Acts 16:35-17:10a Jesus on Every Page
Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts 16:35, that’s on page 927 in the pew Bibles.
When last we left our heroes, they were locked up in the inner prison in Philippi. They had been given an opportunity to escape the prison when an earthquake hit and opened all the doors and their bonds were unfastened but instead they chose to stay in order to spare the life of the jailer who was guarding them.
His bosses would have killed him for letting the prisoners escape so he decided to spare them the trouble and end his life himself when Paul cried out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”
The jailer famously rushed in and fell down before them and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and all your household.” Was their simple reply. That jailer did believe in Jesus, and his household as well, They all got baptized and fed Paul and his companions before returning them to the prison.
That’s where they are as our text begins for today.
Let’s pray.
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Paul and Silas had suffered unjustly, and though their rights had been infringed upon, to put it lightly, they didn’t seek retribution from the magistrates other than insisting that the magistrates themselves come to the prison and get them out.
While this was embarrassing for the magistrates, Paul and Silas didn’t pursue the matter any further. This was an act of grace and there is a lesson there for us.
Paul wrote in Romans 12:17-21,
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The embarrassment they suffered was enough in Paul’s eyes, there was no need for further action. If they needed further punishment the Lord would take care of it, justice wasn’t their main concern.
So, after visiting with Lydia and encouraging the new believers in the city they departed.
Let’s move to chapter seventeen.
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea…
Now, something struck me as I was studying this. Dr. Luke, our beloved historian keeps his record here pretty clinical, just the facts.
In truth, to me, it makes Paul look a little cold. Still, I want to examine this brief summary of Paul’s gospel presentation and then look at Paul’s later letter to the church in Thessalonica and see the truth of Paul’s appreciation and affection for these people.
2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
Over the course of three weeks Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures. I like this idea. Not a lecture, not a sermon series, a discussion on the Scripture.
There are many people that will tell you that the Bible isn’t true, that somebody just made it all up. But anyone that claims this doesn’t know very much about the Bible itself.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Breathed out by God… That means that God is the Ultimate Author of Scripture. And by means of His Spirit He inspired around forty different people over the span of around fifteen hundred years to write and record His great story of redemption.
So it stands to reason that the Apostle Paul would be able to look at the Old Testament Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.
Isaiah 52 and 53 are probably the greatest examples of the Scriptures about Messiah, written hundreds of years before His birth.
Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
If you’ve ever read any of the four Gospels of the New Testament, it’s impossible to see anyone other than Jesus fulfilling these words. That was Paul’s message to that synagogue and the people gathered there, this is the Messiah, the Christ, this is Jesus.
It was necessary for Jesus Messiah to suffer and die and rise again, to take upon Himself the punishment for our sins so that God’s justice would be fulfilled and we could be forgiven.
This was Paul’s message to the Thessalonians and it remains the Lord’s message for us today.
When Paul wrote to this young church in Thessalonica you can hear the warmth of his love for them.
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!
17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
Now that’s a thought I can resonate with.
Amen.
