GOSPEL MEDITATION #59
Acts 19:21-20:12
A Riot at Ephesus, Paul in Macedonia & Greece,
Eutychus Raised from the Dead
- Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
- Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
- Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
- Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
- Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
- Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
- Luke now takes us for a series of events that cover an unknown period of time. He moves us from Ephesus to Philippi where Luke rejoins the missionaries (see “us” and “we”) then on to Troas in what is now northeast Turkey.
- The cult of Artemis (or Diana) with the silver images made of the goddess provided considerable sums of money. This business was suffering due to Paul’s preaching.
- Luke does not give us as much as we would like; it is likely he only heard second-hand accounts of the fast moving and tumultuous events.
- A riot ensued in Ephesus, and two of Paul’s companions were dragged into the local arena by an angry mob. This arena, when excavate was found to seat 25,000.
- The crowd of Ephesians is quieted, and soon Paul leaves for Macedonia and visits Philippi before settling for a time in Troas.
- On a Sunday morning in a meeting place in Troas, after celebrating the Lord’s Supper, Paul begins to speak. We are not told of the content of what Paul said, but he went on seemingly all night.
- Unable to remain awake while Paul preached, on and on, the young man Eutychus, perched on a window sill, fell to his death. Without fanfare, Paul announces he is alive. This resulted in much comfort to the church in Troas.