Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Our nation’s space program NASA space program has a long history of naming its missions after Greek gods.  Beginning with Mercury and continuing with Gemini, Greek gods have been celebrated through their names. The third program, Apollo which lasted from 1963 to 1972 and put the first men on the Moon in 1969, was named after mighty Zeus’ son Apollo, the god of the sun and light. Now 50 years later, Nasa has introduced a new set of missions named after Apollos’ twin sister, Artemis, the goddess of the moon and the hunt.  In November 2022, Nasa launched the first Artemis moon rocket which was aimed to increase women’s participation in space exploration. Interestingly, although the rocket was unmanned, Artemis I carried two female mannequins designed to study the effects of radiation on female bodies in space.

According to Greek tradition, Zeus sent an image of his daughter Artemis down into the city of Ephesus, which caused Ephesus to claim Artemis, the goddess of magic, fertility, virginity and childbirth as its own.  She was called the great mother of Asia Minor for over 1000 years, and for nearly 600 years the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, towered over Ephesus. Pilgrims came from all over the Mediterranean to pay tribute and make sacrifices to her. These brought economic prosperity to the city.

Of course, any religious site anywhere in the world has the potential for business interests to skew true devotion. It is just as true today as it was in the time of Jesus in Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul in Ephesus and Martin Luther in Germany at the time of the Reformation. When business interests and religion become intertwined, beware. Faith is suddenly up for sale to the highest bidder, and money becomes the sign of spiritual success.  Add a dose of civic pride, and a possible decline in market share, and you have the back story for Demetrius and the chaotic demonstration of anger by the silversmiths in the theatre in Ephesus.

Demetrius was persuasive as a guild representative. He gathered the silversmiths and the other local merchants who sold these silver products together to warn them of impending doom. His great concern was that trade was declining. People weren’t coming to their shops in the marketplace, they weren’t buying their silver products anymore. They were changing their beliefs and becoming skeptical of Artemis. Truthfully, Demetrius was more worried personally and monetarily, than he was spiritually or theologically.  He rallied his followers around the fear that since the influence of the Way was increasing, that trade was declining and that soon they could expect the whole culture of the city would be changed. This he claimed was the result of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul proclaimed in his 3-year ministry in Ephesus.

Scholars might say that the 25,000- seat theatre in Ephesus, the largest theatre in the Roman Empire, was a natural place for a large crowd to gather and a riot to erupt. And I suspect that that is true. But I also believe that the theatre was chosen by Demetrius because the riot was pure theatre, and the disrepute to the goddess Artemis, at least for that generation, was simply an existential threat.  The Way represented a very small minority in Ephesus- perhaps only 100 people.  The goddess Artemis on the other hand and her followers would remain the primary deity of worship in Ephesus for the next two centuries.  As for the foreshadowing of what would come to pass?  The temple of Artemis the Great would not be destroyed by Christians. It would be destroyed by the invading Goths in 262 AD.  Surprisingly, Paul was not a part of this chaotic scene in the theatre.  He had already resolved that his work was accomplished in Ephesus, and that his gaze was shifting to Rome. Although he may have wanted to go the theatre that day, his disciples prevented him, and the city officials discouraged him.  The riot in the theatre was completely the making of the silversmith Demetrius who wanted to raise anger, fear and hatred against the Way.

Now, you may be wondering, so why did St. Luke choose to include this story of the riot in Ephesus in the Book of Acts- beside its value as dramatic story telling?   I believe that Luke’s purpose was clearly apologetic.  There were legitimate concerns in the Roman Empire that Christianity was turning the world upside down, but Luke wanted his readers, especially his Gentile readers, to see the that Roman Empire was not opposed to the Way, but instead affirmed its legitimacy.   We first heard this in Paul’s acquittal spoken by the proconsul Gallio in Corinth and now again in in the words of the city clerk in Ephesus.  In both incidents, the Apostle Paul remained completely silent, and both Roman officials affirmed that Christianity was not a threat to the Roman Empire, but lawlessness was.

What I think is truly remarkable about this story is the courage and honor of the city clerk in speaking justly and fairly to the crowds gathered in the theatre. They had been manipulated by Demetrius, and he knew what he intended from the crowds. They dragged two innocent foreigners onto the theatre stage and chanted one thing after another  “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”  Alexander, a member of the synagogue who was guilty by association was invited to speak, but the crowds refused to listen. There was so much confusion everywhere that many in the theatre had no idea why they were there.

But the city clerk would not be intimidated, no matter how large the crowd.  He could have easily sided with the angry masses crying out, “Great is Artemi of the Ephesians.”  He could have been swayed by the misrepresentation of the followers of the Way that they were a threat to peaceful order and worship of Artemis and that her scorn might come down upon the city. He could have let the crowds have their way with Paul’s disciples from Macedonia, dragging the foreigners Gaius and Aristarchus into the theatre.  The city clerk, however, understood his calling and his office. As a free city in the Roman Empire, the city clerk was the CEO and administrator for Ephesus to Rome. He kept the records, oversaw the deposit of money into the temple, and served as a registrar. The authority of the city clerk was so respected and powerful that some of the historic clerks even appear on the coins of Ephesus minted during the reign of Augustus onwards. If unlawful assemblies occurred, including riots that might end in the killing or execution of a Roman citizen, the city clerk knew that according to imperials law as practiced in Asia minor, severe repercussions would come to the city, and to the clerk personally. Therefore, it was in the best interest of Ephesus and the city clerk to gain control of the riot, persuade them to calm down, and disperse them.

While the city clerk underscored the rule of law, he also engaged the crowds in the discussion concerning the great Artemis of Ephesus and her temple, which for most of those in attendance was their primary concern.  No one could diminish the name of Artemis for her name was known throughout the world. He noted that that the men they falsely charged had not desecrated the Temple or harmed it.  He then suggested that the silversmiths rather than taking matters into their own hands should appeal to the proconsuls in the Roman district courts of Asia, one of which was located at Ephesus.  Incidentally, that reference to plural proconsuls appears to reflect a unique period at the end of 54 AD and the beginning of 55 AD when two Roman proconsuls heard legal cases in Ephesus, which is exactly the time frame when Paul was preaching there.

There are many lessons St. Luke would have us learn from this unnamed city clerk, but I want to highlight his emphasis on personal, civic responsibility, wisdom and courage. We live in a political world, where these very strengths are needed. Whether its local affairs, school board, park boards, business administration, arts groups, families or even churches, as Christians we must be conscious of our own living example. Many times, our own words and actions diminish and undermine the very Savior we claim to follow and serve.

The city clerk in Ephesus, however, didn’t bend or bow to the mob’s desires in an effort to gain favor with them. Nor did he feel that he had to choose sides. He was able to make the distinction through wisdom and act on what he knew was right and best through leadership.  Yes, he chose to do what was right, even in the face of possible opposition.

How many times do we as Christians back down from a position or take a stand because of the pressure from the crowd, or at times from our close friends. True leaders and good citizens, especially those who dare to call themselves Christ’s followers, must exercise personal responsibility, wisdom and courage in such situations. My friends, whatever your position might be as a leader, or as someone that others look to for guidance, you need to pray for God to give you the same character and willingness to exercise godly wisdom and leadership as God gave to that anonymous city clerk.

The names of Greek gods have not disappeared, even if the worship of these gods has. Next September 2025, Artemis 2 is scheduled to be launched as a crewed lunar flyby with Christina Koch aboard, the first female astronaut to go beyond low earth orbit. How many will shout that day, “Great is Artemis of the Americans?” Time will tell.  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.