NOTES for Act 19:23-41

The Ephesian craftsmen raised a riot under the slogan of defending a pagan goddess from dishonor, but it is hard to avoid the impression that in reality they were concerned not with upholding religious principles, but with the fate of their own income. Lofty slogans often hide very earthly practical interests, not selfless devotion to ideals at all. Yet people who care about their own interests and calculate possible profits and losses do not always win by taking such a pragmatic approach. A time would come when the descendants of the craftsmen who rioted in Ephesus against the arrival of an unheard-of teaching in their city would themselves turn away from paganism; but their crafts would not wither because of that, which means the source of income would not dry up.

Those for whom truth matters more than income will lose nothing by following it, even if giving up familiar actions causes inconvenience at first. And even if a former, familiar occupation has to be left behind, the Lord will give something immeasurably better in its place. But the person for whom income matters most will in the end receive neither the fruits of the Spirit nor material goods, even though at first things may appear successful and prosperous.