Act 16:37 | KingComments | STEP | It seems that the chief magistrates know nothing of what happened in the night. They want Paul and Silas to be released. A beating and a night in prison is enough in their eyes to have taught these people a lesson. The jailer brings the message to Paul. If he has worried about what he had to do with Paul and Silas, the message that he can release the prisoners is a huge relief for him. He can tell them that they can go out and leave in peace. But Paul does not agree with the proposal of the chief magistrates. He sees what it would mean if they left the city in this way. If they had been let out in secret, the suspicion would always have remained on them that they were agitators. After all, they had been beaten in public and thrown in jail, and this without trial. Everyone had seen that. That is why there had to be open justification, so that everyone would be aware that they were not agitators. The suspicion had to be removed that they had done something against the government. After all, that was the public accusation made against them on the market. For this justification, Paul appeals to his Roman civil right. Silas, too, appears to have that civil right since Paul speaks of “us ... men who are Romans”. They did not use this civil right to prevent the brutal treatment and mistreatment. They did not want to escape the suffering for Christ. He uses his right only to remove the appearance that they had committed any crime. Their justification is also necessary for the young church, so that it will be clear to them that Paul and Silas were mindful of what was honest. The newly converted would not be identified with them as evildoers by the outside world, which would otherwise have been the case. When the chief magistrates hear that they have beaten Romans and imprisoned them, they become frightened. They realize that it could cost them their lives if Paul and Silas were to bring charges against them. The chief magistrates can do nothing but respond to the demand of Paul and Silas. They escort them out of prison and ask them to leave the city. They want nothing to do with the evangelists and with them they also send away the gospel as something with which they want nothing to have to do with (cf. ). Paul and Silas do not immediately respond to the request to leave the city. When they go out of prison, they first go to Lydia to say goodbye to her. When they come to her, they find more believers there. The gospel has been accepted by more people. It says so remarkably that they “saw the brethren”. They see believers with whom they share the new life and in whom they recognize it, they see new family members in God’s family. When they see them, they take the opportunity to encourage them, that is to say, encourage them to remain faithful to the Lord. Then they leave. The ‘they’ who go away are Paul, Silas and Timothy. Luke stays behind in Philippi. He places no emphasis on himself. As inconspicuously as he joined Paul’s company in , where he writes about ‘us’, so inconspicuously he leaves it again. We can say, that partly through his work, Philippi has become a church where love and care were abundantly present.

‏ Acts 16:37

Release of Paul and Silas

It seems that the chief magistrates know nothing of what happened in the night. They want Paul and Silas to be released. A beating and a night in prison is enough in their eyes to have taught these people a lesson. The jailer brings the message to Paul. If he has worried about what he had to do with Paul and Silas, the message that he can release the prisoners is a huge relief for him. He can tell them that they can go out and leave in peace.

But Paul does not agree with the proposal of the chief magistrates. He sees what it would mean if they left the city in this way. If they had been let out in secret, the suspicion would always have remained on them that they were agitators. After all, they had been beaten in public and thrown in jail, and this without trial. Everyone had seen that. That is why there had to be open justification, so that everyone would be aware that they were not agitators. The suspicion had to be removed that they had done something against the government. After all, that was the public accusation made against them on the market.

For this justification, Paul appeals to his Roman civil right. Silas, too, appears to have that civil right since Paul speaks of “us ... men who are Romans”. They did not use this civil right to prevent the brutal treatment and mistreatment. They did not want to escape the suffering for Christ. He uses his right only to remove the appearance that they had committed any crime.

Their justification is also necessary for the young church, so that it will be clear to them that Paul and Silas were mindful of what was honest. The newly converted would not be identified with them as evildoers by the outside world, which would otherwise have been the case.

When the chief magistrates hear that they have beaten Romans and imprisoned them, they become frightened. They realize that it could cost them their lives if Paul and Silas were to bring charges against them. The chief magistrates can do nothing but respond to the demand of Paul and Silas. They escort them out of prison and ask them to leave the city. They want nothing to do with the evangelists and with them they also send away the gospel as something with which they want nothing to have to do with (cf. Mt 8:34).

Paul and Silas do not immediately respond to the request to leave the city. When they go out of prison, they first go to Lydia to say goodbye to her. When they come to her, they find more believers there. The gospel has been accepted by more people.

It says so remarkably that they “saw the brethren”. They see believers with whom they share the new life and in whom they recognize it, they see new family members in God’s family. When they see them, they take the opportunity to encourage them, that is to say, encourage them to remain faithful to the Lord. Then they leave.

The ‘they’ who go away are Paul, Silas and Timothy. Luke stays behind in Philippi. He places no emphasis on himself. As inconspicuously as he joined Paul’s company in Acts 16:10, where he writes about ‘us’, so inconspicuously he leaves it again. We can say, that partly through his work, Philippi has become a church where love and care were abundantly present.