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“The World Versus the Way (Acts 19:23-41)”
Categories: Tuesday Tidbits“And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” (Acts 19:19-20)
To say that the Gospel had an effect in the ancient world is to severely understate the case. It transformed lives and subverted the world’s value systems as it called people to follow an entirely new “Way” (this is the earliest self-designation for the Christian movement Acts 9:2; 18:24, 26; 19:9, 23; 22:4 24:14, 22). For those on the outside of this movement, their worlds were being turned upside down (Acts 17:6-7), and this had the expected effect (Acts 17:8). We don’t like it when our categories are shaken up, our convictions are challenged, and our systems are overturned. The rest of the world is no different. Thus, it should come as no surprise to us that as the Way grew, so did its detractors and opponents.
In Acts 19:23-41, we read about one occurrence of these competing “ways” that may shed some light on our own experience in the world. Demetrius and certain craftsmen in Ephesus were starting to notice the work that Paul and many others were doing, and a great disturbance arose concerning the Way (Acts 19:23-25). This occurred because their sources of security, in this case, their occupations and their religious convictions, were undermined as a result of the rapid spread and influence of the Gospel (Acts 19:26-27). The ground on which they stood was shaken, and they responded in unsurprising ways.
First, they responded in anger and outcry as they boisterously continued to assert their stance, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:28, 34). In all of this outcry, there is not a whole lot of room for listening. Some didn’t even know what they were yelling about*; they were just angry (Acts 19:32)! In fact, when a man named Alexander steps forward to make a defense, he is met with louder and even more persistent cries (Acts 19:33-34). Notice that the why they don’t listen to him. It is because he is a Jew; that is, at the very least, he is not one of us. This is the “grown-up” version of the phenomenon we observe in toddlers/ young children when they plug their ears with the fingers and say, “Nah, nah, nah, nah, I’m not listening.” We can expect that the world will often, though not always, refuse to listen to us because of who we are or, perhaps more precisely, who we aren’t. We are not them. We don’t share their convictions and values; therefore, they don’t listen.
Second, notice how a moral/religious objection is co-opted and conflated with a personal/financial concern. This happens far too often in our current climate. Moral objections, to be sure, at times perfectly valid ones, are levied against the broader world of Christendom of which we are a part, but many times, these are used to masquerade the true motivations of those who cry out. This doesn’t necessarily invalidate the arguments that are put forward, but it certainly calls into question the sincerity of those making them. When we fail to realize these smoke screens for what they are, we end up embroiled in conflicts we have no chance of successfully navigated because we are unable to deal with the root issues. (To be sure, when the world raises legitimate issues, even if the motivations are less than noble, we must humbly and introspectively consider the criticism. The history of God’s people is replete with examples with them.
Third, when the world feels threatened, it often threatens in return. Notice how they treat Gaius and Aristarchus (Acts. 19:29). Because of what’s at stake, the world will often resort to acts of physical and emotional violence. It may attempt to yield its political, economic, and/or judiciary clout against us (Heb. 10:32-34; Rev. 13:7-10; 16-18). It is significant in this case that for all the commotion, the accusations against the Way are ultimately declared empty (Acts 19:35-41, esp. v. 40). While we are not guaranteed that the threats will subside as they do here, we must never give the world a legitimate reason to threaten us (1 Pet. 4:12-16).
Just this past week, I observed all four of these responses to followers of the Way and have experienced all of them in various ways in the past. I’m confident you have as well. The takeaways for us are three-fold:
- As followers of the Way, we ought to expect and prepare for these sorts of reactions. The world will hate us because it hated Him (John 15:18-19; 1 John 3:13). Those who love the darkness will recoil when we shine as lights in the world (John 3:19-20, cf. Eph. 5:11-14; Phil. 2:14-16). Therefore, we are not surprised by this inevitable eventuality (2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:1-4, 12-16; 5:9).
- But this begs the question, am I following the Way in such a way that I garner this sort of reaction? Certainly, we are not seeking such or being intentionally obtuse or obnoxious in our interactions with the world (Rom. 12:18; Phil. 4:5). But the fact of the matter is, as we have witness to in the life of the early church and the abiding word of the Lord through the inspired writers, as the Way increases, so does its opposition. If we live, walk, and move according to the Way, we will make waves in the world around us, both positively and negatively. What waves am I making?
- Finally, the world's reactions should serve as negative examples of how not to respond to those we disagree with. We must 1) carefully listen to our opponents, not just plug our ears. 2) Make sure our motivations are right even while arguing for the right things. 3) Respond with calm conviction rather than corroding coercion. "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5)
