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Week Eighteen, Day Three

Acts 19: 8-41

Paul taught in the synagogue in Ephesus for three months. Eventually, a group there began to “speak evil of the Way.” He and the disciples then moved on and used the hall of a local philosophy teacher named Tyrannus where Paul taught for the next two years. While he had critics who were quite vocal, Paul's work in Ephesus went well, some would say too well.

Being a Greek city, there was great tolerance in Ephesus for different religions and different gods and goddesses. The principle deity of the city, though, was the goddess Artemis/Diana. The Way was tolerated by the folks in the city until so many people began abandoning the worship of Artemis and joining the Way that it cut into the profit of the local merchants.

A silversmith named Demetrius fomented a riot by stirring up the merchants whose livelihoods might have been threatened. Of course, he frames the issue in pious terms as though he was concerned about the honor of the goddess, not his own profit. People got angry and all worked up, and they dragged some of the disciples out of the theater where they were preaching. The trouble was the mob was unclear what it was about which they were supposed to be so outraged. Luke writes that “some were shouting one thing and some were shouting another.” This continued until a magistrate of the city brought order and insisted that, if Paul and company had committed any crime, it should be handled by the courts, not a mob.

In our day, we often have seen mobs gather to protest. Recently, there have been huge protests about taxes. The irony is that the tax rate for most Americans is the lowest in decades, and it is lower than almost any industrialized nation. Taxes were not raised to finance the wars we are waging, but money was borrowed to do that. There were few protests against that borrowing, but put forth the idea that taxes might have to increase to provide health care for all and, suddenly, those who have health care took to the streets.

The truth is that, whenever the Way of Jesus is taken, it inevitably will come into conflict with capitalism, the true religion of America. The fact that the conflicts are so few is an indictment of the Church and says that we are not living into the Way of Jesus. Who we are, how we live, and the values for which we advocate should cause those whose chief value is profit to riot. Instead, they comfortably fill our pews, and we are cowered into silence, lest the Way of Jesus offend them … and their giving. Where is Paul when we need him?

Blessings,

Michael Piazza
President, Hope for Peace & Justice

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