What Must I Do

Paul and Silas had crossed over into Greece from Troy a few days earlier and the ministry at Philippi had been fruitful. Lydia and her household had been converted and encouraged them to stay at her home and continue to minister. In the course of going back to the place where followers gathered, the two encountered a slave girl with a demonic spirit of divination who made much money for her owners by fortune-telling.

She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. ¹

Wonderful! Possessed girl set free—yet not everyone rejoices. Free of the demonic spirit, she no longer tells fortunes and her owners take Paul and Silas before the rulers of the city.

And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²

No good deed goes unpunished. ‘Disturbing our city’ ‘unlawful customs’ are both misleading but enough believe these claims that a crowd forms and the legals act to punish and prevent further good deeds against their residents. The jailer is entrusted with their confinement and not only puts them in the most secure part of his jail but then places them in stocks further restricting their movement. What do the two do?

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 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. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer[fn] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³

Remember the Roman jailer had been ordered by the authorities to keep them so when he is awakened by the earthquake and finds the jail no longer secure, he thinks his only recourse is to kill himself but Paul who has been beaten and bound and humiliated has a different answer:

But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³

“What must I do to be saved?” While likely the jailer had a more immediate dilemma on his mind, Paul goes directly to the man’s ultimate need. Just as the girl had been set free of the demon, Paul now addresses the jailer’s eternal need. And somehow in the midst of what has been going on in the jail where all the other prisoners have heard the praying and singing and then the conversion of the jailer, no prisoners escape. Not only is the jailer’s job secure but his eternal destiny as well. And with morning’s light, the authorities seek to put the offense of yesterday behind them by releasing the two. Finding out they themselves have broken Roman law by beating uncondemned Romans, they even apologize and then release.
And the Gospel goes on.