This summer, I had the opportunity to preach at my church. I was able to pick whatever passage that I wanted, and I picked Revelation 2:1-7, which is the letter to the church at Ephesus. While I was doing research for the message, I decided to look into the background information on the Ephesus in the first century AD. Not only do we have Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesian church, but there is no small amount of space dedicated to the planting of the church there. In Acts 19:21-40, the fledgling Ephesian church grew so much that the craftsmen at the temple Artemis started losing business. The temple of Artemis, at this time, dwarfed the Parthenon; the city’s economy was dependent on the functioning of the religious rites and sacrifices from the temple. Naturally, the artisans and craftsmen who made their living from people buying religious items were very angry and almost caused a riot. The results of Paul’s missionary work were not on him and those who came to faith but were the result of God working through their faithfulness. In some places, many came to faith, some few came to faith, and in other places, there were riots and beatings as a result of the Gospel.
What I find so interesting about this story in Acts, in addition to the power of the Holy Spirit to change people’s hearts, is the depth of the anger from people losing their livelihoods. This speaks to something deep in all of us. Without basic needs, humans, especially groups of humans, are capable of extreme actions. I believe this is still true today. Like Ephesus, towns and cities need businesses that thrive by contributing to the local economy. Good and honest businesses provide people with the means to feed and provide shelter to their families. These businesses also can provide the city or town with much-needed goods or services. They also provide tax revenue to contribute to the better functioning of the local government. The presence or lack of presence of businesses make or break a local economy, and its people suffer.
Left: Temple of Artemis compared to the Parthenon
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