THE IMPRISONMENT OF PAUL AND SILAS IN PHILIPPI
This story from Acts 16:16-40 intails many miraculous events resulting in Paul and Silas being imprisoned and freed.
The Slave Girl with a Spirit of Divination
The story begins in Philippi, where Paul and Silas encountered a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination. She followed them, crying out:
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
It is important to note that the girl, although possessed by a demonic spirit, spoke truly.
Paul's Deliverance and the Masters' Anger
After several days of this, Paul, being troubled, turned and commanded the spirit to come out of her:
But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
The girl's masters, seeing that their hope of profit was gone, seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the authorities.
Charges and Punishment
The masters brought charges against Paul and Silas:
And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
Without a proper trial, the magistrates had them beaten and imprisoned:
And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
Here we see that the jailor was fearful of the magistrates, knowing that they were violating normal court procedures.
Praises in Prison
Despite their circumstances, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God:
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
The Earthquake and the Jailer's Response
Suddenly, a great earthquake shook the prison:
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.
The jailer, awakening and seeing the prison doors open, assumed the prisoners had escaped and was about to kill himself:
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.
The penalty for allowing prisoners to escape was normally to serve time for the escapees, who in this case were not charged with a capital offense. The fact that the jailer had resolved to kill himself is a reflection of the power of the magistrates.
The Jailer's Conversion
Paul cried out to stop the jailer, assuring him all the prisoners were still there. The jailer, moved by this, asked how to be saved:
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?
Paul and Silas shared the gospel with him and his household:
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.
The jailer and his family were baptized that night.
The Magistrates' Plan and Paul's Roman Citizenship
The next day, the magistrates sent word to release Paul and Silas:
And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
However, Paul revealed that they were Roman citizens, making their beating and imprisonment illegal:
But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.
Release and Departure
The magistrates, alarmed at this revelation, came to appease Paul and Silas and asked them to leave the city:
And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.
Before departing, Paul and Silas visited the brethren at Lydia's house:
And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
Lydia, a seller of purple (an expensive clothing) from Thyatira, was saved and baptized by Paul in verses 14-15, only shortly before the jailing incident.
Paul's Delayed Citizenship Revelation
There are several potential reasons why Paul might not have mentioned his Roman citizenship earlier:
- Strategic decision: Paul might have seen this as an opportunity to spread the gospel. By enduring the punishment and then selflessly staying in the prison despite the earthquake, they were able to convert the jailer and his family.
- Divine guidance: As a deeply religious man, Paul might have felt led by God to remain silent initially, trusting that there was a greater purpose to their suffering.
- Demonstrating injustice: By waiting to reveal their citizenship, Paul was able to expose the magistrates' unjust actions more dramatically, potentially creating a stronger impact for their message.
- Consistency with teachings: Enduring suffering without protest aligns with Christian teachings about perseverance and turning the other cheek.
It's worth noting that this wasn't the only time Paul used his citizenship strategically. In Acts 22:25-29, he reveals his citizenship to avoid a flogging, demonstrating that he was willing to use this status when he felt it was appropriate.
Text by Zach Anderson (zmanderson@gmail.com). Placed in public domain at ultrafree.org. KJV text is used. Feel free to copy and share, free of charge.