In the first half of this chapter, Paul bestows the Holy Spirit, heals people just through his handkerchiefs, teaches every day for five hours for two years, and convinces huge numbers of people to burn their magic books. In the second half, he is silenced and sidelined; we get to hear only one sentence from him: "After that, I must also see Rome."
What happened to the mighty apostle? Luke is showing us that the Kingdom comes through apostolic power, yes — but it also comes through apostolic weakness. Paul was large and in charge. Then, like his master, he decided to go to Jerusalem, and the world fell apart. The kingdom didn't fall apart, but certainly Paul's influence seems to have crashed through the floor. He is sidelined and silenced, because he is on his way to Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets. The riot here in Ephesus is a little preview of the riot in Jerusalem in which he'll lose his freedom, the riot that will end up taking him all the way to Rome — the very destination he wants to reach after Jerusalem. Paul's success in bringing Jesus' rule to Ephesus is so great that he ends up like his master — almost a victim of mob violence in Asia, and eventually a genuine victim in Jerusalem.
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Caleb Nelson grew up in Ft. Collins, CO. Born into a Christian home, where he eventually became the eldest of 11 children, he has been a lifelong Presbyterian. He professed faith at the age of six, and was homeschooled through high school. He then attended Patrick Henry College...
