A Study of Acts: Beatings, Imprisonment, A Miracle, Conversion, A Plea
Acts 16:22-40; Luke 23:39-43, Psalm 100:1-5: Do you react to circumstances or to God’s abiding love and grace? Could you pass the army chaplain test to save souls?
“The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”
And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 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 together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.
Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.” The policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.”
Acts 16:22-40 NASB1995
There is so much packed into this last part of Acts 16. Paul and Silas are brought before the magistrates by the angry mob after the slave girl incident. Without due process or any other legal intervention or even questions, the robes are stripped from them, then they are beaten with rods (like a solid cane or shepherd’s club or perhaps a bundle of hard sticks). After they have been beaten quite severely, they are thrown into prison and the jailer is told to keep them secure, so he puts them in the inner prison and slams their legs into stocks. It is assumed that they are not Roman citizens, so anything goes, as noted in this commentary from Enduring Word:
Their charges were vague, simply accusing Paul and Silas of being troublemakers. But those vague charges were enough, because both the multitude and the magistrates were biased against Paul and Silas. They were biased because of their Jewish appearance, and because they assumed Paul and Silas were not Roman citizens.
In the Roman Empire there were two very different laws: one for citizens of the Roman Empire, and one for those who were not citizens. Roman citizens had specific, zealously guarded civil rights. Non-citizens had no civil rights, and were subject to the whims of both the multitude and the magistrates.
Since they assumed Paul and Silas were not Roman citizens, they were offended that these obviously Jewish men harassed Roman citizens with their strange religion of a crucified Savior. As well, the multitude and the magistrates felt free to abuse Paul and Silas because they assumed they were not Roman citizens.
“There was great indignation that Roman citizens should be molested by strolling peddlers of an outlandish religion. Such people had to be taught to know their proper place and not trouble their betters.” (F. F. Bruce)
When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison: After being severely beaten, Paul and Silas were imprisoned in maximum-security conditions (commanding the jailer to keep them securely… the inner prison… fastened their feet in the stocks).
Jewish legal tradition gave a maximum number of blows that could be delivered when beating a person, but the Romans had no such limit. We simply know Paul and Silas were severely beaten. Paul later wrote of his life: In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. (2 Corinthians 11:23)
After such a bad beating, they were put in uncomfortable conditions (fastened their feet in the stocks). “These stocks had more than two holes for legs, which could thus be forced apart in a such a way as to cause the utmost discomfort and cramping pain.” (Bruce)
Even in their pain, God was not far from Paul and Silas. Tertullian said, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven.”
The beatings were probably nearly fatal, the leg stocks were agonizing, and the inner prison was certainly horrendous and dark. I have talked about persecution of believers before. People in the US have freedom of religion written into our Constitution and we can be grateful for that, even when others mock us or even sue us because of our beliefs. But even in countries that you would expect to be tolerant of believers persecution can happen, as noted in this story about the early Salvation Army from Jack Andrews, quoted in Precept Austin:
Following Jesus and serving Jesus will often get you in hot water with people who oppose the truth and serve Satan. Richard Collier, the historian of the Salvation Army, wrote, “Persecution was great from the beginning... Gangs frequently hurled mud and stones through the windows at the preaching and the crowd. The liquor dealers worked hard to have [William] Booth kicked out of East London. The police were no help; in fact, they often broke up outdoor meetings and accused Booth’s followers of being the cause of all the trouble... Beatings were not uncommon: in 1889, at least 669 Salvation Army members were assaulted—some were killed and many were maimed. Even children were not immune; ruffians threw lime in the eyes of a child of a Salvation Army member. The newspapers ridiculed Booth. PUNCH referred to him as “Field Marshal von Booth.” (Jack Andrews Expository Studies – Understanding Acts)
So how do Paul and Silas react to the painful beatings, the dark prison cell and the agony of the leg stocks? They are praying and singing hymns of praise to God!! This is not forced and fake happiness in dire circumstances, but true rejoicing in the comfort of God’s presence and love. The other prisoners are listening to them; some of them have probably never heard anything like those prayers and songs in their miserable lives. I love this commentary from the late preacher Harry Ironside quoted in Precept Austin:
You may think it far-fetched, but I have an idea that if there were more joy in tribulation, more triumphing in trouble in our own day, we would see more shaking by the power of God. The unsaved people of the world are watching Christians, and when they see Christians shaken by circumstances, they conclude that after all there is very little to Christianity. But when they find Christians rising above circumstances and glorying in the Lord even in deepest trial, then the unsaved realize the Christian has a comfort to which they are strangers. You may have heard the story of the Christian who one day met another believer whose face was long as a fiddle and asked, “How are you?” The man replied, “Well, I am pretty well under the circumstances.” To which the other replied, “I’m sorry you are under the circumstances. Get above the circumstances! Don’t allow yourself to be under them. Christians should never be under the circumstances.” Paul and Silas were not. They were above them. (Acts 16 Commentary)
I know, this is easier said than done when things are going well. But this deep faith of Paul and Silas should be a model for us when things do not go well. I pray I can remember this lesson if serious disease should strike or a personal or world calamity occurs.
Paul And Silas Leaving The Prison In Philippi, a painting by Nicolas De Plattemontagne
Suddenly, there was a great earthquake and the foundations of the prison are shaken. The doors are thrown open and chains and shackles are released. This earthquake is obviously a miracle from the hand of God. The building does not collapse, but the doors and chains are released, just like the stone in front of the tomb of Jesus was rolled back.
The jailer, who was sleeping, wakes up and sees the doors open. He is distraught and takes a knife to kill himself (he would rather suffer at his own hands than face those who command him who would do much worse). But Paul calls out to the jailer, telling him that everyone was still there and to not harm himself. Now here’s another miracle - none of the prisoners bolt out of their cells and leave! Paul and Silas likely sense that something is about to occur that makes them to hesitate, but why would the other prisoners not leave? I’m spitballin’ here, but I think the prayers and songs of Paul and Silas also helped create other believers that night!
The jailer calls for lights and throws himself trembling in fear at the feet of Paul and Silas and asks what he must do to be saved. Paul gives a simple, but true answer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Isn’t this too easy? Where is the repentance? Well, the jailer is on his knees already in repentance. Paul speaks the divine grace of our Lord to him! Enduring Word nails it on the commentary for these passages:
Sirs, what must I do be saved? The jailer was so impressed by Paul and Silas – by the love they showed to him, and from their ability to take joy even in misery – that he instantly wanted the kind of life that Paul and Silas have.
This is how God wants our lives to be: Natural magnets drawing people to Him. Our Christianity should make others want what we have with God.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved: Paul’s answer to the keeper of the prison is a classic statement of the essence of the gospel. This is salvation by grace alone, received by faith alone. [my emphasis].
Some have worried that Paul’s invitation to salvation here is too easy, and would promote a too-easy faith or a cheap grace. Others refuse to preach repentance, claiming that this text says that it is not necessary.
Paul never specifically called the keeper of the prison to repent because he was already repenting. We see the humble repentance of the jailer in that he fell down trembling, in the full idea of the word believe (pistis, which means to trust in, rely on, and cling to), and in the command to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ).
For the Philippian jailer, Paul did not direct him to counseling. He did not give him a lecture on theology. He did not discuss the spiritual terminology of the jailer. He did not talk about sacraments or even churches. He pointed this obviously repentant man to faith in Jesus Christ.
There was an old chaplain general of the British Army – Bishop John Taylor Smith – who used a unique test on candidates for the chaplaincy. He asked them to say how they would speak to a man injured in battle, who had three minutes to live, how to be saved and come to peace with God. If they couldn’t do it within three minutes, they weren’t fit for the chaplain’s service. Paul would be qualified.
You and your household: This seems to be a specific promise for that Philippian jailer. Under inspiration by the Holy Spirit, Paul told the keeper of the prison that his household would trust Jesus just as he did.
This was a promise made specifically to the keeper of the prison. But it is a promise that the Holy Spirit may well make alive to us, helping us to trust Him for the salvation of our families.
However, the jailer’s household was not saved merely because he was; Paul came and spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. They were all saved because they all trusted the word of God and the Jesus revealed to us through the word.
How would you pass the test to be an army chaplain? If someone is looking for the eternal answer right before death, that is not the time to argue about baptism certificates or confirmation class scores or how much service or money they gave to a church (or even if they went to church). It is not the time to lecture them on the teachings of Luther versus Calvin versus the Vatican or to throw out big words and concepts like dispensationalism. It is not the time to worry about the type of music that they might have heard during worship if they did attend a church. It is a moment like the one our Lord faced when on the cross:
“One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.””
Luke 23:39-43 NASB1995
Did Jesus grant cheap grace? Of course not! He heard the repentance of the thief and his statement of belief and that was enough. When you are dying, sanctification is not going to happen in your life, but justification through His grace is! How urgent is this as we look at so many who are not saved!
The jailer takes Paul and Silas to his home, where Paul speaks the word of the Lord to all in the household. The jailer washes their wounds (which he might have created himself) and all the household members believe and confirm their faith in baptism. Paul and Silas are fed while the jailer rejoices greatly in his new faith. Can you see why Paul and Silas were rejoicing in their circumstances? Yes, both of these great men of God will perish at some point in their lives, but God was not through with them yet and prison doors could not hold them. Here’s one more great story to share that is used as an illustration in Precept Austin:
A man stood up in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada four years after the sinking of the Titanic in a testimony meeting and this is what he said. He said, I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought a man toward me in the sea and his name was John Harper. He was hanging [on] to a piece of wreckage. And as he neared me, he said, Man, are you saved? No, I'm not, I replied. He said, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And the waves took him away but strange to say, they brought him back a little later and he said, Are you saved yet? And I said, No. And he said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And I watched him go down. And he said, there alone in the night with two miles of water under me, I believed and I was saved. He said, I was John Harper's last convert. You know, there's a lot of sinking men in this world. It's a simple message. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and...what?...thou shalt be saved. (from Paul Apple).
The next day, the magistrates send word to the jail to have Paul and Silas released. The jailer comes and tells them that they are free to go in peace. But now Paul plays the “Roman citizen” card! He could have done this earlier, but God had other plans for them (and Silas is revealed as also likely being a Roman citizen). Paul wants to have an audience with the magistrates and have them escort them out personally. Here is an explanation of those rights from Acts scholar William Larkin quoted in Precept Austin:
Paul announces his Roman citizenship and declares that two of his fundamental rights have been violated by the previous day's proceedings (Acts 16:22-23). The Lex Valeria(509 B.C.) and the Lex Porcia (248 B.C.), reaffirmed in the Lex Julia (23 B.C.), shielded Roman citizens from humiliating punishments in public, such as beating with rods (Cicero On Behalf of Rabirius Charged with High Treason 12; Bruce 1990:366). Further, a Roman citizen was always entitled to a trial before punishment was administered. Paul demands that the magistrates come and publicly escort them from prison. This will be a public admission that the magistrates were wrong and that Christians pose no threat to Roman law....In theory he could travel anywhere without problems, being everywhere protected by the Roman law. He was not subjected to the local law unless he consented (though such consent would be usual in business), and he could take matters into his own courts when these were sitting. He owed allegiance to Rome and Rome would protect him.
This was the perfect moment to declare his rights. If Paul and Silas had silently departed without this confrontation, then the same violations could occur over and over again and the magistrates would be left wondering who they were when they skedaddled out of town. If they had done this declaration when they were first arrested, then the conversion of the jailer and his family would not have occurred. Paul put his ministry ahead of his rights. At least in Philippi, by hearing Paul’s concerns for his rights the local authorities would understand that Christians posed no threat to Roman law. The magistrates beg them to leave.
Paul and Silas return to the house of Lydia to see the brethren and encourage them, and then they departed. Note that Luke apparently stayed in Philippi, because the writing is in the third person again at the end of Acts 16. They have left behind a new church led a wealthy business owner (Lydia) and her household, a prison guard and his household, possibly other prisoners, and perhaps even the slave girl herself. A good start!
My next devotional examines Acts 17:1-4 - Paul preaches in the synagogues in Thessalonica.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Today I pray the words of Psalm 100, in Thanksgiving:
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalms 100:1-5 NASB1995
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Precept Austin was accessed on 11/28/2024 to review commentary for Acts 16:22-40.