使徒言行録16:35-40 Acts 16:35-40,

In the city of Philippi in Macedonia, Paul and Silas were preaching Jesus’ salvation. They did nothing wrong, but they were arrested by the city magistrates, beaten with rods, and thrown into prison. Despite such cruel treatment, they did not curse the people or the magistrates. Instead, they offered prayers and sang hymns praising God in the midnight. Suddenly, a great earthquake struck. The shock of the earthquake broke the bolts holding the prison doors shut and the metal chains binding the prisoners. The doors swung open, and the prisoners could have escaped at any moment.

At that moment, the jailer watching over the prisoners thought they had escaped and, taking responsibility, drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” Paul stopped him from committing suicide. Then Paul and Silas said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They led the jailer and his family to faith in Jesus. The jailer believed in Jesus and washed the wounds of Paul and Silas, who had been beaten with rods. Then he and all his family were baptised and saved.

The next morning, after this wonderful event of salvation had taken place, the city magistrates decided to release Paul and Silas from prison. They probably thought that since they had beaten with rods Paul and Silas and imprisoned them, that was sufficient punishment. The jailer then informed Paul and Silas of the decision to release them. What did Paul and Silas say when they heard the news? Did they rejoice, saying, “We are free! How wonderful!”? No, they did not.

Paul said to the officers sent by magistrates, “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out” (NIV 2011). What does this mean? In the Roman Empire, there was a law that stated that citizens could not be punished unless their crimes were proven in a trial. However, Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and thrown into prison without a trial. That is, the city magistrates were breaking the law. Therefore, Paul demanded that the magistrates acknowledge their wrongdoing and apologise.

Must those who believe in Jesus endure terrible things done against the law in silence? No, that is not the case! God has given human beings the ability to create laws. And God has made arrangement so that human beings may live in peace by keeping the laws, and so that the salvation of Jesus may be proclaimed. Paul knew this, so he demanded that the magistrates of Philippi, who had broken the law, repent. This was necessary so that the people of Philippi who believed in Jesus would not suffer the same hardships as Paul and Silas.

The country of Japan where we live has the Constitution of Japan, which is the fundamental law of the country. The Constitution guarantees the fundamental human rights of the people. It also guarantees the right to believe in Jesus and to proclaim him. There are many laws under the Constitution that establish the rules of society. Let us proclaim Jesus while following the rules established by law.