Dimitrius hosts a banquet for his trade guild, where he motivates his colleagues to arrest Paul and his followers.
Acts 19:23-34; Matthew 11:11-14, 18-19
“Good afternoon, my most esteemed colleagues!” The emcee announces with a broad smile. He raises himself on his tiptoes to peer over into a cup held by a man standing nearby. “I see your cups are overflowing!”
Over fifty men, many of whom are nearing the brink of their own inebriation, hover around the emcee and eagerly await the lavish meal set before them. As if readying themselves for the kill, the wolves refuse to be distracted by this emcee’s preamble. Only the social pressure of being shamed as savages keeps them from violently defacing the mouth watering roasted pig.
Observing their feigned interest, the emcee smiles over at Dimitrius who smirks in return and sidles up next to him. He then calls for the room’s attention.
“My fellow silversmiths.” Dimitrius begins. “Surely you know our being here together is a sacred time, yes?”
Heads shift away from the table and back over at Dimitrius. Guilt spreads across the faces of the wolves who are otherwise ready to pounce.
“You gave your allegiance… your homage to our beloved mother as you stepped into this room.” Dimitrius inflects with a critical tone. He then points to the meal and continues, “This fattened pig has been offered to our benefactor, the one responsible for our livelihoods.” He then softens his eyes and laughs. “Gentlemen, are we but vultures who circle around their prey and instantly swoop in upon their demise?”
The men laugh along with him and hoist their cups in revelry. “Hurrah!”
“Not so fast!” Dimitrius grows serious once more. “We are not the pigs here, so refrain yourselves from acting as such.” He jabs.
The laughter dies quickly.
He continues. “Gentlemen, I want you to eat and carouse to your fill, but before doing so, I need you to promise me here and now that I will gain your undivided and sober attention once we have been satisfied. Can I count on you for this?”
Nods are exchanged between the nervous men around the buffet table.
“That means if you’re currently drunk, as I suspect many of you are.” He says.
The room erupts with laughter.
Dimitrius continues. “That you will stop drinking at this point. I need you sober enough to understand how important this is. Agreed?”
The men agree.
“Well then, you territorial savages.” He revels. “Now that you’ve marked your possessions like wolves, go and plunder this delicious meal.”
The men whoop in celebration.
…
“Wow!” Paul exclaims to Aristarchus who inhales a course of olives, dates and bread. “You are hungry.” He playfully shoves against Gaius’ shoulder and says, “Have you even eaten since you’ve got here?”
Gaius smiles while trying to keep the food in his mouth to chew further.
Shaking his head, Paul then laughs at the two who ravenously turn back to devour their plates. He turns to “people watch” as a melange of residents, merchants and tourists alike stroll while exploring the diverse offerings made available in the agora. “Okay, one of you is going to come up for air soon, I know it.” He laughs, as he hears shouting somewhere nearby. “When you do, I need one of you to tell me what is happening in Macedo….” Paul doesn’t finish his sentence. “I’ll be right back, guys.” He says as he abruptly stands from the table and briskly walks across the street towards the center of the agora.
“You’re one of them.” An accusing voice bellows, wagging his sausage-like finger in front of the offender. A crowd quickly forms around the rapidly heating argument. “And so are you!” The deep voice points at the woman next to him. “You! You’ve demonized our Great Mother, and you’ve ripped our town to shreds. You have divided us, pinning families against one another.”
Unable to see above the crowd, Paul weaves through it and comes behind the husky figure of a man leaning over to threaten… “Priscilla… Aquila!” He panics. “Aquila! What is happening here?”
The burly man turns around to see a diminutive Paul standing in front of him. “You!” The man reproachfully blurts out to the surrounding crowd. “This is the one who has brought down the wrath of Artemis upon us.” He bellows. “This is the Jew from Syria who has turned our city upside down.” He looks down at Paul and says, “I should rip off your limbs right here and now. You have destroyed all that is dear to us.”
Paul looks around and sees the crowd’s faces scowl back at him.
…
Dimitrius carefully observes the room. The men slow their eating, some of whom continue to pick at the remaining morsels while others breath out sighs of contentment.
“Men of Artemis. Keeper of all things that are sacred to us.” Dimitrius calls out. “Now that you have eaten to your fill. Are you not satisfied?”
Smiles trace across several faces of those in the hall.
“Finish with whatever you wish, men.” Dimitrius follows. “Whatever isn’t eaten here will be sold in the market next door tomorrow. But please wrap things up and give me your attention.” He steps up onto a platform and begins. “Gentlemen, this is the moment where I need your closest attention.” He stops and waits for conversations to subside. “Do… I… Have… It?” He whispers.
Several men lick their fingers and wipe them on their garments.
Silence ensues for what seems like an eternity. Refusing to be upstaged, Dimitrius glares out at the room until all eyes are upon him.
“Men…” He starts. “I have warned many of you before, but we must now be men of action. Today, we must move swiftly. You know our wealth comes from our businesses. We are indebted to Artemis herself for our financial well being. Without her, we’re broke. Our families, our homes, our livelihoods… will all be lost without Artemis at the center of what we do. You know that throughout Asia and especially here in Ephesus, Paul has persuaded and turned away tourists and locals alike, saying that the gods that we make with our hands are not gods at all. Our trades, our work, is greatly at risk and is likely to fall to ruin. Moreover, the temple of our Divine Mother, Artemis herself, will become the enemy of the people and regarded as worthless.”
“No!” Shout several out from the room.
“Yes!” Dimitrius counters. “Yes it will happen, and it’s happening right now as I speak. Men, I have seen it with my own eyes. This single man has made his mark on our land and threatens to change it forevermore. Even Linus over here has betrayed our beloved mother by showing himself to be soft among these anarchists.”
All eyes angrily look over at Linus who startles at the idea of being called out.
“What?” Linus asks in surprise. “What are you talking…”
Dimitrius interrupts, “She, the one we worship and adore. She, the one the world comes to worship, will be dethroned from her magnificence.”
“No.” Several voices call out. “Kill the Syrian Jew!” Another says, which ignites several others to whoop in support. “Kill the Syrian!”
“We have laws here, gentlemen,” Dimitrius calms. “We cannot just go around killing those we despise. However…” He takes a moment to think. “We can help them see the light.”
“I say get rid of them.” One of the men nearby yells.
“Get rid of all of them.” Another shouts. “Yeah!”
Dimitrius follows, “We must show these miscreants that Artemis, our beloved mother, is greatest over all gods. Yes, the whole city must tell them that they are not wanted here, for great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
“Great is Artemis.” Another echoes.
Several cheer in response. “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
Dimitrius holds both hands high in the air to silence the deafening shouts. “Men!” He yells. “Men, we must round up those who are responsible for taking our city hostage and have our city rightfully punish them. Take one more swig of wine, right now!” He commands.
The men smile as they quickly oblige.
With a militant voice, Dimitrius barks. “Now! Go to the agora, go by their meeting places, and find their leaders. Once you find them, drag their sorry butts to the theater without delay. Our city will respond swiftly and harshly. Are you ready?
“Yeah!” The men beat their chests.
“Men, you are Champions of Artemis.” He rallies. “Now go and meet me at the theater. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
The crowd of men whoop and chant as they hastefully exit the room. “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
…
As a monsoon storm rapidly overwhelms an unaware land, the whooping thunder of fifty raucous men can be heard throughout the compact Ephesian cityscape. Knowing where to find the troublemakers, the men split up into several smaller ranks to hunt them down, ever gathering the momentum of the merchants and people milling about. Even those who are otherwise trying to mind their own business get caught up in the whirlwind of pent up emotionalism that suddenly bursts into the streets.
As the heated exchange from several men reverberates off of the stony walls, Paul, Pricilla and Aquila turn away from their rotund accuser to identify the ruckus. All heads shift towards the portending threats coming from up the street, getting louder with each passing moment.
“What the…” The burly merchant asks, as the crowd opens up to see several men pummel two men seated at a table across the street. Knocking them to the ground, the brute squad hurls insults and accusations alike at the two younger men and begin dragging them away.
Paul gasps. “Aristarchus! Gaius!” He begins to shove his way forward when Aquila grabs him from behind. “Let me go!” He snaps and yells out to the men. “Stop! What are you…”
“Slam!” Aquila brings Paul to the ground, refusing to let go of his garment.
The burly merchant then turns to look back at Paul and laughs. “Serves you right, you dog!” He smiles when he hears the clamorous chanting of the parading city and joins in “Great is Artemis. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” He yells, as he rushes off to join them.
“You would have been killed.” Aquila says.
Angrily, Paul retorts. “Better me than them, Aquila. Now let me go!”
“No… way!” Aquila replies as he struggles to keep Paul pinned to the ground. He looks up to see the tail end of the parade and identifies several town officials frantically running towards… “The theater.” He says. “Oh no. The mob is dragging them to the theater.”
“Over my dead…” Paul wrestles away from Aquila’s grip and to his knees. “Body.” He then looks up to see two town officials pointing at him.
“There he is!” One of them says.
“Oh no.” Aquila dreads. “Can you run?”
“Hey!” An official yells out, as the two start to run towards them. “Stop right there!”
Aquila and Pricilla both begin to run before turning around to see that Paul doesn’t join them. “Paul!” He yells. “Get out of…”
The two men stop before Paul, who recognizes one of them and says, “I have to go and rescue those guys.”
“No… way!” The familiar official warns.
“We’re just glad we found you in time.” The other replies.
Confused, Aquila cautiously walks closer to the three and asks, “In time? In time for what?”
“In time for a lynching.” Paul calmly replies. “Except that it should be me in there, not them.”
“Karpos sent us to warn you not to go in there.” The first official warns.
Recognizing the name, Aquila realizes these men have been sent to keep Paul from harm.
The other affirms. “Yes, the mob is unruly, and you wouldn’t make it out alive.”
“What’s to happen with Gaius and Aristarchus?” Paul pleads.
“We’re on it!” The first official replies. “Karpos is already there with the Secretary himself and figuring out a game plan.”
…
“Kill them all!” A boisterous man yells from the higher theater seats.
Aristarchus cowers with the looming threat of being struck by either of the veteran Roman soldiers on both sides of him. He looks over at Gaius who appears as nervous as he is. “What’s happening?” He asks.
“Quiet!” The Avocati commands with a threatening motion of his right hand.
Gaius, who is also flanked by two soldiers, stares wide-eyed out into the rapidly filling theater of angry townspeople.
“Don’t you dare touch them.” Another voice warns from another part of the theater.
“They deserve to die.” A voice calls in response.
The theater explodes with cheers and cries alike.
Aristarchus begins to quake uncontrollably, as one of the soldiers shakes his head in disgust.
“Be a man, young one.” He says. “You signed up for this.”
Whispering into the ears of another official, Karpos says, “Why isn’t he doing anything?” He looks at the Secretary and quietly urges. “C’mon, go out there and do something.”
Assessing the increasingly unruliness of the crowd, Gaius spots several Jewish individuals sneering back at him. “No help from them, I suppose.” He mutters to himself. He sighs and quietly chuckles. “Why should I expect anything different, Lord?” He replays several similar incidents in his mind. “What else is new when you hang out with Paul?”
The crowd becomes more unruly, as many voices shout out what should be done with the offenders.
To the side of the stage, Elam huddles with several of his Jewish colleagues. He leans over to Alexander and asks, “What will the officials do next?”
Alexander shrugs and replies, “I don’t exactly know. I don’t think they’re even sure what to do here.”
Elam leans back to catch the ear of the man behind him. “This would be an opportune time for us to be exonerated from all of this.”
The man nods his approval.
Bringing Alexander’s ear close to him, Elam privately says. “This is your moment.”
“What?” Alexander asks in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You are an official, yes?” Elam confirms.
Alexander nods.
Elam continues: “Your men are doing nothing to quell the moment. Like Esther before Xerxes, this is your opportunity to shine. This is your moment to make the people know that we are not part of this factious group. We are Jewish Ephesians and we are on the side of Ephesus.”
“I don’t think…” Alexander hesitates.
“No.” Elam sternly responds. “Thinking is not for you to do right now. Your job is not to think but to go and explain.” He then pushes Alexander towards the stage. “For such a time as this, Alexander. For such a time as this!”
Shaking, Alexander regretfully moves towards the stage, wondering how best to address the unruly crowd. He begins waving to flag their attention.
Anxiously awaiting to hear from an official, the crowd calms itself.
Observing the new development Karpos looks at his fellow official and asks, “What’s happening now?”
As the two stand and watch, the other official replies, “I have no idea, but judging by the way Alexander is dressed, I don’t think…” He points to the thousands in the crowd, “they will be too interested in what he has to say.”
Gaining the mob’s attention, Alexander clears his throat. “Men and women of Ephesus.” He starts. “These men before you… We…”
Watching Alexander begin to stumble over his words, Elam slowly shakes his head.
“We…” Alexander continues. “I mean… They are not affiliated with us.”
A voice screams from the crowd. “Shut up! You’re Jewish.”
The crowd erupts.
“No.” Alexander starts. “Yes, I’m Jewish, but we are not…”
“Get rid of the Jews!” Another voice cries out.
The mob spontaneously resounds in cheers.
“Down with the Jews. Kill the Jews.” Several voices respond.
“Great is Artemis!” A heavy voice bellows.
Whipping itself into an immediate frenzy, the crowd runs with the chant and endlessly repeats: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
…
We’re going to stop here for today:
Ephesus erupts, and Paul is the target once again. I suspect that if you have listened to this podcast for any length of time, you’re seeing a pattern. Paul places his mark on a city by proclaiming Christ and rigorously training disciples. Eventually, many within the city convert and the culture begins to change. While from my perspective, this transformative change reflects the goodness of God. But, it is still change and will potentially have a downside for those who enjoy their livelihoods and status.
Paul’s marking of Ephesus was little different than what Jesus did in Judea and the Galilee. He trained many disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven and upset the cultural and economic power structures that were in place at the time. For those with much to lose, the acceptance of Jesus or Paul’s teachings was unlikely. Moreover, the retaliation needed to maintain the economic and social order at the time was both fierce and harsh.
Both Jesus and Paul knew this going into each city where they preached and trained. Both would also sacrifice their lives accordingly. For those who were living comfortably within the existing social orders that governed a city, Jesus and Paul alike were regarded as insurrectionists. They were major threats to governments and social orders alike. To those not doing well… which happened to be most of a city’s citizenry… the Kingdom of Heaven and personal change were warmly welcomed.
Jesus identified this tension between the goals of the Kingdom of Heaven versus the goals of the governing social and religious forces in Judea at the time. He explained how John the Baptizer and all of God’s representatives who were trying to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven, were being outright rejected and even killed by those in power at the time. What’s even more interesting here is that those doing the rejecting were religious leaders waiting for God to show up. Yet, the messengers God did send, those religious leaders in power utterly rejected and destroyed. For those messengers, their lives were acquainted with hostility and shame. Yet, God smiled upon them. Here’s a sample of such tension found in Matthew 11:
“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been suffering from violence, and violent people are attacking it. For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time… (namely of Messiah’s coming).
For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
– Matthew 11:11-14, 18-19
The devout religious people in power at this time rejected the very God they were sworn to serve. They rejected the prophets. They rejected the Messiah that the prophets were proclaiming. In the end, the Kingdom of Heaven will be proven right, and God himself will see to it.
Why make such a mark? You may ask. The Kingdom of Heaven, God’s Kingdom, requires it. How else will the Kingdom of Heaven be known, especially when the kingdoms and social orders of this day, even the religious ones, work so hard to reject it? The kings and governments of this world will continue to rise and fall as they always have, and at the right time, God’s Kingdom will come and be thrust upon us.
As you can imagine, this affects every last one of us. We work hard to improve our own situations within the guidelines of the social structures that surround us. But these efforts can get in the way of our pursuit after the Kingdom of Heaven. Perhaps the most relevant question we should be asking is this: Who do we align ourselves with? Do we advance our own situations within the current governing structures at the risk of rejecting the Kingdom of Heaven? Or, do we align ourselves with God who is far more permanent?
Thank you for considering this question, and may you find yourselves aligned with God and His Kingdom’s Agenda. With that, let’s move forward… together.