Acts 19:35-41 (NIV)
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Men of Ephesus, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today’s events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
The crowd was so emotionally charged that it took two hours for someone sensible to get them quiet enough to listen to reason. The city clerk was afraid that this demonstration would draw attention to the Roman governor, because Asia and Ephesus were indeed part of the Roman Empire. If the city officials were not able to keep order, troops would be sent in to do the job.
The clerk’s points were very simple. First, the mob had no legitimate legal case against the men that they had rushed into the amphitheater. Those men had committed no crime that could be prosecuted, but simply differed in their religion and in their opinions. And that was not something that could be legally prosecuted under Roman law.
The men’s activities had not denigrated the goddess Artemis, even if it had negatively impacted the trade of the metal workers. But, again, that could be chalked up to normal commercial competition, not something prosecutable. Finally, the assembly, which was really a demonstration on the verge of becoming a lawless mob, could easily result in graver consequences than what the people were protesting.
This man’s speech carried the day. If Paul had appeared as he had wanted to, it would have only served to inflame the crowd, and perhaps push them over the edge into overt violence. So, God prevented that, and gave the city clerk the wisdom and the words needed to tamp down the energy and cool down the passion.
Father, You do all things well, even when Your work is behind the scenes and unseen by the majority of people. Sometimes, like Paul, we really want to spring to our own defense. But sometimes that is actually not what is needed and might actually escalate the situation. Instead, a simple calming of hearts is required, something which You can do but we cannot. Help me, Lord, to always listen for Your direction before I simply react. Amen.
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