Acts 16:22-34 - Conversion of the Philippi jailer and his family

Although none of the charges brought against Paul and Silas were valid, the crowd was nonetheless incited. So they came against them. The magistrate took a cue from that and had them stripped and ordered that they be scourged. They were beaten with the rod. In 2 Corinthians 11:25, Paul mentioned that he was beaten with rod three times. This could be one of those three times that he was flogged.

Having been flogged, they were then thrown into prison. And the jailer was specially ordered to guard them securely.  Taking the order, the jailer took Paul and Silas and threw them into the inmost part of the prison, rightly known as the dungeon. Their feet were placed in wooden stocks and fastened to the wall. Despite the tight security enforced on Paul and Silas, they were rescued later. This would make their miraculous release all the more astounding.

So far in all the instances of rescue in Acts, they were miraculous. In both Acts 5:19-26 and Acts 12:5-19 Peter was miraculously rescued. The focus of Acts is not on the rescue but the demonstration of divine power in the rescue. Hence in this case the purpose of this account was not so much on the miracle that brought freedom to Paul and Silas, but the miracle of the jailer’s and his family’s conversion.  

The account proceeded to narrate how Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns and praises to the Lord at about midnight. Their joyful spirit and singing in themselves brought witness to the prisoners who listened attentively.  Suddenly, there was an earthquake that shook the place to its foundation. So violent was the tremors that everyone’s stocks and bonds became unloosed and every door flung open.

Awakened by the quake and spotting the opened door, the jailer supposed that Paul and Silas had escaped. He drew his sword to kill himself. The escape of the prisoners would be seen as the jailer’s failure in his responsibility, and he could be executed. So he would rather die in his own hand than that of the Romans’ authority. But his prisoners did not escape. So Paul saw what he was about to do, intervened by shouting for him to stop. He assured him that they were still in the prison. 

Quickly the jailer called for light, usually provided by lamps or torches. And tremblingly he rushed into the cell and fell down before Paul and Silas.  He had just experienced how God had, in an instant, could reduce all the tight security into naught. This God ought to be highly respected, hence he asked the question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul’s classic response gave hope to many of us with family members who have yet to become Christians. He said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Paul and Silas then shared the word of the Lord with him and his family. Then he and the members of his family were baptized that very night. While the account of the salvation Lydia’s family was implicit, the jailer family’s salvation was made more explicit.  This account makes the witness of Christ the focal point, and everything else was secondary. The cleaning of the wounds of Paul and Silas received from the scourging was also secondary. It took place only after the salvation of the jailer and his family had taken place.

What’s remarkable afterward was that the jailer took them home, and set food before them with great rejoicing. He and his family had come to the truth, and with faith had embraced Christ as Lord and Savior. To him Paul and Silas were not his prisoners. They were his brothers in the Lord. 

There are many lessons from this account. One thing that stood out was how Paul and Silas responded in the face of their tough moments. It must have been an unusual time of distress for them. But Paul and Silas laid hold of eternal realities. They refused to be affected by the pain from wounds and the the beating. Instead of groaning in pain, they focused on God and they prayed and praised. Like them, in the midst of our tough times, we can look to God. He is faithful, with every trial in life, there is a way out when we learn to look to Him. Let’s make Him our focus!