Easter 7C
May 29, 2022
Good Shepherd, Wells, MN
Acts 16.16-34
CS Lewis wrote a series of six books called The Chronicles of Narnia. Narnia is a fantastical land where animals talk. Its central character is Aslan, a Christ figure who comes and goes as needed. There are also various children, “sons of Adam and daughters of Eve,” who are pulled in from England when Narnia needs them. Although the Chronicles don’t tell the biblical story, there are strong Christian themes throughout. For example, in the final book, The Last Battle, the forces of good and evil battle with the protagonists in an allegorical retelling of the end of the world. The battle ends with the good guys being thrown into a dilapidated hut that is “bigger on the inside than the outside.” It’s the consummation of all things and they find themselves into a new, more peaceful Narnia.
However, during the “last battle” there are dwarves who at first seem to be on the good side but inexplicably switch sides, which they do several times. They are going back and forth because, as they declare, “the dwarves are for the dwarves.” Yet, they, too, find themselves tossed into the hut but they are found huddled in a tight circle. You see, they believe that they are still inside a dark, dirty, smelly hut and no amount of evidence can convince them otherwise. They were locked into a perception that determined their reality rather than the one around them. They were imprisoned in their alternate reality.
That’s a theme present in our reading from Acts. We continue into our post-resurrection foray into the book of Acts as we see how the early followers of Jesus are figuring out what it means to be the church as he has commissioned it to be. Two weeks ago, Peter must explain why he was consorting with the Gentile Cornelius and it’s the early community that discovers that Gentiles are included in God’s grace and love. Last week, we heard how Paul was encouraged to push the boundaries of the missionary effort to the Roman colony, Philippi, in Greek Macedonia. Paul and Silas set up a house church, compliments of newly converted Lydia, a Gentile merchant.
Today’s text follows last weeks and finds Paul and Silas unjustly tried, beaten, and imprisoned after Paul casts out a spirit in a slave girl. This should remind us of another unjust trial, flogging, and crucifixion. Miraculously, an earthquake shakes everything loose as Paul and Silas were praying and singing to God in front of a captive audience (pun intended). Their shackles drop off and the prison doors open. The jailer, supposing they had all fled, starts to kill himself thinking that he will be blamed for their supposed escape.
The irony is that the people who wear physical chains in this story are the ones who are truly free. No amount of flogging, shackling, or imprisonment can contain the liberating power of God’s love. They don’t need to leave the jail to be free because they are already free in Christ. The jailer, however, isn’t free. Even though he is supposedly a free Roman citizen, he is slave to a system that keeps him shackled. He is part of a system that is corrupt and would punish him for something that wasn’t his fault.
In the face of this enormous turn of events, the jailer asks, “What must I do to be saved?” There are two things about this that are important. First, the idea of salvation was hotly debated in ancient Europe. It was a deep philosophical question, made more interesting because the Roman emperors of the day claimed to be “Soter,” which is Greek for “Savior.” They even claimed to be divine as the “Son of God.” So, when Paul says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus,” he is asserting that there is a more worthy savior than the emperor.
The second, and perhaps more significant item, is that redemption is a communal experience. In America, because of our obsession with individualism, we tend to view salvation the same way, as something that is private. However, the jailer’s household rejoices in his new status, and all are baptized into the community of faith. That’s one of many reasons we prefer baptisms to be done within the gathered community. Redemption is a communal event.
The story of the Narnian dwarves, the slave girl, her owners, the Roman system, Paul and Silas, the jailer and his household pushes us to reflect on what might be shackling us today. What unjust systems do we unwittingly buy into that keep us imprisoned? What dearly held beliefs do we cling to without question that are destructive and contrary to believing in the Lord Jesus? These are important questions for us to reflect upon. As you do, my sisters and brothers in Christ, remember that in baptism, God has set you free and gives you the power to live unshackled lives. Thanks be to God! Amen.
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