In his series looking at Acts, BRUCE C WEARNE recounts a famous passage in which Paul and Silas are miraculously freed from prison…
At about midnight when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, with the prisoners listening, all of a sudden a great earthquake shook the prison to its foundations; and that was how all the doors opened with all the fetters unfastened. The jailor awoke and seeing the prison doors open, [panicked,] drawing his sword ready to kill himself. After all, he thought that all the prisoners had escaped. Paul cried out loudly, “Do not harm yourself; we are all still here.” The jailor called for lights, rushing in trembling with fear and fell down [pleading] before Paul and Silas. Bringing them out he said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and all your household.” That’s how they came to speak the word of the Lord to him and all of his household. He took them that same hour of the night, and washed their wounds. With all his family he was baptised then and there. He brought them up into his house, and set food before them; rejoicing with his household that he had believed in God. But when it was day, the magistrates sent their police, saying, “Let those men go.” The jailor reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; therefore you can now come out and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have had us, Roman citizens, publicly flogged, without a fair trial, throwing us into prison. Do they now want to have us leave turn on the quiet? We cannot allow this! Let them come here and take us out.” Those police reported these words back to the magistrates, and when they heard they were Roman citizens they became very alarmed. So that is how it was that they came and apologized. They took them out and then asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison, and visited Lydia; and having seen he brothers and sisters to encourage them, they departed. – Acts 16:25-40/transliteration by Bruce C Wearne
BROKEN FETTERS: Paul and Silas were praising God in prison when an earthquake shook the building, opening all the doors and unfastening fetters. PICTURE: Ricardo Sousa/www.freeimages.com
IN A NUTSHELL
After an earthquake, Paul takes command; the prisoners remain and the jailor and his family are converted. Paul and Silas leave after the judges apologise.
This story is often used to discuss the process of becoming a Christian. Is that what “What must I do to be saved?” as asked by the jailor was all about? What was going on here?
Paul had shouted to him to put away his sword. The jailor thought all his prisoners had escaped in the earthquake. A fate worse than death awaited him. How could he explain an empty prison to the city’s judges? But his prison was not empty. Paul and Silas saw to it that all the prisoners remained where they were. There was to be no jail break-out. And when the jailor saw that Paul and Silas had kept the group together, he realised he was in their debt, and engaged Paul and Silas in earnest conversation.
“What must I do to be saved?” What did the jailor mean by “saved”? It seems that he is talking about his life henceforth. It seems to indicate he saw himself in great peril. What did Paul and Silas mean by their answer? Did they mean the same thing? What’s going on here? What is Luke trying to tell us by recounting this exchange?
The jailor lived to tell how Paul and Silas had saved him from taking his own life. He had been asleep, waking to find the cell doors open, the prisoners’ fetters unlocked. And so Paul and Silas became instruments of the Almighty’s protection for this family. They had brought the Good News about Jesus. And in proclaiming the Gospel, Paul respected the jailor’s work as an honoured profession in God’s Kingdom. It was an important contribution to establish justice in public life, even if the city’s officials did not always act justly.
“What must I do to be saved?” The answer of Paul and Silas was that belief in Jesus Christ opens the door to the God-given fullness in our life and in our death. Since God’s Kingdom establishes justice, it was consistent with his message that Paul required the judges to come to the prison and apologise. Such openness by the city’s rulers would safeguard the jailor’s position with a measure of public and legal recognition. At the same time the small church was also protected.
OPEN BOOK – HINTS FROM THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS: JAILHOUSE ROCK
In his series looking at Acts, BRUCE C WEARNE recounts a famous passage in which Paul and Silas are miraculously freed from prison…
At about midnight when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, with the prisoners listening, all of a sudden a great earthquake shook the prison to its foundations; and that was how all the doors opened with all the fetters unfastened. The jailor awoke and seeing the prison doors open, [panicked,] drawing his sword ready to kill himself. After all, he thought that all the prisoners had escaped. Paul cried out loudly, “Do not harm yourself; we are all still here.” The jailor called for lights, rushing in trembling with fear and fell down [pleading] before Paul and Silas. Bringing them out he said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and all your household.” That’s how they came to speak the word of the Lord to him and all of his household. He took them that same hour of the night, and washed their wounds. With all his family he was baptised then and there. He brought them up into his house, and set food before them; rejoicing with his household that he had believed in God. But when it was day, the magistrates sent their police, saying, “Let those men go.” The jailor reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; therefore you can now come out and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have had us, Roman citizens, publicly flogged, without a fair trial, throwing us into prison. Do they now want to have us leave turn on the quiet? We cannot allow this! Let them come here and take us out.” Those police reported these words back to the magistrates, and when they heard they were Roman citizens they became very alarmed. So that is how it was that they came and apologized. They took them out and then asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison, and visited Lydia; and having seen he brothers and sisters to encourage them, they departed. – Acts 16:25-40/transliteration by Bruce C Wearne
BROKEN FETTERS: Paul and Silas were praising God in prison when an earthquake shook the building, opening all the doors and unfastening fetters. PICTURE: Ricardo Sousa/www.freeimages.com
IN A NUTSHELL
After an earthquake, Paul takes command; the prisoners remain and the jailor and his family are converted. Paul and Silas leave after the judges apologise.
This story is often used to discuss the process of becoming a Christian. Is that what “What must I do to be saved?” as asked by the jailor was all about? What was going on here?
Paul had shouted to him to put away his sword. The jailor thought all his prisoners had escaped in the earthquake. A fate worse than death awaited him. How could he explain an empty prison to the city’s judges? But his prison was not empty. Paul and Silas saw to it that all the prisoners remained where they were. There was to be no jail break-out. And when the jailor saw that Paul and Silas had kept the group together, he realised he was in their debt, and engaged Paul and Silas in earnest conversation.
“What must I do to be saved?” What did the jailor mean by “saved”? It seems that he is talking about his life henceforth. It seems to indicate he saw himself in great peril. What did Paul and Silas mean by their answer? Did they mean the same thing? What’s going on here? What is Luke trying to tell us by recounting this exchange?
The jailor lived to tell how Paul and Silas had saved him from taking his own life. He had been asleep, waking to find the cell doors open, the prisoners’ fetters unlocked. And so Paul and Silas became instruments of the Almighty’s protection for this family. They had brought the Good News about Jesus. And in proclaiming the Gospel, Paul respected the jailor’s work as an honoured profession in God’s Kingdom. It was an important contribution to establish justice in public life, even if the city’s officials did not always act justly.
“What must I do to be saved?” The answer of Paul and Silas was that belief in Jesus Christ opens the door to the God-given fullness in our life and in our death. Since God’s Kingdom establishes justice, it was consistent with his message that Paul required the judges to come to the prison and apologise. Such openness by the city’s rulers would safeguard the jailor’s position with a measure of public and legal recognition. At the same time the small church was also protected.
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