Acts 16:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The prison guard was suspicious, fearful, and rash. Waking up and seeing the prison doors open, he thought that all the prisoners had escaped from the prison. In the first moment of fear and despair, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself with it.

Behold the miracle God wrought while the Apostles were under guard. Suddenly there was a shaking so great and strong that the foundation of the prison was shaken. All its doors were opened, and the bonds fell from the feet of all the prisoners.

The jailer awoke and saw the prison doors open. He thought the prisoners had escaped. Therefore, to escape the punishment he would inevitably suffer for their flight, he drew his sword from its sheath and wanted to kill himself.

Let us suppose that the violent movement shook the prison foundation and opened its doors. But who loosed the bonds by which the prisoners had been bound?

This was already the work not of the power of that movement, but of divine power. From this it is clear that there was then not one miracle, but two: the sudden shaking and the breaking of the bonds.

The jailer was awakened by it. In terror, when he found the doors of the prison open, he wanted to kill himself. But he was stopped by the Apostle Paul.

He asked for a light and learned by his own experience that truly none of the prisoners had left the prison. Attributing this miracle to the Jewish strangers, the jailer fell at the feet of Paul and Silas.

Probably knowing already about their preaching, he asked them what he must do to be saved. The Apostles required him to believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized.

The jailer did not delay in fulfilling their demand. After brief instruction, he was baptized with his whole household.

With gratitude toward his benefactors, he took them from the prison into his house, washed their wounds, and set a meal before them. Thus the following morning was met with joy.

Yet even here divine help did not abandon the Apostles. A miraculous earthquake shook the foundation of the prison building, opened all its doors, and loosed the bonds of all the prisoners. It converted the jailer to Christ with his whole household.

The next day the city authorities wanted to release Christ's prisoners without trial, just as they had cast them into prison without trial. Then the Apostle Paul made use of his rights as a Roman citizen.

He did this so that, in the future, the arbitrary conduct of civil authorities would place fewer obstacles before the word of God. He compelled the city authorities publicly to apologize to him and Silas for the dishonor inflicted on them without trial, though they were Roman citizens.

Awakened from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, the jailer at once drew his sword and was about to kill himself. He supposed that his prisoners had fled, in which case he himself would have had to answer for them with his life. Suicide at that time was a common refuge from calamity. In Philippi it might perhaps have been considered not only natural, but even heroic.

He wished to kill himself because he feared punishment for the supposed escape of the prisoners entrusted to his custody.

The saving of the jailer from suicide was undoubtedly an act of God's special mercy toward him. Evidently he was a servant devoted to his duty, and he greatly feared responsibility for failing to fulfill it.

At the same time, he knew the undiscerning severity of the duumvirs. Therefore he preferred a death more common at that time, since suicide was then considered no more dishonorable than a duel is now in the military world.

Yet according to the Apostle, suicide is undoubtedly evil, whatever the reason for it and whatever form it may take.

Paul reassured the jailer chiefly by telling him that the prisoners had not fled. Since Paul and Silas could not fail to see God's saving hand in what had happened, they did not hasten to leave the prison.