Chapter 16:16-34 - Imprisoned and Freed

For the act of healing a young woman from her pain and mental anguish, Paul and Silas are beaten and thrown in jail. In jail Paul and Silas sing and pray. The other prisoners hear and listen. It is around midnight. The ground shakes, right then there is an earthquake and the doors of the jail cells are opened. Not only that, but the chains of all (not only Paul and Silas) the prisoners come unfastened as the ground shakes. This is no ordinary earthquake. The doors open and the chains fall off, and the jailer himself is awoken. Upon surveying the scene he determines that he will be killed either by the prisoners, or by the magistrates so he draws his sword to kill himself. Paul stops him. Paul tells him that all of the prisoners are still there. The jailer asks what he must do to be saved. Paul says that if he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ then he and all his family will be saved. The jailer then took care of them, washing their wounds. Paul then baptized him and his family. It is a scene of strong imagery this washing of wounds and sin. 

Pray the scene. Paul and Silas have been joined with the other prisoners. They tell the jailer when he sees the doors all opened that “we are all here”. We.  
Willie Jennings says that the prayer and singing in the prison show us that prayer and singing so often comes from the christological place of suffering. Joining in this suffering allows us to be joined to others and from that place we may declare our hope in Christ. 

Division will not do. Then and now people are walled away, held on another side. I read an article about walls between nations recently. It stated that the walls exist so that we can forget the people on the other side, so that we can deny our role in their suffering. Paul and Silas have joined the prisoners and they join the jailer and the Spirit of God sets people free.