No Small Parts - Demetrius
March 7, 2021 Sunday Evening Study

In 1997 a movie was released that had a plot centered on a ruse to distract our nation with fake news so that an election could be won. No - really. The movie “Wag the Dog” was meant to be a complete satire, but ended up being prophetic multiple times in real life. The plot centers around a sitting president who is caught up in a sex scandal 2 months before the election. He is caught dead to rights and has no way to get himself out of it. So instead of arguing the charges, his advisement team hires a Hollywood producer to create something to keep the media occupied while the scandal blows over and the president can be re-elected.

A fictitious war is created in the country of Albania, and the war effort soon dominates the airwaves. Before long the CIA discovers that the whole story is fake, but is threatened by the administration to keep silent. So in collusion with the president's opponent in the election, they create the story that the war is over, effectively shifting the focus back to home and the president’s scandal. Yet the president takes it even further, creating a fake hero - a POW left behind in Albania, and the rescue mission becomes the top news. They identify a soldier with the last name Schumann, saying that he was “left behind like an old shoe” and even create a old sounding folk song called “old shoe” that they make sound poorly recorded and forgotten, only to be “found” in the library of congress to become the anthem for this rescue, which starts a full grass roots movement across the country.

The president succeeds in being re-elected, the people having completely forgotten his indiscretions. What made this movie so incredible was that it was released exactly 1 month before the news of the Monica Lewinsky scandal hit the airwaves in America, to which the Clinton Administration responded by bombing the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan, many say, basically following the plot of the movie exactly. Then in December of the same year, as the impeachment trial began, the administration launched a bombing campaign in Iraq, again bringing comparisons to this movie. The movie explains its own title during the opening credits with the following expression:Why does the dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog. 

This sort of misdirection is used in a number of different contexts. The magic and illusion industry relies on misdirection for the majority of what it produces. Advertising does the same thing, where there are stories of ad men from chewing gum companies launching anti-smoking campaigns simply to “convert” smokers to gum chewers - never even mentioning their brand or anything. And this method is successful - it’s that same principle that says we don’t have to be the best, we just can’t be the worst. Many of you will have heard the saying - If a bear is chasing us, I don’t have to be the fastest person here - I just can’t be the slowest.

Please open your Bibles to Acts 19. We are going to read the story of a merchant - a man who saw his business slowing, and rather than use accusations about what was really happening, he stirs up people’s emotions about a different subject entirely, rousing a mob to take action without really knowing what they were fighting. At this time, Paul and some of his companions have been in Ephesus for quite some time, and Paul is about to head back to Jerusalem, when trouble starts before he can go. Read Passage Acts 19:23-34

Let me begin by giving you a little information about the setting and the characters. This main character Demetrius of Ephesus was the leader of the Silversmiths Guild and was therefore influential and wealthy. The guild of Silversmiths was employed in creating miniature shrines or ‘naoi’; models of the temple, and the goddess, Artemis, also known as Diana. These were sold at enormous profit to the thousands of pilgrims who visited the site. And there were many - this temple was listed as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World.’ The artisans, whose trade depended on the sale of clay, wood and silver artifacts resembling the goddess and the shrine of Diana, were experiencing a recession during the time, due in no small part to the work of Paul and his companions. Most historians indicate that Paul’s time in Ephesus - the time of this event, was in 51 A.D. - almost 20 years into the mission of the early church.

Demetrius sees a problem, and he approaches it head-on. He reminds the other craftsmen that they have a very good trade - that they are making a ton of money. He calls out what Paul and his companions are doing, noting their success as they “led astray large numbers of people in Ephesus and in practically all of Asia.” Suddenly people are believing that these crafts they make - these small “gods made by human hands” are really no gods at all and now business is suffering.

Here we begin to see Demetrius’ shrewdness - he recognizes that while the people are grieved by their loss of trade, it is not enough. So Demetrius shifts gears and takes a different tack - he “wags the dog” by making it a matter of faith and tradition. This glorious temple? They are making it so that it doesn’t matter - it is of no account, according to them. The goddess Artemis? She could be deposed from her marvelous worship! Now the people are stirred. They are so stirred, in fact, that they incite a mob and they grab two of Paul’s companions planning to visit extreme bodily harm on them. In fact the situation is so dangerous and volatile that the other believers in Ephesus will not let Paul go near the assembly as they fear for his safety.

As effective as Demetrius’ plan may have been, Acts tells us that the mob was in confusion, even stating that most of the people didn’t even know why they were there - they had simply been caught up in the mob mentality. Yet although they do not get what they wanted specifically, it is likely that by using this approach to their failing trade, Demetrius will have stirred up his fellow craftsmen and will likely stimulate trade in support of the temple and Artemis, at least temporarily. For a while, he will have what he wants - the tail was smarter, and wagged the dog.

Paul leaves Ephesus after this riot, but appoints Timothy to lead the church there, followed by Tichicus, and then finally the apostle John lives out the remainder of his life there. The church thrived in Ephesus, making a huge impact on the citizens and customs of the place. But this is not the end of the story for our silversmith Demetrius. We know that sometime between this event and 62 A.D. something changes in Demetrius.

In 3rd John, aged John is in Ephesus and is writing a letter to Paul’s old traveling companion Gaius - the very man seized by the mob during this riot. In verse 12, John makes the following statement: “Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.” So we learn in this that Demetrius eventually comes to know the truth, and appears to be converted. More than conversion must have occurred, however, because it is made clear that he makes an impact on the people - he is known, and even John vouches for him. Many historians believe that Demetrius himself bore all three of John’s letters to their recipients.

In the movie, we don’t get to know what happened to the president after re-election. If our history with the Clintons is any indicator, the fact that he got away with it likely led to more scandal which also likely never saw justice. Yet for Demetrius, despite his cunning and his strong defense of his business and livelihood, God softened his heart - and eventually changed him. I wish we could know why and how - this is one of those small parts I wish we could know more about. 

What I can say is that it is clear evidence of another saying I like to throw around - Every Saint has a past and every sinner has a future. We see Demetrius become a reformed pagan impacted by Paul the reformed murderer. There is always hope for the sinner with God. Let’s pray.