But
when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.” The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!” The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city. They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed.
Acts 16:35-40
Acts 16 [33.] He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.
Acts 16 [35.] But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.”
Acts 16 [36.] The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace.”
Acts 16 [37.] But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!”
Acts 16 [38.] The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city. They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed.
Acts 17 [1.] Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
Meaning:
During the night the jailer at Philippi and his whole household had believed and been baptized, and he “rejoiced greatly” (Acts 16:34). Morning brought an unexpected turn. The magistrates who had ordered Paul and Silas beaten now wanted them quietly gone. Paul’s response shows both courage and wisdom.
- “Let those men go”
Luke does not say why the magistrates changed their minds. Perhaps the earthquake unsettled them, or perhaps, with the crowd calmed, they decided that a night in prison and a beating were enough. The jailer, now a brother in Christ, gladly passed on the news: “Go in peace.” His words were more than a formality; he could now wish them God’s peace.
- “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans”
Paul now revealed that he and Silas were Roman citizens. Roman law gave citizens the right to a trial and protected them from being beaten without one. The magistrates had broken that law. Later in Jerusalem Paul would again ask, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?” (Acts 22:25), and before Festus he would use his right to say, “I appeal to Caesar!” (Acts 25:11).
- “Do they now release us secretly?”
Why did Paul not simply leave? He was not seeking revenge, and he did not demand money or punishment. Most readers understand that he was thinking of the young church. If the missionaries slipped away like guilty men, the believers in Philippi would remain under suspicion. A public release by the magistrates would show that the preachers had done nothing wrong and would give the church some protection. Jesus told his disciples to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Paul accepted unjust suffering for Christ, yet he also used lawful rights for the sake of the Good News. Paul taught that rulers are meant to be “a servant of God to you for good” (Romans 13:4), and he called these rulers to act justly.
- “They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans”
The magistrates realised that they could be in serious trouble. They came in person, begged them and escorted them out of the prison. Yet they still asked them to leave the city, fearing more disturbance. The humiliation of the night before was reversed in the light of day.
- “They… entered into Lydia’s house… they encouraged them, and departed”
Before leaving, Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s house, where the believers met (Acts 16:15). Though they were the ones who had been beaten, they encouraged the others. A small church was left behind: Lydia’s household, the jailer’s family and other brothers and sisters. It became one of Paul’s most loving and generous churches. He later wrote that “in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only” (Philippians 4:15). The “we” of the narrative stops here, and many think Luke stayed behind in Philippi.
The Significance of Acts 16:35-40
- Using rights wisely
Believers may suffer for Christ without complaint and still use the protections of the law when that serves the Good News and protects others. Paul did not act for his own honor but for the good of the church.
- Strengthening others
Paul and Silas, bruised and sent away, spent their last moments encouraging the believers. Those who have suffered are often best able to strengthen others.
Cross-References:
Acts 22:25: "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?" Paul again claims his citizenship.
Matthew 10:16: "Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Wisdom and innocence together.
Philippians 4:15: "No assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only." The faithful church at Philippi.
1 Thessalonians 2:2: "Having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi." Paul remembers.
Conclusion: When the magistrates sent word to release Paul and Silas quietly, Paul insisted that they come in person, because they had beaten Roman citizens without a trial. The frightened magistrates came, begged them and brought them out. After encouraging the believers at Lydia’s house, Paul and Silas left a young church that would remain faithful.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible