Fending for the Jailer

During Easter we hear many readings from the Acts of the Apostles.  Last Tuesday’s reading was an unusual story about Paul and Silas who were in prison in Philippi. (Acts 16:22-34) The jailer was told to guard them securely and he did so.  But in the middle of the night there was an earthquake that shook “the foundations of the jail”.  All the doors flew open and the chains of the prisoners were pulled loose.

If you were unjustly jailed and the doors flew open and your chains loosened, what would you do?

I would get my fanny out of that jail as fast as I could! 

But not Paul and Silas.  As Paul suspected, when the jailer realized happened he was ready to kill himself. And Paul shouted: “Don’t harm yourself; we are here.”  They didn’t want to cause problems for the jailer. And the jailer was so touched that they fended for him, that he became a follower of Christ! 

Fending for those who don’t seem to count for much in this world, is what followers of Christ do. Name some people who have fended for you when the chips were down in your life. Consider contacting one of them to just say “Thanks”.  For whom have you fended recently?