Paul, whose faith was about to be examined, was determined to go to Jerusalem. Instead, he had to slow down and remain in Asia. The Lord was going to give him a hard lesson in striving against the spirits.
There was the famous temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the goddess also known as Diana, which was supported by 160 pillars of marble and was 19 meters in length. This statue of the goddess was made of black, strong timber. During the two years that he stayed in Ephesus, Paul taught the Ephesians that all other gods are vanities, and that the temples to honor them are empty and useless. Therefore, those who believed in Christ abstained from participating in the Artemis rites. They shook their heads in pity for those who trusted in these idols of stone and golden timber.
This turning away from the belief in idols of stone was soon noticed by the sellers of masterworks and icons. The silversmiths, too, who made miniature silver shrines containing likenesses of the great temple of Artemis and sold them to the visiting pilgrims, made a great deal of profit from them. In our days some of these silver, portable models of the statue of Artemis have been discovered in the Nile Valley and in India. Some tourists bought them and carried them back to their own countries, intending to use them as amulets against danger. But ever since Paul had declared that Christ was the Lord of lords the subsistence of those silversmiths began fading away. Every convert knew that all charms, amulets, beads, and whatever, which were thought to give protection or preservation, were, in fact, nothing but delusion, lying, and powerless imaginations.
Then Demetrius, a certain silversmith, who was also an official at the temple, assembled all his fellow craftsmen and clarified to them the danger that threatened their trade. He explained that hunger was awaiting them, for Paul had drawn the people both in their city and throughout all Asia from their traditions and the faith of their fathers, saying that all idols and images were but vanities.
Demetrius, the leader of the silversmiths, understood that, for Paul, not only the portable models of the temple were vanities, but also the entire temple, a fact that would bring danger over the whole city, remove its religious leadership, and corrupt its economy. Thus he considered Paul to be the greatest enemy of Ephesus, the capital city.
The manufacturers of silver articles became enraged in excitement, and began running out to demonstrate publicly, demanding support for their doctrine. They shouted: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” When the furious demonstrators found the two Macedonians who were traveling with Paul, they grabbed hold of them. But they were not hurt, for the hand of the Lord protected them in the midst of the commotion. Paul was not a coward. He wanted to support his fellow-laborers, and moved quickly to stand at their side. But the disciples, who were gathered for prayer, stopped him, knowing that it would be meaningless to speak or testify before a multitude drunk with arrogance and overcome with pride flowing like a mighty river. Amidst such noise, clamor and popular fury the individual loses hold of his identity and his most sacred truths. The mob came together in one accord, not for good, but for corruption. It was an evil unity, acting according to the spirit that dwelt in them.
It is probable that the courageous Paul was, in spite of his companions’ pressure on him, determined to go into the theater. There the people were used to gathering, out of grief and gladness. This theater could hold 25,000 people. Suddenly, the officials of the temple sent a message to Paul, advising him that his presence in the theater, which was by now full of angry people, would not only be useless, but also harmful. They insisted that Paul remain far away from them. The people in the theater were shouting, while Demetrius, who had given rise to this agitation, disappeared. The demonstration had not received permission from the provincial authorities. Every form of public agitation was prohibited by the Roman governors, in accordance with city regime. Demetrius was afraid of punishment, and the mad public was left agitating without a leader in the spacious theater.
Following this the Jews, who hated Paul, began to push to the front another Jew, one who was probably a Christian, that he might defend Paul and the church. The multitude seized young Alexander, and lifted him up onto the platform in the midst of them. He tried to speak for the church, but the multitude soon recognized that the speaker was not Paul himself, but another Jew. So the crowd exploded, vocalizing their wrath upon the Jews in the person of Alexander. Together their screamed out their faith and belief for two full hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Today, no one knows this goddess Artemis. Demetrius the silversmith was right when he said that its fame would disappear because of the spreading of the Gospel. At that time and place, however, tens of thousands were still prepared to tear Alexander to pieces for her sake. The church, together with Paul, prayed for this troubled man, and for his two companions in suffering. The Lord stretched out His arm over His witnesses, so that the hands of the malicious crowd could not touch a single hair of their heads. Only the air was troubled, which had grown electrified by the shouts of an enraged multitude behaving like a beast clashing with an evil spirit.