Acts 19:28

Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” Acts 19:28

More precisely, the words read, “And having heard, and having been filled with wrath, they cried out saying, ‘Great, the Artemis of Ephesians’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Demetrius had put forth his case that the trade of the silversmiths was in danger of falling into disrepute and that the magnificence of Diana might be destroyed. With that, the reaction is swift as Luke records, “And having heard, and having been filled with wrath.”

The words of Demetrius, and the thought of their money running out, were convincing enough to bring these men into a bitter rage. Luke uses the word thumos. It is the type of anger where one gets heated up and breathes violently.

For example, it was used in Luke 4 when those in the synagogue in Nazareth heard Jesus’ words about God’s compassion for the Gentiles while overlooking the plight of the Jews. The Jews were so incensed at the thought of what He said that they determined to throw Him off a nearby cliff. This is the same heated rage now being expressed by those in Ephesus. Therefore, “they cried out.”

The verb is imperfect denoting continuance. As will be seen, this continued crying out will spread and eventually get the whole city in a lather. As for their words, Luke records the crowd as “saying, ‘Great, the Artemis of Ephesians.’”

This may have been something called out at religious festivals each year, or it may just be a spontaneous chant that arose to meet the occasion. Either way, it is not unlike the way that people throw out chants during sports games or rallies for one cause or another. Quite often they lack any true reason, but because they are short and catchy, they quickly become entrenched in the unthinking minds of others.

Life application: One of the common ways those with no reasonable argument will attempt to defend their viewpoint is to raise a ruckus, shouting and chanting. The liberal left has become champions of this type of activity. Without any coherent stand on an issue, such as abortion, they still gather into masses with placards and ridiculous chants that are intended to stir others up to their cause.

It worked thousands of years ago in Ephesus, and it continues to work today. This is not uncommon in areas where false religions are practiced as well. When the truth of Christianity starts to take a foothold in an area, just what is seen in Acts 19 will happen in that area.

Logical arguments and sound reasoning will not take place in such gatherings. Therefore, the best thing to do is to not engage such people. They will easily get stirred up to the point where violent reactions will take over. Turn on the news and watch any nutty leftist cause do exactly this. Such instances from the recent past are the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, the Antifa riots, and the BLM movement.

The people involved are lefties, they have no clear argument, and they are set on destruction and mayhem at the expense of what is moral, sound, and proper. This will only increase as the days unfold. Be aware of this attitude and keep yourself away from such demonstrations lest you get overwhelmed by such thugs.

Heavenly Father, the world of man is not geared toward sound thinking and reason. And the message of the cross of Jesus Christ takes both. And so, we see enmity toward the gospel increasing everywhere. Along with faith in Christ comes moral thinking, holiness, and respect. Such things are no longer considered proper. So, Lord, give us wisdom to choose our battles and to know when to speak and when to remain silent. Amen.