THE PHILIPPIAN JAILER BAPTIZED

Acts 16:26-33 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway

Paul and Silas were imprisoned by the magistrates of Philippi. This was their judgment, which resulted from accusations made by the masters of the damsel, out of whom Paul cast a spirit of divination. Their ill-gotten income was derived from the powers of the possessed maiden, and, by casting out this demonic spirit, their source of wealth was destroyed. Because of this, these masters brought accusations against Paul and Silas for teaching a "religious doctrine" that was contrary to Roman law, and which "troubled" the city. The magistrates, being convinced by these accusations, had Paul and Silas severely beaten with many stripes, imprisoned under the charge of a jailer, and had their feet securely restrained in stocks.

The verse preceding the lesson text says, And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Probably sounds such as these were never before heard within the walls of this prison. Not only did the other prisoners hear their prayers and songs of praise, but, more importantly, God heard their petitions. Regardless how one is bound, restrained, and confined behind prison bars, prayers and songs from one's heart can, and should be, uttered to our Creator and our God in heaven. Having heard their prayers, God exercised His omnipotent power before all that were present on that occasion. And, by the preservation of His Holy Spirit-inspired word, His power is demonstrated for our learning, inspiration, and assurance today, that He has, in the past, and will continue to preserve the hope of salvation for all that come to Him and obey His will. In answer to their worshipful pleadings, and with His all-powerful might, God miraculously caused a great earthquake to shake the foundations of the prison, causing the prison doors to open and the fetters, which bound them, to be loosed.

Being awakened by this miraculous event, and seeing the prison doors opened, the jailer immediately assumed that the prisoners had escaped. Realizing he would be held responsible by the Roman magistrates for their safe-keeping, he knew his life was in jeopardy. Therefore, he drew out his sword with the full intention of taking his own life. Seeing what was about to take place, Paul, with a loud voice, pleaded with him not to take his life, assuring him that all prisoners remained in prison. The jailer immediately called for a light, came in, and with all appreciation and humility, fell down before Paul and Silas. Then, having brought them out of the prison, and realizing that these two men of God came preaching the hope of eternal salvation through Christ Jesus, he asked them the most important question that he, or anyone else in the world, could ever ask - Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Paul and Silas knew that the jailer was concerned about the preservation of his spiritual soul because, with the prisoners all accounted for, there was no reason for him to be concerned about physical punishment by his governmental superiors. The answer given him, with one exception, was the same as that given by the apostles those on the Day of Pentecost, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Looking back on that day, we are assured that those that gave themselves to Christ at that time, already believed and accepted the fact that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. However, this jailer, being given to heathenism, first needed to believe in Christ Jesus. Because of this need, Paul and Silas spake unto him (or preached and explained unto him) the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. This being done, and with full understanding that it was through His Son that God offered him eternal life, the jailer took them (Paul and Silas) ...and washed their stripes.

Because it was required in other examples of conversion, we know that Paul and Silas preached belief in Christ Jesus to the jailer and his household, as well as turning away from their past life, confessing that Jesus was the Son of God, and culminating in water baptism for the remission of their sins. We know this because immediately the jailer and all of the members of his house were baptized. And just as it was on the Day of Pentecost, by these acts of belief and obedience, they became God's children, and He added them to the church, which belonged to Christ. God's gift to all, the hope of eternal salvation, had come to a Gentile and his family just as it did to all obedient Jews on the Day of Pentecost. To demonstrate his humble gratitude, he (the Philippian jailer) ...brought them into his house, ...set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house (Vs. 34).