Act 19:33 | KingComments | STEP | After Paul with the disciples, and then the pagans, we see a third category, the Jews. They put Alexander forward. It seems that this Alexander is the coppersmith for whom Paul warns Timothy that this man very much opposed him ( ). Timothy is then in Ephesus and will have known him. Alexander the Jew wants to defend himself, but against what? The most obvious is that the Jews are afraid that they could also become the target of the hatred of the Gentiles. Then it is very appropriate to make it clear that they have nothing to do with Christians. Once he would have the word, he could then, after his defense, point his arrows at the Christians in order to put them in a bad light, so that the popular anger will focus even more emphatically on them. But the emotions get way out of control and Alexander has no chance to defend himself on behalf of the Jews. Whatever he wanted to tell them, when the crowd notices that he is a Jew, they burst into an ecstatic shout that they continued for about two hours. They didn’t sympathize with the Christians, but they didn’t sympathize with the Jews either, because they too don’t allow other gods than the one God. Without God it is impossible to resist the devil as the Jewish conjurers tried and failed ( ). It is equally impossible to stand up for the truth of the one God without God, as the Jews want to do here. The only one who manages to calm the crowd is the town clerk. He is one of theirs. His tactics are very cunning. He starts from what they are completely sure of, from something that is acknowledged by everyone without contradiction. The fact that there are some Jews and Christians who do not know this or even oppose it is meaningless, isn’t it? Do they have to worry so much about that? After having given his statements, he urges them to keep calm and not to let themselves be carried away by their feelings. Then he points at the disciples they have taken with them. He is well aware of the activities of the Christians and knows that they are not iconoclasts and that in their preaching they did not rage against their goddess either. Paul and his people have proclaimed the Word without criticizing the religion the Ephesians practice. By the way, it is remarkable that in Acts the pagan authorities testify several times to the innocence of Christians. As for Demetrius and the artists, they can bring their case before the courts on fixed days. There they can sue their opponent and the opponent will have the opportunity to defend himself. If they have other cases, it is laid down in the legal procedure that these will be decided in a legal meeting. The word for ‘assembly’ is literally ecclesia . This word is also used for the congregation of Israel and for the church of the Christians. The word already existed. It means ‘a [somewhere] called out community of people’. It is the called out people from the city of Ephesus who meet in the city assembly to discuss the interests of the city. This word ecclesia is an important word in connection with the church of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus speaks in Matthew 16 for the first time in history about ‘My’ ecclesia . There he speaks about the church He will build ( ). The Gentiles have their ecclesia (here), Israel has His ecclesia ( ) and now the Lord Jesus also has His ecclesia . But what a difference there is between His ecclesia and the other two! When someone dies who belongs to the ecclesia of the Gentiles or the ecclesia of Israel, he ceases to belong to that ecclesia . However, whoever belongs to the ecclesia of the Lord Jesus will belong to it forever, even though he has died. That ecclesia cannot be conquered through the gates of Hades ( ). The last argument used by the town clerk to appease the heated emotions, is the lack of any legal basis for this uproar. If the town clerk has appeased the crowd with an appeal to their wits, he dismisses the assembly. This means that the crowd disperses and the people go home or back to work.

‏ Acts 19:33

Calming the Popular Rage

After Paul with the disciples, and then the pagans, we see a third category, the Jews. They put Alexander forward. It seems that this Alexander is the coppersmith for whom Paul warns Timothy that this man very much opposed him (2Tim 4:14-15). Timothy is then in Ephesus and will have known him.

Alexander the Jew wants to defend himself, but against what? The most obvious is that the Jews are afraid that they could also become the target of the hatred of the Gentiles. Then it is very appropriate to make it clear that they have nothing to do with Christians. Once he would have the word, he could then, after his defense, point his arrows at the Christians in order to put them in a bad light, so that the popular anger will focus even more emphatically on them.

But the emotions get way out of control and Alexander has no chance to defend himself on behalf of the Jews. Whatever he wanted to tell them, when the crowd notices that he is a Jew, they burst into an ecstatic shout that they continued for about two hours. They didn’t sympathize with the Christians, but they didn’t sympathize with the Jews either, because they too don’t allow other gods than the one God. Without God it is impossible to resist the devil as the Jewish conjurers tried and failed (Acts 19:13-16). It is equally impossible to stand up for the truth of the one God without God, as the Jews want to do here.

The only one who manages to calm the crowd is the town clerk. He is one of theirs. His tactics are very cunning. He starts from what they are completely sure of, from something that is acknowledged by everyone without contradiction. The fact that there are some Jews and Christians who do not know this or even oppose it is meaningless, isn’t it? Do they have to worry so much about that?

After having given his statements, he urges them to keep calm and not to let themselves be carried away by their feelings. Then he points at the disciples they have taken with them. He is well aware of the activities of the Christians and knows that they are not iconoclasts and that in their preaching they did not rage against their goddess either. Paul and his people have proclaimed the Word without criticizing the religion the Ephesians practice. By the way, it is remarkable that in Acts the pagan authorities testify several times to the innocence of Christians.

As for Demetrius and the artists, they can bring their case before the courts on fixed days. There they can sue their opponent and the opponent will have the opportunity to defend himself. If they have other cases, it is laid down in the legal procedure that these will be decided in a legal meeting.

The word for ‘assembly’ is literally ecclesia. This word is also used for the congregation of Israel and for the church of the Christians. The word already existed. It means ‘a [somewhere] called out community of people’. It is the called out people from the city of Ephesus who meet in the city assembly to discuss the interests of the city.

This word ecclesia is an important word in connection with the church of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus speaks in Matthew 16 for the first time in history about ‘My’ ecclesia. There he speaks about the church He will build (Mt 16:18a). The Gentiles have their ecclesia (here), Israel has His ecclesia (Acts 7:38) and now the Lord Jesus also has His ecclesia.

But what a difference there is between His ecclesia and the other two! When someone dies who belongs to the ecclesia of the Gentiles or the ecclesia of Israel, he ceases to belong to that ecclesia. However, whoever belongs to the ecclesia of the Lord Jesus will belong to it forever, even though he has died. That ecclesia cannot be conquered through the gates of Hades (Mt 16:18b).

The last argument used by the town clerk to appease the heated emotions, is the lack of any legal basis for this uproar. If the town clerk has appeased the crowd with an appeal to their wits, he dismisses the assembly. This means that the crowd disperses and the people go home or back to work.