Acts 16:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

NIV: The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

NASB: When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.

CSB: 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.

NLT: The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

When Herod Agrippa I imprisoned Peter with the intent to execute him, God sent an angel to lead Peter out of the prison. Because they let a prisoner go free, Agrippa had the guards executed (Acts 12:3–19). When a jailer in Philippi realizes a freak earthquake has opened all his cell doors and unloosed his prisoners' chains, he prepares to kill himself. He is personally responsible for the prisoners of the Roman outpost. A sword is kinder than what the city magistrates would do to him; they might even crucify him.

Among the prisoners are Paul and Silas. Hours before, the magistrates had beaten and imprisoned them for breaking the law by promoting a new religion: the worship of Jesus of Nazareth. They spent the early hours praying and singing hymns while the other prisoners listened. It's not written, but likely they influenced their cell mates to stay (Acts 16:20–25).

When the jailer finds none of the prisoners escaped, he is overwhelmed. He falls at Paul and Silas's feet and asks them how to be saved. They tell him and his household about Jesus; they believe and are baptized. He then dresses their wounds and feeds them, no longer concerned about what the magistrates may think (Acts 16:28–34).

Of course, Paul and Silas trust God for their well-being, whether God's will includes freedom or eternity in Jesus' presence. But they have an ace up their sleeves. Although the charges against them are true, their punishment was illegal. They are Roman citizens, which even in that era meant a right to "due process:" a controlled process before punishment. They had been beaten and imprisoned without a fair trial. When the magistrates find out, they fear for their own lives. Paul and Silas demand an official apology and agree to leave (Acts 16:35–40). But the jailer and his family are forever changed.

Acts 16:25–40 records Paul's first imprisonment. The Philippian magistrates arrested Paul and Silas and had them beaten for spreading the news about Jesus. The two are now chained in a cell, praying and singing to God. An earthquake shakes the prison, releasing all the doors and chains. Paul assures the jailer no one has left, and the jailer tends to the pair's wounds. They share Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins, and the jailer and his household accept Christ. In the morning, the magistrates attempt to release Paul and Silas, only to be confronted with their own crime: they have illegally punished two Roman citizens. After apologizing, the magistrates ask Paul and Silas to leave town.

Acts 16 follows Paul and Silas as they take the letter of Acts 15 into modern-day Asia Minor and Macedonia. They collect Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and baptize her family. After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling girl, city officials illegally beat and imprison Paul and Silas. An earthquake frees them of their chains, but they stay and bring the jailer and his family to Christ. The next morning, Paul and Silas refuse to leave quietly, politely insisting that their civil rights have been violated. The officials apologize, and Paul, Silas, and Timothy go to Thessalonica.

Acts 15 ends with Paul and Silas spreading the news that Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. Acts 16 begins with Paul circumcising a Jewish man, Timothy, to prevent difficulties in preaching to older Jews as the boy grows into church leadership. Paul's second missionary trip finds the church growing east, into Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 16:11—18:18). On his way back to Syrian Antioch, Paul will stop by Ephesus and soften the Jews for the extended ministry of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. During his first trip, Paul planted churches and ordained elders; in his second, he commissions more missionaries.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.