). Hearing this, they exploded with the cry, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians (v. 28). The city was thrown into confusion, and they seized two of Paul’s traveling companions (Gaius and Aristarchus) and rushed with one accord into the theater (v. 29). Paul wanted to address the crowd, but the brothers wouldn’t let him (v. 30). Reinforcements to this good sense were brought by Asiarchs, city officials who were friends with Paul (v. 31). The crowd was confused about what the issue was, with different people yelling different things (v. 32). The Jews put a man named Alexander forward, but the crowd wouldn’t let him talk, because he was a Jew (v. 33). The crowd spent two hours shouting, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” (v. 34). The town clerk finally calmed them down. Everybody knows that the city worships Diana, and the image that fell from Zeus—Diopetes (v. 35). These things are indisputable, so don’t be rash (v. 36). You have brought these men (the original two), who are neither temple-robbers or blasphemers of Diana (v. 37). If Demetrius and friends have a case, let them bring it in an orderly way (v. 38). If there are other issues, they should be addressed lawfully as well (v. 39). The city could easily be called on the carpet because of this uproar, and the city officials would be in a difficult spot trying to explain it (v. 40). Then he dismissed them (v. 41).

FRIENDS OF PAUL

Asiarchs were chosen by a league of cities in Asia. They were administrative officials representing Rome and the emperor as they oversaw various patriotic activities and worship. They were administrative officials, but they were also pagan priests. And Paul was friends with them. The town clerk was also a pagan—note his high praise of Diana—but note also what he says about Paul and company. They were not robbers of sacred spaces, and they were not blasphemers of the goddess. They taught the truth concerning her, which is not the same thing as railing against her. Michael fought with the devil, but did not bring a railing or blasphemous accusation against him (Jude 9-10; 2 Pet. 2:12).

TWO SIMILAR CROWDS

This riot in Ephesus is the biggest one yet in Acts—the crowd gathered at the theater at Ephesus, which could seat around 24K, which apparently meant they needed quite a bit of room. These were godless pagans. The whole city was involved (v. 29) Although their folly was on full display, it is also worth noting that they were successfully calmed down by the Roman leadership, with no one was hurt, and no one was arrested.

The Judeans in Jerusalem also rioted (Acts 21:26ff), and tried to kill Paul. The whole city was involved (Acts 21:30). These two reactions to the gospel in different cities illustrate that the carnal man is a carnal man, whether or not he is covenantally set apart. This is a side-by-side contrast, just like what Paul does in Romans 1-3. Romans 1 says the Gentiles are under sin, Romans 2 says that the Jews are, and Romans 3 says they are all in the same boat together.

We see here how the new birth is absolutely essential. The true Jew is the one who is a Jew inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit (Rom. 2:28-29). There is nothing worse than being a Jew on the outside and an Amalekite on the inside. Well, actually, there is something worse—and that is being a Christian on the outside and an Amalekite on the inside.

How do we identify the Christian? How do we know when we have seen a real Christian? We know the same way we know anything . . . by looking to Christ.

“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2 Corinthians 5:16).

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

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INTRODUCTION

Ephesus was one of the places where the apostle Paul invested a goodly amount of time. On this occasion, he was there for two years, and you should recall that he had visited earlier in Acts. It was a port city in western Asia Minor, and the temple to Diana there (Artemis) was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was a notable city. We know it as Christians from the riches found in the book of Ephesians, and from the exhortation to return to their first love that is found in Revelation 2.

THE TEXT

“And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism . . . ” (Acts 19:1–22).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul came to Ephesus, where Apollos had been, and found disciples of some sort there (v. 1). He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit, and they replied that they hadn’t even heard of Him (v. 2). So he asked what their baptism was, and they replied that it was John’s baptism (v. 3). These are pretty clearly disciples made by Apollos before Priscilla and Aquila helped him out. Paul informed them that John’s baptism was pointing to Christ (v. 4), and so they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (v. 5). Paul laid hands on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied (v. 6). There were around twelve of them (v. 7). Paul went to the synagogue, and spoke, disputed, and persuaded for about three months (v. 8). Some of them got hard-hearted, and began to speak evil, so Paul moved his operations to the hall of Tyrannus (v. 9), teaching there daily. He did this for two years, such that everyone in the province of Asia Minor, Jews and Greeks both, heard the word of the Lord Jesus (v. 10). Power to do miracles was with him (v. 11), such that even articles of his clothing could heal diseases and cast out demons (v. 12). Itinerant Jewish exorcists began to use the name of Jesus, the one preached by Paul (v. 13). One example was the band of Sceva’s seven sons—Sceva being a Jew and self-styled chief priest (v. 14). The demon replied that he knew Jesus, and Paul, but “who are you guys?” (v. 15). He jumped on them and thrashed them, such that they ran away naked and hurt (v. 16). Word about that got around all of Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks both, and they all feared. The name of the Lord Jesus was magnified (v. 17). Those who believed began to confess their deeds (v. 18). This included their occult books, which they all agreed to burn together—and which one calculation into modern terms puts at about $6M in value. So the Word of God grew and prevailed (v. 20). After this, Paul decided to go west to Macedonia and Achaia, then to Jerusalem, and on to Rome (v. 21). So he send Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia as his advance team (v. 22), but then he remained there in Asia for a bit.

DISCIPLES OF APOLLOS

We learned earlier that when Apollos came to Ephesus, he taught the Word accurately, but only up to John’s baptism (Acts 18:25). Pricilla and Aquila brought him up to the speed, but he had apparently made some disciples that Priscilla and Aquila didn’t get to. They were distinguished from others in some way (perhaps by clothing?) such that Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit. They were disciples of some sort, but something must have seemed off. So they received Christian baptism, and when Paul laid hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. Since they spoke in tongues and prophesied, this showed that God was declaring their solidarity with Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:44-45), as well as their unity with the saints at Pentecost (Acts 2:4).

TRYING TO GET A PIECE OF THE ACTION

There was a lot of excitement in Ephesus over this. Healings and exorcisms began to occur on the strength of handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul had used. The power of God was present, and so certain Jewish exorcists tried to get a piece of the action. You recall that Simon Magus tried to buy his way in (Acts 8: 18-19), but these folks just assumed they could just barge in. They started conjuring in the name of this “Jesus that Paul preaches.” That’s a bit of reflected glory, but apparently less potent than one of those handkerchiefs. They got beat up for their pains, and this caused all of Ephesus to fear. The name of Jesus grew in authority.

THE HALL OF TYRANNUS

So the response there in Ephesus was robust. After three months of weekly meetings in the synagogue, Paul side-stepped the hardened opposition by moving to a rented hall, where he taught daily for two years. The upshot of this was that all of Asia Minor was affected.

This gives us a glimpse into how a consistent, steady, drumbeat of a godly ministry has a gathering and cumulative effect.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GRACE

Now in the next verses we are going to see a full-scale riot caused by the economic impact of Paul’s gospel preaching. Turning to Christ threatened the sale of idols. In this section, we see the warm-up act for this reaction. The people who were turning to Christ from their superstitions took up a collection of their occult materials, and made a bonfire with them. The worth was 50K pieces of silver, likely a drachma. One drachma was on average a daily wage for skilled worker, which means that the amount was enough to catch the attention of the Ephesians. The Christians were making a difference. Sin has economic ramifications, as does forgiveness and righteousness.

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