The beloved physician Luke shared how Paul and Silas were beaten and put in prison for delivering a “damsel” from an “evil spirit” that caused her to divine for her “masters” who now were without their profits. “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house. And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house”, and in chapter sixteen and verse thirty-three of the book of Acts Luke shared how the jailer, “washed their stripes; and was baptized” where we read:
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes;
and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
The verse begins, “And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes;” Luke began with the words, “and he took them” which means “and the prison keeper received Paul and Silas” “the same hour of the night” or “the selfsame hour within the nighttime”, “and washed their stripes” which means “and bathed to clean blood out of the wounds caused by the blows stricken upon them”. Luke shared how the “jailer” received “Paul and Silas” and began to cleanse the blood from the wounds caused by their beatings.
The verse continues, “and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.” Luke added the words, “and was baptized” or “and was submerged, immersed and dipped in water as an outward symbol of his inward commitment to Jesus”, “he and all his” which means “he, the jailer, and each, every, the whole and everyone of the members of his household”, “straightway” or “immediately and forthwith”. Luke shared how the “jailer” from Philippi and his household were “submerged in water” “immediately” following his time of commitment to Jesus and after washing “Paul and Silas'” wounds.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how “salvation” came to this “Philippian jailer's” home. Not only did he have a change of heart toward Paul and Silas in that he bathed their wounds, but also he and his entire family was “baptized” as believers in Jesus. God loves people, and He desires to have a personal relationship with them through His Son Jesus. When they yield themselves to Him, He will forgive their sins and grant them everlasting life. Those who are wise will closely examine the wonderful change in this “jailer” and his family and seek to have the Lord Jesus alter their lives in the same manner He did for them.
Next time Luke shares when the jailer, “brought them into his house, he set meat before them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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