Seven men, the sons of the chief priest in Ephesus, had failed to exorcise a demonised man. Seeing Paul's authority over evil, they commanded the evil spirit to go 'in the Name of Jesus whom Paul preaches'. But the evil spirit spoke through the man's mouth, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?" Then he overpowered all of them: they ran out of the house naked and bleeding (Acts 19:13-16).
Paul's visit to Ephesus lasted about three years (Acts 19:8-10), the longest period Paul spent in any city during his missionary journeys, according to Luke. During that time a church was planted, and disciples learned how to follow Jesus. When a large number of occultists were convicted of their sin and burned their scrolls of magic spells, Jesus came into sharp focus for many in the community (Acts 19:20).
Businesses and trades ought to be concerned about anything which may affect their profit. It was the same in 1stC Ephesus as in any market today. However, one trade was particularly worried about the effect of Paul's preaching on their business. He said that if human beings created them, they could not be real gods with real power (Psalm 115:3-8).
The silversmiths, who made models of Diana's (Artemis) temple in Ephesus, were very worried and angry. Paul had been preaching that the pagan gods had neither personality nor any divine power (Acts 19:26-27). However the temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and attracted many pilgrims. Part of the economy of Ephesus was based on this religious tourist trade; the models were expensive and were supposed to bring Diana's power into people's homes. It was a lucrative trade.
Wisdom is not just a phenomenon enjoyed by believers. God who is all-wise will give wisdom, even to those who do not believe, so that His purposes will be achieved (Daniel 2:21). Today's verses follow wild accusations by the silversmiths of Ephesus that Paul's preaching would ruin their business (Acts 19:23-27).
When opposition comes, our natural response is to fear, freeze or run away in any direction. Paul knew differently. When one door of opportunity for the gospel was closed, he always knew that the Lord would open another. The apostle's teaching over two and a half to three years in Ephesus had been fruitful. Many people in the area knew about Jesus, and the church became a group of people who loved the Lord wholeheartedly (Revelation 2:4-5).
God keeps on moving His people: wherever they go, the gospel goes. It is truly international. So is the church. These few verses summarise the first part of Paul's return journey from Corinth back to Jerusalem. After the winter storms, Paul had intended to travel by ship from Corinth (via the southern port of Cenchrea) to Seleucia (the port for Antioch). But just as the boat was about to leave, he received a message that religious plotters intended to attack him on his arrival. So instead he decided to go overland on the Roman military eastern coastal road to Philippi.
This true story has often been treated with amusement – the Apostle Paul preached for a long time until a young man, sitting in an open window-space, fell asleep and dropped three storeys onto the ground outside. Some say: therefore, preachers should keep people awake with short sermons, and not send them to sleep with long ones. But stop: the meaning is very different.
Looking at these verses, you might wonder why they are included in Holy Scripture, as it appears to be only an account of island-hopping by ship along, what is now, the west coast of Turkey. Luke who is recording the events, was there; his detailed description adds to the authenticity of the whole narrative. It also has a sense of urgency because Paul was keen to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost – the greatest international gathering of national and displaced Jews, who Paul longed to evangelise.
When the Lord Jesus commissioned Paul, he was sent to preach the gospel to Gentiles, their kings, and the Jews; and to suffer (Acts 9:15-16). Coming towards the end of his third missionary journey, Paul had accomplished much of that – except direct witnessing to kings. That was to come after his arrest in Jerusalem. But this quayside meeting with the Ephesian elders marks the end of Paul's remarkable ministry of direct evangelism.
