Five Places that Paul Visited
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:30-31 (ESV)
In the Roman empire, losing a prisoner was punishable by death. The jailor at Philippi saw the empty cells and assumed the worst. He tried to kill himself, thinking that that would be his future anyway.
“Do yourself no harm!” the jailor heard. Having heard Paul and Silas singing hymns all night, he thought to ask, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul pointed him to Jesus Christ and His forgiveness, which He earned on the cross and gives through Baptism.
Have you ever lost a job? It can be a difficult feeling. Some take being fired as a judgment of who they are as people. Others are simply afraid of the circumstances that will follow. Some have taken their own lives because of it. And not just job loss, but any type of deep and personal loss-of family, of homes, of friends-can bring people to low, desperate places in their hearts and minds. But the solution to this is the same as the jailor’s. The solution is Jesus. We are sinful, and its effects may have led to our job loss, but Jesus has restored us. He has taken away our sin and has set us apart to serve Him in all our callings, even and especially our jobs. Jesus defines our worth and sets our course of service. We are sinful, and, at times, uncertain of the future, but Jesus has redeemed us. He has forgiven us and He shows us the path forward. The circumstances of earthly loss cannot take Jesus’ love away from us. If you encounter someone like the jailor, you know where to point them—the only place that matters: Jesus.
Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
The Lutheran Hymnal 388:3