When we encounter people in the Bible, sometimes we encounter people with the same name. Jesus had taken on two disciples named Judas—one very good and one very bad. There are so many Marys in the New Testament that it can be hard to keep track. So when it comes to the name Demetrius, this is no different.
One Demetrius in the Bible, mentioned in Acts 19, is not a good person. We’ll get to him momentarily. In John’s Gospel, we see a good Demetrius who plays a role in the early church.
We will uncover the stories of both of these men named Demetrius and discover how we can learn from both of their stories.
Who Is Demetrius in Acts 19?
It is funny that the bad Demetrius tends to get more press than the good (if you Google search Demetrius, the first one tends to pop up closer to the top), though the good one arguably does far more with his life than the former.
The Demetrius mentioned in Acts 19 is a bad figure for several reasons. He’s a silversmith who makes shrines to Artemis.
For those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, Artemis (or Diana in Roman mythology) is a goddess of the moon and the hunt. The apostles had entered her home territory—Ephesus, where she had a major shrine. Because the people of The Way (the name of Christianity in the New Testament) had preached the gospel, people had given up worship to Artemis and started to follow Jesus.
This meant that Demetrius had started to lose business.
He decides to collect the other artisans who had businesses relating to Greek gods. He tells them they need to do something about their loss of business.
They decide to riot.
They nab Paul’s companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and drag them into a local theater.
They continue to shout at them for literally two hours. Eventually, a man named Alexander calls for order. He tells the crowd that unless these two men have done something specifically wrong, they have to let the men go to avoid legal ramifications.
The counsel dispels, and the two men walk free.
We don’t get to hear much about this particular Demetrius—although some scholars believe “Alexander the metalworker” that Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 4:14-15 is a reference to him. We can imagine his frustration that he couldn’t wreak havoc on these Christians who had wounded his business. It is also a funny picture of people trying to find any reason to persecute the early church.
What Does John 3 Say about Demetrius?
Now that we’ve covered the first Demetrius in the Bible let’s discuss the second one. He’s mentioned in 3 John 1:12 and likely had delivered an epistle (a letter) to Gaius. Likely the same Gaius mentioned in the passage above—who had ironically been accosted by a different Demetrius. If he’d delivered 3 John, we can assume he likely delivered John’s previous two epistles as well.
Now, we don’t get to learn a ton about this Demetrius. Church history also leaves little evidence of what he did. Most of the Saint Demetriuses pop up in the 300s and 400s.
But here’s what the passages tell us.
Demetrius was well-regarded. People had good things to say about him. We can often determine someone’s character about what they say behind their back, as well as to their face. Demetrius had a personality where no one could find fault in him. I think of the prophet Daniel when I think about having a character like this. The New Testament often encourages Christians to be above reproach. Our actions should speak well for us.
“Even by truth itself.” The Bible says that even against the biblical standard for goodness, Demetrius was not found wanting. Demetrius had pursued a call to holiness and sanctification. He probably stood as a poster child for how early church Christians should live their lives.
We also speak well of him. John gives his endorsement to Demetrius. High praise from the disciple whom Jesus loved.
He’s often serving as a contrast to a man named Diotrephes, who did not do well in his part in sharing and living out the Gospel of Christ.
Was Demetrius a Disciple of Christ?
The good Demetrius only appears in these two Bible passages, which raises questions about when he began following Christ. We know that Jesus had followers outside the core twelve disciples—at least 72 of them (Luke 10:1-23).
Did Demetrius happen to follow Christ when he walked the earth?
The answer is we don’t know, but likely not. John had written about him, so he probably would’ve mentioned this when he describes Demetrius in his epistle.
If John didn’t account for this, then church history and tradition probably would have.
But even if he wasn’t around for the time when Jesus walked the earth, that doesn’t discount his faith or loyalty, commended by John. If anything, the Bible calls those who never saw Jesus blessed for their great faith.
We sadly don’t know what happened to Demetrius after 3 John. Perhaps he had lived to see old age, like the apostle John himself. We never see an account of his martyrdom, so perhaps he never experienced it. But we, unfortunately, don’t know much about his life—only that his servant-like humility helped to spread the gospel.
What Can We Learn from the First Demetrius in the Bible?
From the first Demetrius, we can learn the following three lessons.
Many people will go after believers without just cause. Demetrius was wounded that someone had hurt his business. So he gathered a crowd to riot and destroy the Christians in town. As cancel culture gets various believers in trouble today, we know that often belief enough can be a reason for people to go after us.
Mob mentalities may become more common. As we’re approaching the End Times, people are out for blood. We live in a hurt world, and people seek a way to deflect that hurt. We should be aware that mob mentalities can spring up against us in the future. We need to act like the second Demetrius and live above reproach.
An unbiased party saw no fault in the Christians. We don’t need to fight our battles. God has us in his hands. When Christians in the New Testament are brought to court, people often see their innocence and let them go.
With this in mind, let’s dissect the lessons from the second Demetrius in the Bible.
What Can We Learn from the Second Demetrius in the Bible?
People spoke well of him behind his back. How do people speak of you? We cannot prevent gossip, of course. Some people love to stir up drama. But do we live a life worth talking about?
He stood up well against the measure of truth. Even by biblical standards, Demetrius was a poster child. Do we focus on our daily walk with the Lord? Are we striving toward sanctification? Demetrius can remind us that we don’t need to care about what others think . . . but our lives should be marked by gradual changes, where we become more like Christ each day.
He worked behind the scenes. Demetrius may have delivered the Epistles. We sadly don’t know everything he did for the gospel. Perhaps quite a bit, given the endorsement from John himself. But perhaps it’s a good thing that we don’t know how he furthered the gospel.
In our testimony-happy churches, we can often praise what people do with their lives, and forget to praise those who do “backstage work.” In our lives, having a curriculum vitae of our accomplishments is not necessarily important. Rather, how did we share Jesus with those in our lives and the lives we touched? Often in unquantifiable ways?
Demetrius in the Bible, both instances, give us a lot to think about in how we act and how we submit to the Lord’s will.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/SvetlanaK
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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