Today I want to look at:
Riots in the Streets
My wife and I were reading the Bible a couple of days ago, and I was struck by the similarities of an event that happened almost two thousand years ago to events that have been happening in our society in recent years.
So, just what was that event?
It Was a Riot
The particular riot concerns a guy by the name of Paul who played a significant role in spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ in the early years of the church. After his dramatic conversion experience on the road to Damascus, Paul dedicated his life to telling people about Jesus.
But that bothered some people. I want to focus on one person in particular who lived and worked in Ephesus. He was a silversmith named Demetrius.
Demetrius was concerned that many people were turning away from worshipping the idols he made because Christians were saying that “gods made with hands” aren’t really gods.
That was it?
That was his complaint?
Yep.
It seems like an obvious observation to me that if you make something out of wood, or rock, or silver, or gold, that the thing you made is not a god. It is just a thing that you made out of wood, or rock, or silver, or gold.
But that was a problem for Demetrius because, as a silversmith in Ephesus, part of his business was making silver shrines to the goddess Artemis, and if people started believing the “things” he made should NOT be worshipped, he was going to lose a lot of money.
So, Demetrius got together with a bunch of his craftsmen friends who also made images to be worshipped and persuaded them to do something about this problem. They knew they couldn’t just admit it was costing them money. That would be too self-serving. They needed a more compelling cause.
So, they came up with what they thought was a more powerful argument.
“And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
Demetrius, the silversmith. Acts 19:24
Instead of engaging in discussions trying to persuade people that this belief being presented by Paul and other Christians was wrong, the people in Ephesus who worshipped the gods of wood, rock, silver, and gold took a different approach.
They decided to riot in the streets.
Here’s how the Bible described what happened.
“… they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. … 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. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’”
Acts 18:28-34 (ESV)
That description of the riot in Ephesus sounds a lot like some of the riots we have experienced in our country in recent years … especially those on college campuses.
What has that story got to do with today?
Occupy Wall Street riots. Black Lives Matter riots. Riots supporting the killing of babies. Riots supporting the “rights” of drag queens to dance in front of children in public libraries and elementary schools. Riots supporting sexual deviants. Riots supporting Hamas and their brutal attack on Jews — raping, torturing, beheading, and doing other unspeakable things.
Like the Ephesians of 2,000 years ago, many of those riots and demonstrations in recent days have involved violence, chanting phrases, with even a little bit of antisemitism thrown into the mix.
I was fascinated by the description in the Bible that many of the people rioting in Ephesus didn’t even know why they were rioting.
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.
Even though they didn’t know exactly why they were doing it, those ancient Ephesians took to the streets and shouted the phrases in praise of their false gods.
If you’ve ever seen an on-the-street interview with our present-day rioters, you’ll quickly realize that many of those rioters don’t know why they are rioting. They can repeat the current “phrases” chanting them over and over, but they can’t answer basic questions about the issue they are rioting against.
They can’t answer questions about brutally murdering babies in the womb. They can’t answer questions about the brutality of surgically or chemically destroying the future lives of young boys and girls. They can’t answer questions about the terrorists who brutally murder, rape, decapitate and torture people who don’t worship their false gods.
And they certainly don’t have any understanding of history.
But they can shout their slogans.
Over. And over. And over.
You can read the Biblical description of the riot in Ephesus in Acts 19:21-41.
What has that story got to do with today?
When you see a story about people rioting today, try to find out if they actually know what they are supporting. Do they truly understand, or do they just shout their slogans.
Before I leave, I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.
“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)
Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today
Riots in the Streets