Thursday, May 22

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Acts 16 tells the stories of three people who have their lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Each of these individuals are drastically different from each other, and each of their stories is unique.  However, despite their many differences, there is a wonderful commonality between them; that Jesus used His followers to reach them where they were and to share His love with them.  

Today we are going to examine the third story, it is the story of how the gospel reached a hardened Roman jailer...

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.  When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights 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 took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.   - Acts 16:25-34

This the gospel for the secular person.  The text says he was a “Jailer” – likely a retired Roman soldier because all civic service jobs were given to retired soldiers in Rome (a kind of pension plan).  He is neither the success of Lydia, nor is he the mess of the slave girl.  Just a “regular guy” – blue collar guy, a practical person, not really even spiritually seeking or interested at all (at least not at first). 

How does the gospel come to him?  Interestingly, in a sense it doesn’t, not right away.  Paul brings the message to Lydia and brings it to the slave girl as well.  But this guy actually comes to Paul first (16:29-30).

You don’t tell the gospel to somebody who is not interested.  You show the gospel first.  Paul and Silas had been beaten severely, put into the stocks (16:23-24).  Yet they (Paul and Silas) were praising God!?  They had a joy and a strength that did not come from their physical circumstances.

Earthquake, cells opened.  He was going to kill himself.  Why?  Because it was the law that if the prisoner escaped, the jailer was to be executed.  So, this Jailor is only trying to save himself from the shame and humiliation of being executed publicly. 

Yet look again at verse (16:28) – “We are all here!”  Paul and Silas did not deserve to be there, but they stayed.  Not only that, but they convinced all the prisoners to stay!Imagine what that conversation was like!?

This practical, hardened, secular man looked at this and realized that these men had something that he didn’t have.

Where did this power come from?  The reason Paul and Silas didn’t get their freedom at the expense of the jailer’s life is that they already had their freedom at the expense of Another’s life – Jesus!  What brought this jailer to his knees (16:24) was the power of Jesus in the lives of Paul and Silas.  The cross – ultimate example of repaying evil with good.  Christ praying for His executioners.  This is where Paul and Silas got such power and compassion, and this power is available to us as well!

Jeff Frazier