Prison Acoustics are Best

Acts of the Apostles (37)

Introduction

This is the place where Luke joins up with Paul’s entourage (v. 10). He may have been the man in the vision that Paul saw in the night, but regardless, we know that he joined them here at this point—where the “we” section begins. When they cross over to Macedonia, this is the first recorded evangelistic foray into Europe. This is where the Philippian church is established, and reading Philippians alongside this narrative will be especially rewarding for you.

The Text

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them . . .” (Acts 16:9–40).

Summary of the Text

A man from Macedonia appeared to Paul in a night vision (v. 9), asking him to come over to Macedonia. The conclusion was that it was the will of God to go there (v. 10). They left Troas, and went through Samothrace, Neapolis (v. 11), and then to Philippi, a Roman colony and chief city (v. 12). After a few days, they attended Jewish services by the river (v. 13), which is where Jews would gather if there were no synagogue. Speaking to the women there, they led a woman named Lydia to Christ (v. 14). God opened her heart, they baptized her, and she then insisted that they stay with her (v. 15). A possessed fortune-telling girl began to harass them by declaring their mission to everyone (vv. 16-17). After some days, an annoyed Paul cast the spirit out (v. 18), which wrecked her ability to make money (v. 19). Her masters then grabbed Paul and Silas an accused them to the city rulers (vv. 19-20). They charged them with being Jews, not Christians, and contrasted this with the Roman customs (v. 21). So the mob came against them, and the magistrates ordered them beaten (v. 22). After many stripes, they were committed to prison (v. 23). The jailer put them in the innermost prison, with their feet in stocks (v. 24). Naturally, at midnight Paul and Silas started singing hymns to God, with other prisoners listening (v. 25). That’s when the earthquake happened, breaking loose the doors and chains (v. 26). The jailer saw this and was going to kill himself (v. 27). Paul shouted out his reassurance (v. 28). The jailer called for a light, and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out, asking how he could be saved (vv. 29-30). The answer was both for him and house—believe in Christ (vv. 31-32). The jailer then cleaned them up, and they baptized him and his household (v. 33). He took them in and fed them, rejoicing (v. 34). The next day, the magistrates assumed the lesson had been learned and sent messengers saying it was time to let those men go (v. 35). The jailer passed the message on (v. 36). Paul said “nothing doing.” Roman citizens need to be escorted out (v. 37). When they got the message, the magistrates panicked and complied, and were much more courteous this time (vv. 38-39). They left the prison, went to Lydia’s house, comforted the saints, and then departed (v. 40). 

A Really Roman Place

Macedonia was a Greek region, but Philippi was a very Roman city. Alexander’s father, Philip, had named it after himself, and strengthened it. But in 42 B.C. it was the site of the battle where Octavian (Augustus) and Mark Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius. About twelve years after that it was reorganized as a Roman colony (v. 12), and a lot of veteran soldiers were retired there. So these people prided themselves on being Roman (v. 21), and accusing these traveling Jews of violating Roman customs when they themselves were in the process of violating basic Roman norms. Perhaps this sounds familiar to all you un-American Christians. But Paul and Silas were both Romans (v. 37), and Paul was the kind of Roman who kept a pocket copy of the Constitution on him. 

A Merchant of Purple

Lydia is described as a merchant of purple goods, and we are told she was from Thyatira. This meant she was a dealer in luxury goods, and almost certainly wealthy. In the ancient world, purple was derived from the rare murex shellfish, and the extraction process was very costly. Purple was consequently indicative of status, riches, and royalty. A person in her social class would likely have had a household that had a couple hundred people in it. 

The Pythoness

The fortune-telling girl was a devotee of the god Apollo. The original says that she had the “spirit of a python” (v. 16). The myth was that Apollo had slain a giant python at Delphi, which is why his priestess there was called The Pythoness. He was the god of reason and order, and he slew the dragon of chaos. In this biblical account, there is no hint that the girl was faking it. She had a real demon.  

Prison Acoustics Are the Best

In Philippians, Paul tells these saints that he knew the secret of contentment, whether well-fed or hungry (Phil. 4:11). He was contented when he was put up at the rich lady’s house, and he was contented when he was flogged and housed in the prison stocks. The Philippians knew this about him. He had told the Philippians to rejoice all the time, and he had even said it twice (Phil. 4:4)—and they all knew about his midnight impromptu psalm sing. He had told them to do everything without grumbles (Phil. 2:14), and they knew that he lived in the same way that he taught. He was no grumbler.      

Washed Them All Away

There is a wonderful picture of gospel grace in v. 33. The jailer took them and washed their wounds. When that was done, they turned around and washed away his sins in baptism. Not only so, but also everyone in his household. The Romans had unlawfully flogged these two citizens. In repentance, the jailer washed their stripes. In forgiveness, they washed his spiritual wounds in return.

Remember that Paul, the persecuted and forgiving one here, at one time had himself been the persecuting one. He had changed sides earlier in his life, just as the Philippian jailer was changing sides now. He knew what that was like.

So what we are talking about is the grace of God in the gospel. This is a message of grace, forgiveness, cleansing, and all of it undeserved. You can see how this plays out in a very tangible way here. This is what it looks like. Repentance knows how to wash the wounds that you inflicted. Forgiveness knows how to wash the wounds of the one who inflicted pain on you.

In the message of the cross, we transition from getting what we deserve, good and hard, to receiving as a free gift a precious salvation, the worth of which is beyond all mortal reckoning. We labor hard to obtain our own damnation, working until we are out of breath, and then God invites us to sit at His table and eat. Sit now, and rest.