“About midnight
Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were
listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were
opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened…And the jailer called and rushed
in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?’ And they
said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your
household.’ And they spoke the word of
the Lord to him and to all who were in his house…And he rejoiced along with his
entire household that he had believed in God.” –Acts 16:25-26; 30-32. 34b
(ESV. Read Acts 16:25-40).
It was unfortunate that Paul and Silas
were beaten and imprisoned in Philippi.
But God is in the business of turning hardships into victories and that
happened in the jailhouse about midnight.
While the missionaries were praying and singing, God’s mighty power shook
the prison with an earthquake. It was a
geographic area that precipitated earthquakes. Wasn’t it beautiful that it
happened just at midnight—the mighty power of Creator God at work to shake the
earth, loose the prisoners’ shackles and throw open the doors of the
prison? The Roman jailer drew a sword
and was about to slay himself. Roman law
dictated that if prisoners escaped, the jailer would himself receive the same
punishment meted out for the escaped prisoners.
Why not take from the magistrates’ pleasure and kill himself ? He surely would meet death because of the
prisoners’ escape. Romans were noted for
their cruel and unmerciful punishment.
That surely awaited the jailer. But all the prisoners were still there;
not a one had walked through the open doors to freedom. God had another avenue
working. The real prisoners in that jail were the jailer and his household and
any others not free from the shackles of sin and unbelief. The earthquake-hit jailhouse became a
Spirit-endowed evangelistic site. To the
jailer’s question, “What must I do to be
saved?” Paul had the perfect platform to explain the Way to the jailer and
his household. The prisoners had been
invited to the jailer’s private quarters in another section of the jailhouse. There
they ministered to the painful rod wounds on Paul and Silas, washing them and
probably applying a soothing ointment.
Then those who had believed were baptized. Did they go to the river, or arrange for
water from a cistern to be used? Luke
does not give details, but we can imagine that Paul would find water sufficient
to baptize them by immersion. In the jailer’s house, on past mid-night, there
was great rejoicing that he and his household had believed in God! Moreover,
his acts of mercy to the prisoners were putting into practice the spirit of
Christian service.
The next day the magistrates had a
change of heart and they decided to free Paul and Silas. But were they in for a surprise! Paul said, basically, “Nothing doing! They’re not
going to slip us out in secret. We’ve been beaten unfairly and
publicly—uncondemned—(without a fair trial) and we are Roman citizens! Let them come themselves and escort us
out!” Would you have been brave
enough to stand up for your civil rights as Paul did for himself and Silas? Roman citizenship put a different light
on the situation. The magistrates knew
they were in trouble, not allowing citizens a fair hearing before punishment
was meted out. To scourge a Roman citizen
could itself bring a sentence of death upon anyone disrespectful of Roman laws,
rights and citizenship. And in addition,
Paul was setting a precedent to prevent such cruel treatment to other
Philippian Christians after he and Silas had moved on to another place. He
wanted public vindication lest the people think that Christians were just
troublemakers and rabble-rousers. He was
establishing a firmer base for the Way to be preached and practiced in
Philippi. Spiritual and cultural
victories took place on that memorable night. The earthquake shook the earth and the prison; but
the spiritual earthquake was far-reaching, shattering barriers and setting a
precedent for God’s Word to be preached freely and with power! Selah!
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