²³About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. ²⁴For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; ²⁵these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. ²⁶You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. ²⁷Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

Money talks; money gives power; money competes. The same is true of religion—and so the two are often intertwined. Add greed, fear, loss of control, and status. All these fomented the riot about to happen. What was about to happen was not a race riot, but a religious riot. Yet at the core is what politicians will often tell us: it’s all about the economy and how an issue hits people’s pocketbooks.

Yes, indeed, where the gospel goes forth, money is involved—but not in the usual “preacher begging for money” sense. Paul never raised money for himself or his ministry. The only fundraising he did was purely for benevolent purposes—to feed the poor—and all of the funds went to the poor (i.e., no “overheard” expenses taken off the top). No, the gospel affected the income people received from illicit or nefarious means.

The overwhelming response to the gospel was that people were turning away from Ephesus’ cash cow, the trade that carried on in the name of worship of the popular idol, Artemis (“Diana” in some translations). Many people were making money on trafficking in silver and religious shrines. Next to gold, silver was the most valuable commodity in the ancient world, so this, as Luke writes, “was no little business.” It involved silversmiths, artisans, and related craftsmen who undoubtedly created related paraphernalia.

The problem was this: Paul was preaching that there is only one creator God; therefore, all other so-called “gods” were “made by human hands.” The gospel’s influence must have been so great that sales of shrines must have fallen off, or Demetrius anticipated that would naturally happen. People were turning away from Artemis worship; that put the scare into those who made money off that false religion. Their whole system of economics was in danger of complete demise.

Lord, I would much rather lose the world and gain Christ.