Act 16:35-40 | TNotes

Summary for Acts 16:37-39: 16:37-39 ^a Paul and Silas were both Roman citizens, so the beating and imprisonment (16:22-24 ^b) had been illegal. After the city officials learned of this, they were justifiably alarmed because they had committed a crime against Rome.

• Let them come themselves to release us: Paul made use of his rights as a Roman citizen in order to clear his name and ensure that no disrepute would attach to the Christian message or those who accepted it. Luke intended to show that Christianity should enjoy the same status as Judaism in the Roman Empire as a permitted religion—the Christian faith was compatible with the life of a Roman citizen. Accordingly, it was important to note that Paul made use of his rights as a Roman citizen (cp. 22:25-27 ^c) and was ready to use the privileges of citizenship to advance the cause of Christ in a hostile world.
16:40 ^d This meeting in the home of Lydia bolstered the spirits of the Philippian Christians who had to deal with the fallout from the missionaries’ work there.

Thematic note: Visions
Visions are closely related to other revelatory experiences such as dreams (Gen 37:5-10 ^e; 40:5-19 ^f). Classic examples include Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezek 37:1-14 ^g) and Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne (Isa 6 ^h). Visions were often the means by which the Old Testament prophets received messages from the Lord. These visions often contained very striking imagery. The imagery generally offered a graphic, metaphorical depiction of an earthly reality, which was then interpreted for the one seeing the vision by God or an angel.
Visions are also prominent in the book of Acts, and they are usually connected with prayer (Acts 9:10-12 ⁱ; 16:9-10 ^j; 22:17-21 ^k; 23:11 ^l; see Luke 1:8-20 ^m). On one occasion, Cornelius, a Roman officer, was visited by an angel (Acts 10:1-6 ⁿ, 30-32 ^o), who told him to send for Peter. The following day, Peter received a vision as he prayed (10:9-16 ^p; see 11:5-10 ^q) that directly related to his subsequent encounter with Cornelius. In Acts 9, the visions of Paul and Ananias likewise highlight God’s involvement in their lives (9:3-6 ^r, 10-16 ^s). These visions are not chance coincidences but the providential outworking of God’s saving purposes in the world.
Visions give divine direction and show Christian workers the way in which they should carry out the Great Commission. Paul had visions on the Damascus road at his conversion (Acts 9:3-6 ^t; 22:6-10 ^u; 26:12-19 ^v), on the threshold of his missionary advance into Europe (16:9 ^w), at Corinth (18:9-11 ^x), in the Temple (22:17-21 ^y), and again in Jerusalem before he set out on his trip to Rome (23:11 ^z). Through visions God is active in guiding the affairs of the church and in extending its mission (see the study notes on 10:3, 9-16; 22:17-22; 23:11; see also Gal 1:8-9 ^aa and study note there).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 37:5-10 ^ab; 40:1–41:36 ^ac; Isa 6:1-13 ^ad; Jer 14:14 ^ae; Ezek 37:1-14 ^af; Dan 8:1-27 ^ag; 9:21 ^ah; Hos 12:10 ^ai; Obad 1:1 ^aj; Hab 2:3 ^ak; Luke 1:8-20 ^al; Acts 9:3-6 ^am, 10-16 ^an; 10:3-6 ^ao, 9-16 ^ap, 30-32 ^aq; 11:5-9 ^ar; 16:9-10 ^as; 18:9-11 ^at; 22:6-10 ^au, 17-21 ^av; 23:11 ^aw; 26:14-19 ^ax; 2 Cor 12:1-10 ^ay; Rev 1:9–22:7 ^az