Acts 16:16-40

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
Series: Acts

Rusty's Notes

• We left off last week with Paul, Silas, Timothy & Luke in Philippi where Lydia and her family were saved and baptized.
• If things are going really well for them… what would you expect to happen?
• Spiritual warfare

 
PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON
Acts 16
16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling.

• Still in Philippi and developed a routine.
• She had employers
• She was clairvoyant
• She could tell the future
• How is this different than a prophet?
• Prophet declared the things of the Lord and was never wrong in their prophecy.

17 As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.” 18 She did this for many days.

• She followed the four for many days… and began listening to what they were proclaiming… the Good News!
• She then began to make her own proclamations concerning the subject matter of the four.
• Remember, there was no Jewish synagogue so there were very few Jews in this Roman province.
• This was a polytheistic society. They had many gods.
• But the “most high god” was recognized as Zeus.
• What she was proclaiming made no difference to the public walking by the scene.
• But who did it annoy? Who constantly had a thorn in his side?
• Paul was frustrated that day after day, this slave girl was undermining his message.

Paul was greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.

• How was this delivered?
• Calmly? Out of irritation? With passion? With compassion?
• He didn’t even have to call it by name.

19 When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

• This public scene had gone on for days and the local authorities had refused to deal with the confrontation between the Gentile slave girl and the Jewish teachers.
• Once the owners realized they were going to lose their profits from the slave girl, they did a citizen’s arrest and took Paul & Silas to the authorities.
• There is no mention of Timothy or Luke in this situation.
• In fact, the last 1st person reference was in verse 17.
• Acts doesn’t use the 1st person reference again until chapter 20.
• This leads us to believe that Luke was separated from Paul at this point and doesn’t rejoin him until Paul returns to Philippi.
• Luke most likely stayed in Philippi during this time and ministered to the new believers.

20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”

• For some reason Paul or Silas never dropped the “we are Roman citizens” card on them.
• 1) They were described as Jews
• 2) They were causing a public uproar
• 3) The Good News was against the Roman Empire. Which didn’t become law until later.

22 The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.

• There were protests in the streets!

23 After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully.

• They were arrested and flogged right in front of everyone so that all would see it was being dealt with and they should return to their homes.
• This was just one of the three floggings Paul would receive during his ministry.
• 2 Corinthians 11:25-28 - Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26 On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; 27 toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing. 28 Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches.[1]
• The jailer had a major responsibility to keep them their otherwise there would be more public outcry if they escaped or were released.

24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.

• Their feet were placed in wooden stocks, which were likely fastened to the wall.
• Often such stocks were used as instruments of torture; they had a number of holes for the legs, which allowed for severe stretching of the torso and thus created excruciating pain.
• Luke did not indicate that any torture was involved this time.
• The entire emphasis is on the tight security in which the two were held.[2]

 
A MIDNIGHT DELIVERANCE
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

• Instead of complaining or calling on God to judge their enemies, the two men prayed and praised God. When you are in pain, the midnight hour is not the easiest time for a sacred concert, but God gives “songs in the night” (Job 35:10; also see Ps. 42:8).
• “Any fool can sing in the day,” said Charles Haddon Spurgeon. “It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but the skillful singer is he who can sing when there is not a ray of light to read by … Songs in the night come only from God; they are not in the power of men.”[3]
• I have many song-writing friends and they keep a pad of paper and pen or their phones by their beds at night.
• Prayer and singing to God are powerful weapons during the night.
• iTunes playlists, Comfort Playlist, call out the name of “Jesus”.

26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

• He was going to kill himself because it would have been more honorable for him to die by his own sword than to die by failing the Roman magistrate.

28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!”

• Paul had to have heard the jailer draw his sword and cry in agony/fear.
• Paul called out… because no one could see what was happening.
• Paul immediately took command of the situation.

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

• There was no light switch.
• It was more like the candle lighting service at Christmas.

30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

• It was the jailer who was the prisoner, not Paul.
• Paul not only saved the man’s life, but pointed him to eternal life in Christ.[4]

31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house.

• The legalists in the church would have replied, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved”.
• But Paul knew the right answer—faith in Jesus Christ.
• In the Book of Acts, the emphasis is on faith in Jesus Christ alone (Acts 2:38–39; 4:12; 8:12, 37; 10:10–43; 13:38–39).[5]
• Each family member made their own decision.

33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized.

• The Jailer washed their wounds and in the same verse had their own wounds washed.

34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.
 
AN OFFICIAL APOLOGY
35 When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men.”

• Luke is not surprised by this miraculous release because it had already occurred once before in Acts 5.

36 The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.”

• It doesn’t say they went back to prison.
• The Jailer could have given them the news at his house or they actually returned to the prison.
• I’m assuming they returned to the prison to be released.

37 But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to send us away secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out.”
38 The police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

• The “alarm” of the magistrates was understandable.
• Abuse of the rights of a Roman citizen was a serious offense.
• Magistrates could be removed from office for such; a municipality could have its rights reduced.
• For instance, the emperor could deprive Philippi of all the privileges of its colony status for such an offense.[6]

39 So they came to appease them, and escorting them from prison, they urged them to leave town.

• It was essential that the young Christian community have a good reputation among the authorities if its witness was to flourish.
• Christians broke none of the Roman laws.
• It would continue to be a major emphasis in Acts.
• In this instance Paul and Silas were totally innocent of any wrongdoing.
• It was important that the magistrates acknowledge their innocence and set the record straight.
• This was why Paul made such a major point of it.[7]

40 After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed.[8]

• They stayed long enough to minister to the young church.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Co 11:25–28). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 353–354). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 468). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 468). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 468). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 357). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 358). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 15:36–16:40). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.