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Acts 19:23-41
About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
The small elementary school cafeteria was packed with 125 students. They were talking and eating their lunch – just as you might expect elementary aged children to do. Mr. Teitz would walk in and begin speaking in justs above a whisper. The students would immediately quiet down. Mr. Teitz was an amazingly effective principal at Trinity Lutheran School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His quiet and calm voice combined with a clear expectation of respect were a powerful combination.
I’m thinking the town clerk must have been such a man. For two hours the people in Ephesus had shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Again and again their voices wafted out over the amphitheater. Luke tells us that (as is almost always true of a mob) some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. But they were together and rowdy.
But then comes the unnamed city clerk. I think of clerks as bureaucrats. Paper pushers. Staplers and stampers. With more power than they should have, but only by means of fines and permit-withholdings. But this guy has a different kind of power. He is able to quiet the crowd and appeal to their reason. And with little more than a calm caution he is able to quell the disturbance. Calm prevails. The people disperse. They recognized that to continue would get them in hot water.
Compare this to the crowd that shouted “Crucify! Crucify!” That mob did not have the benefit of a calming voice, or an appeal to reason. There was so much hatred for Jesus, and so much power aligned against him, there would be no dispersion.
When the city clerk quieted the crowd it ultimately aided the mission of God. Paul was not caught up in the mob. He would make his way to Jerusalem, and on to Rome eventually. But when the crowd was not silenced, and the people continued to shout, “Crucify,” it also aided the mission of God! Jesus’ crucifixion was part and parcel of God’s plan for our salvation. This is akin to Luther’s thought, The devil is always God’s devil. God limits the power and reach of Satan. So, we could say, the mob is always God’s mob. Sometimes they will be quieted, sometimes not.
This is not to say we should not care about mob rule or desire law and order. But is to say that come storm or stress, mob or chaos, we can trust in God’s unfailing love, his providential care, and his eternal purpose in Jesus Christ.
Lord, give us the faith to remember this and the courage to play our part in your plans and purposes. Amen.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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