Acts 19:9-10; Matthew 28:18-20
Paul is in full training mode at the Hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus. The seven sons of Sceva are making progress in their new career as exorcists. The businessmen of Ephesus are becoming nervous about Paul’s progress. Paul receives an unexpected visitor from Corinth.
…
Designed to bring in more light, the windows in the Hall of Tyrannus rise several feet above the floor and eliminate the otherwise darkened corners for a good portion of the day. However… with more light comes more heat. Add a teeming crowd of individuals sitting shoulder to shoulder while the sun is overhead and the room rivals an odorous caldarium.
Sweat courses down from the heads and onto the necks and shoulders of many in the room. Paul finds himself smiling, as he wipes his brow with his tunic. “Let’s wrap up before this heat does us in.” He says. He then calls out: “Epaphras.”
Epaphras’ head jolts up upon hearing his own name. “Me?” he asks.
Paul grins and counters. “Are there any other Epaphrases in the room?”
He looks around to see the many faces turned his way, some smirking and others smiling. Turning crimson at the thought of being the center of attention, Epaphras then sheepishly smiles and nods..
“Recite for me our creed, my brother.” Paul replies. “The creed you will take with you someday when you head back to your homeland.”
Epaphras grows wide eyed. In a moment of panic, he racks his brain to remember which creed he is to recite. “There are so many.” He replies.
A soft laugh is heard throughout the room.
Paul chuckles at this as well and says, “Let me help you remember, my friend. Who bears the image of God?”
Epaphras scans the room and notices the others looking back at him while mouthing the words… “What are they saying?” He tries to make out. Suddenly, it registers. “Christ!” He shouts.
The laughter is much louder this time.
“Yes,” Paul beams. He raises his eyebrows as if to say, “go on.”
“Christ.” Epaphras repeats.
More laughter.
Paul chuckles. “Yeah, I think we covered that.”
“Christ…” he delays to think a little more. As if struck by a surprising monsoon, he stands to his feet and yells out for all the room, and beyond the room, to hear. “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him.”
The room erupts into cheers.
“Nice work, my friend.” Paul says while winking at Aquila. “That will do nicely.” Suddenly, he feels something gently pull on his tunic at his ankles, Paul peers behind himself to see two older women pressing pieces of cloth against his calves, “What are those?” he wonders. “Aprons?”
One of the women says something indiscernible, as they then stand together and leave him.
Paul looks over at Aquila who has also just witnessed the moment in its entirety. “What just happened?” Paul asks.
“I have no idea.” Aquila follows with a look of utter bafflement.
…
Brimming with excitement, Yedaiah yells out. “Did you just see what happened? That guy was literally foaming at the mouth when we got here.”
Equally as excited, his brothers look back at him with wide smiles.
Harim interrupts. “Hey, we got paid, right?”
Ignoring Harim, Yedaiah yells out, “But not today, demons.” He crouches with a defensive posture. “With our shields of God’s protection, and our swords piercing through the habitations of darkness, we vanquished the overlords of the neitherworld!”
The others laugh and let out yells of victory. “Not today, demons… not today!”
“Great!” Harim responds. “Did… we… get… paid?”
“Seriously!” Yedaiah cries out in astonishment. “Harim, did you not see what just happened? This guy was cucumber cool when we finished… in his right mind and all sober like. And you’re worried if we got paid?”
The sun lowers over the distant Aegean sea, as the seven brothers consume the narrow street and walk a little taller than they had when the day began.
A contemplative Immer glows while reflecting over each moment that just transpired. He shakes his head and mutters to himself. “I can’t believe it.”
Overhearing Immer’s muttering, Yehaiah looks over and asks. “What is it?”
Not hearing his brother’s inquiry, Immer continues to quietly play out his debrief. “The demon actually left. It’s like we confronted it, and it obeyed us.” He stares down at his father’s ring with a pentagram etched into it and brings it closer to study. “Was it the ring?” He wonders. “Was it our recitation of Solomon? No…” He thinks deeper. “The demon fled after we used the name of Jesus.”
“What are you blathering on about?” Harim heckles.
Brought out of his introverted universe, Immer widens his eyes and says. “It was the use of Jesus’ name right?”
“What?” Harim asks.
Immer holds up the ring and says, “It wasn’t the ring that exorcised the demon. Remember, we were trying to calm the guy by holding the ring over him, but it only made things worse.” He looks over at Harim and says, “You had to hold him down.”
Harim hunches over to show the crimson fingernail scratch marks freshly etched into his shoulder blade. He sighs and replies, “Yes. Yes I did.”
The other brothers look closely at the war wound and reply, “Oooh man, you’re gonna like that tattoo.”
Harim warns them with a fist. “You say anything more…”
“Don’t you get it?” Immer says. “It wasn’t the ring. It was the power unleashed by using the name of Jesus.”
Yedaiah ponders for a few moments and replies. “So, you’re saying all we have to do is say the name, Jesus, and we’re good?”
Immer smirks and puzzles over Yedaiah’s question. “I don’t know.”
“Besides.” Yedaiah continues. “We only know of this Jesus due to Paul and Apollos’ teachings. Mainly Paul though.”
“So what?” Harim asks.
“So…” Yedaiah continues. “We don’t know anything of Jesus without Paul, so the natural chain of authority goes through Paul.” He looks over to see a dismissive Harim. “It means, dummy, that we cannot call upon Jesus directly because we only know what we know because of what Paul has proclaimed to us. Paul has to play a role in all of this.”
…
Under a portion of the stoa bordering the Lysimachus Road, several businessmen gather together at the request of a certain silversmith. With affirming nods, the group of men curiously await to hear the respected man’s concerns.
Seeing the men surround him, Demitrius clears a small space in the middle. Pacing around, he doesn’t bother looking up, for he knows how to catch the full attention of a fresh audience. Letting moment after moment pass, he finally looks into the eyes of a group willed with new anticipation.
“My fellow Ephesians,” He bellows. “ Allow me to put this scenario in front of you so that we have a clear understanding of what is happening in our city. Ephesus was founded by our beloved Artemis who fell upon this land and has since made her great. Today, we are regarded as one of the largest and most economically secure cities in the world. We have built this city at the benevolent blessings of our divine mother herself. We owe everything to her. Our work would not be in demand without her. Our lifestyles would not exist without her. Many of you who dwell in the terraced houses along the hillside simply would not be there because you wouldn’t have the means to afford them. Nobody would. Without Artemis, our wealth would not rival that of Sardis, Alexandria, Corinth or even that of Rome. People, we have worked too long and too hard to compromise our city to any outsider who wishes to change our culture, our livelihoods, our beliefs.”
The small group of business owners knowingly look at one another, sharing levels of common disgust.
Demetrius continues: “Allow me to detail this out for you, men. Our divine mother owns much in our city. Land, livestock, and much business enterprise. Furthermore, we benefit from her benevolence in our own ancillary businesses.” He points over to a local vintner and shouts, “Dionysus over here.”
The group, including the vintner, joins in a laugh.
“You not only enjoy the fruit of your own vineyards,” Demetrius goes on. “But you have managed to champion other vineyards as well, yes?”
The vintner shrugs in concession.
“Of course you have.” Demetrius follows. “You have become the most well known distributor throughout Ephesus. You furnish the banquets for just about all of the trade guilds, and you have grown quite wealthy because of our flourishing tourism.” He pauses and looks the vintner right in the eyes. “Should this Syrian foreigner have his way, your own enterprise will not only begin to shrink, it will be reduced to the rubble that Sardis encountered upon the earthquake some 40 years ago. Mark my words people! With the momentum happening here within our city, before long it will be a radical departure from what we know and love.”
“Have we alerted the Asiarchs?” One of the businessmen asks.
“We have.” Demetrius counters with a dismissive wave. “I have talked with the proconsuls personally and they waved me off as a loon. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are in cahoots with the Syrian.”
“What should we do?” Another asks.
“Right now?” Demetrius offers. “We watch. We monitor. We denounce when we hear people talking about it. We explain how dangerous it is to our community. We regard Ephesus as the champion city of Artemis herself. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” He exclaims. And again, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
The group begins to chant, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
…
“Alright people.” Aquila yells out to the room filled with a younger crowd. “Today’s the day where you will be grilled… er… I mean tested.” Aquila says wryly, as he places his hands firmly on Epaphras’ shoulders.
Epaphras feigns nervousness which gets a laugh.
“Today,” Aquila goes on. “Much like our exemplary young man in training here, you get to speak in front of us as if you would be speaking in front of a crowd of people in your home towns. You have been assigned to proclaim the Gospel, the New Covenant of God, to us… clearly and fully. You will hear others around you do in kind, and you will learn from one another to sharpen your speaking and engagement skills.
Paul scans the room and smiles. His eyes then grow wide to see Sosthanes in the back standing behind several in the crowd. “Sosthanes? Paul interrupts. “Is that you, my old friend?”
Aquila stops to view the back and looks over to see who Paul is addressing.
The room turns away from Paul and towards the lone figure beginning to make his way to the center of the room.
“It is you!” Paul exclaims, as he stands. “What on earth are you doing here, my friend?”
Reaching out his arms, Sosthanes embraces Paul with a bear hug while the room watches and waits to see what happens next.
Aquila joins them and says, “Let me look at you!” He assesses Sosthanes from head to toe and says with a tsk. “Yeah, you look older now.”
Sosthanes laughs and replies. “Yes, you look terrible too!”
The room laughs at the exchange.
“Welcome to our training center.” Paul offers. “But, what are you doing here?” He asks again.
“Well…” Sosthanes replies. “Timothy, Apollos, Gaius, Crispus, Chloe, Zenas… They all send their love.”
“Wait.” Paul interrupts. “Zenas… who is Zenas?”
“Oh you haven’t met, have you?” Sosthanes realizes. “Yeah, well about him.”
“It works, it works!” Someone shouts from the doorway on the other side of the room.
More screaming.
Confused by the interruption, Paul, Aquila and Sosthanes exchange looks of surprise.
“It happened!” A woman’s voice can be heard from behind the crowd. “He’s been healed! God has healed my husband!”
All heads turn in the room to look at the five women blocking the doorway. With their arms raised above their heads, the women hold up several items of cloth.
“Yes!!!” The woman continues. “With God as our witness, my husband was dying. He’s been dying for months. But today, I can say with absolute confidence that he has been healed… with this!” She stretches out an apron for all to see. She then points back at Paul. “And, it was that man right there! God’s anointed man who stands amongst us, that has made this happen. I placed this apron on his leg and took it home to heal my husband, and people, you should do the same.”
“What’s happening?” Paul says as his eyes become saucers.
The woman opens the door where a mob of other women rush in, with clothing items in hand, and they make a direct path towards a helpless and suddenly scared Paul.
…
We’re going to stop here for today.
Things become a little unruly as a mob of people rush in to touch Paul, with personal clothing items, in hopes of healing their loved ones. Somehow… It worked. While I really don’t have much to say here, perhaps what I can say is that God used this moment to give credibility and authority to Paul to hugely impact and overturn many of the common beliefs held here in Ephesus. If common culture embraced the gods of Ephesus and its surrounding areas, Paul has introduced a God that was simply upstaging them. Similar to the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, God proves to all of the witnesses present that indeed He is the genuine God to be worshipped.
Along with some other supernatural moments, this particular God sighting is enough for the church to gain credibility within the city of Ephesus. Of course, this doesn’t settle well with the business owners who have made their fortune within the city, so it should not come as a surprise to see what might be looming within that influential circle. Later on in Acts 19, we will see how this issue comes to a head, so be sure to stay tuned for more on that front.
Meanwhile, the seven sons of Sceva are becoming more and more aggressive with their new careers as exorcists, and they seem to be having some success along the way. What happens to them? Well, again, be sure to stay tuned.
Finally, Sosthanes, a convert from Corinth who used to be a synagogue leader, pays Paul an unexpected visit, primarily out of the need to bring clarity to Paul’s first writing to the Corinthians. The leadership of the church in Corinth likely sent Sosthanes to Ephesus to get a better understanding of what Paul was saying in his letter. You can get a sense of this in 1 Corinthians 5:9, where Paul explains a course of action that he advised in his first letter. Paul and Sosthanes would then co-write First Corinthians together where Sosthanes would eventually head back with the letter in hand to report to the church.
Upon his arrival, Sosthanes must have been duly impressed to see Paul, Aquila, Priscilla and several others training one another to spread the Gospel message and to make disciples in future geographical regions. In just about every city, Paul would enter into a synagogue, proclaim how Jesus was the fulfilment of the prophetic writings as well as the catalyst of the New Covenant Kingdom plan. For as long as he could–that is before he would be forced out–Paul preached in the synagogue and would train disciples up during the week to do in kind.
The strategy… was pretty simple. Proclaim the Gospel to an audience that has some level of familiarity with it, and create a following of disciples who will do in kind. We can simply look at the great commission of Jesus himself, shortly before his Resurrection.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, as you are going, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:18-20
The strategy worked well for Paul, and it’s no different for us. Throughout his ministry, Paul personally raised over fifty key individuals in the faith. While some of these individuals only stayed around a while, including Phygelus and Hermogenes here in Ephesus, many went on to lead other Gospel and training campaigns throughout the known world. Within 200 years, the known world had completely been altered by the impact of the Gospel.
Well, that’s enough for this time. Thank you for joining in today, and may God use you as a means to proclaim his Good News to humankind, namely the Gospel, and to train up future followers of Jesus. Let’s move forward… together.