Acts 19:28-34: a reflection

28When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel. 30When Paul wanted to enter in to the people, the disciples didn’t allow him. 31Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater. 32Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn’t know why they had come together. 33They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defense to the people. 34But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

When a riot breaks out in Ephesus, the account gives a telling detail about the confused crowd: most of them did not even know why they had gathered, yet were swept up in the frenzy all the same. The whole city was filled with confusion, the account says; some cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them didn't know why they had come together. Yet caught up in the excitement, they shouted the same slogan together for two hours. Here is the irrationality of a crowd swept into frenzy: most did not even know the reason, yet were carried along, shouting together, in the grip of collective emotion rather than thought. This is a sobering picture of how people can be swept into mindless collective frenzy. A crowd can be swept into frenzy without even knowing why. People can be carried along by collective emotion, not thought. Most in the riot did not know why they had gathered. Beware being swept into mindless collective frenzy.

Notice the telling detail about the crowd: most did not know why they had come together, yet were caught up in the frenzy all the same. This is a revealing picture of how crowds and mobs can work. People got swept up in the collective excitement, the shouting, the anger, the slogans, without even understanding what it was about; they were carried along by the emotion of the crowd, shouting together for hours, though most had no real idea why. This is a sobering warning about the power of collective frenzy to sweep people along, overriding thought and reason. In the grip of a crowd, an excited group, a mob, people can be carried into saying and doing things they would not think through on their own, swept along by collective emotion rather than reasoned conviction. We do well to be wary of this, to guard against being swept along by the frenzy of a crowd, the excitement of a group, the contagion of collective emotion, without thinking for ourselves. We are called to keep our own thought and judgment, not to be carried along mindlessly by the crowd, but to consider what is true and right for ourselves. Beware being swept along by the frenzy of a crowd. Keep your own thought; do not be carried by collective emotion. Crowds can sweep people into things they would not think through. Do not join a frenzy without thinking for yourself.

That is worth taking to heart, for people can be swept into mindless collective frenzy, carried along without even knowing why, and we do well to keep our own thought rather than be swept along. We can be caught up in the excitement of a crowd, the anger of a group, the contagion of collective emotion, without thinking for ourselves; but the crowd at Ephesus mostly did not even know why they had gathered, yet shouted together in the frenzy. Beware collective frenzy. Do not be swept along mindlessly by a crowd or group; keep your own thought and judgment, considering what is true and right for yourself. Guard against being swept into mindless collective frenzy, keeping your own thought and judgment rather than being carried along by the emotion of a crowd, as when a riot broke out in Ephesus most of the crowd did not even know why they had gathered, yet were caught up in the frenzy and shouted the same slogan together for two hours; for here is the irrationality of a crowd swept into frenzy, that most did not even know the reason yet were carried along in the grip of collective emotion rather than thought, which is a sobering picture of how crowds and mobs can work, since people get swept up in the collective excitement, shouting, anger, and slogans without understanding what it is about, carried along by the emotion of the crowd, and this warns us of the power of collective frenzy to sweep people along and override thought and reason, so that in the grip of a crowd or mob people can be carried into saying and doing things they would not think through on their own, and we do well to be wary of this, to guard against being swept along by the frenzy of a crowd, the excitement of a group, and the contagion of collective emotion without thinking for ourselves, keeping our own thought and judgment and considering what is true and right rather than being carried along mindlessly by the crowd.

Lord, when a riot breaks out in Ephesus, the account gives a telling detail about the confused crowd: most of them did not even know why they had gathered, yet were swept up in the frenzy all the same. The whole city was filled with confusion, the account says; some cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them didn't know why they had come together. Yet caught up in the excitement, they shouted the same slogan together for two hours. Here is the irrationality of a crowd swept into frenzy: most did not even know the reason, yet were carried along, shouting together, in the grip of collective emotion rather than thought. This is a sobering picture of how people can be swept into mindless collective frenzy. Show me the telling detail about the crowd: most did not know why they had come together, yet were caught up in the frenzy all the same. People got swept up in the collective excitement, the shouting, the anger, the slogans, without even understanding what it was about; they were carried along by the emotion of the crowd. This is a sobering warning about the power of collective frenzy to sweep people along, overriding thought and reason. In the grip of a crowd, an excited group, a mob, people can be carried into saying and doing things they would not think through on their own, swept along by collective emotion rather than reasoned conviction. I do well to be wary of this, to guard against being swept along by the frenzy of a crowd without thinking for myself. Take that to my heart, for people can be swept into mindless collective frenzy, and I do well to keep my own thought. Keep me from being caught up in the excitement or anger of a crowd, carried along by collective emotion without thinking for myself; help me keep my own thought and judgment, Lord, considering what is true and right for myself rather than being swept along mindlessly by a crowd.