Acts 16:16-40, "The Disruptive Jesus"

In the world of investing or community organizing or innovation, being a disruptor is seen as a good thing. It brings about what economists call “creative destruction”, the destruction of the obsolete through creation of the new. There are people that look exclusively to invest in disruptive technologies or companies. Amazon, Facebook, Tesla and Uber are all examples of successful companies that were market disruptors.

But if you’re part of the status quo, you don’t like disruptors. Would you consider yourself a status quo kind of person or a disruptive person? Was Jesus a status quo person or a disruptor? In what ways should the church be a disruptor? If we are going to be the community of grace on mission with Jesus, we will find He disrupts our status quo, and He may use us to cause disruption from time to time. Jesus is creating the kingdom of God. And this means the ultimate destruction of the kingdom of darkness in this world. He does this in our passage in two portions of the Roman Empire that help us see ways He may do it in and through our lives.

Jesus Disrupts Economies

According to world vision, right now around the world, 160 million children are exploited for labor, depriving them of education, developmental health, and fair compensation. 79 million are in work that is considered dangerous:

“Slavery or similar practices, Child trafficking, Forced recruitment into armed conflict, Prostitution and pornography, Drug production and trafficking or other illegal acts, Debt bondage, Hazardous work that can cause injury or moral corruption.”

This is an old story. Children are powerless by nature. And if they happen to live in places of extreme poverty and a lower value on human life in general, the economy might actually depend on exploiting children. But remember that behind every human institution is a spiritual kingdom. Behind every unjust economic system is the kingdom of darkness, symbolized in the Bible by Babylon. It is influenced by Satan and the spiritual forces of evil. Satan comes to steal and kill and destroy.

Then there is the kingdom of God. It is made up of the redeemed people of God seeking justice and righteousness according to the faithfulness and steadfast love of Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit.

In our passage, we see the conflict between these two kingdoms. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke are preaching the kingdom of God. Maybe the girl was drawn to the message of salvation in Jesus. But the spirit that was possessing her was trying to bring confusion. The message the spirit tells sounds harmless. It’s even true. But its persistent noise is only adding chaos. This irritates Paul.

The word in verse 18 to describe Paul’s feeling after many days of this noise from the spirit in the girl is translated by the ESV “annoyed”.

Acts 16:18 (ESV)

And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

That word could also be translated, “painfully disturbed”. It caused Paul pain to see this girl controlled by this spirit. Finally he commanded it to leave her, and it did.

Acts 16:19 (ESV)

But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

The owners of the girl are more concerned about the money they will lose than the health and well-being of the girl herself. But this is what we should expect from those who live in the kingdom of darkness. And Jesus is a market disruptor. He is establishing the kingdom of God in justice and righteousness through His community, the church. Right now, around the world, Jesus is disrupting the economy everywhere Christians and churches are educating girls or providing micro-loans to single moms or rescuing children from trafficking.

Where would He disrupt our economy through us? Is there any injustice in our economic system? Maybe tackling some systemic change seems a bit much. How can you seek justice and righteousness in your own way or with your community group? How much research have you done into the way goods and services that you consume are made and distributed? Everything from the coffee you drink to the shoes you wear to what you look at online can be an opportunity to seek justice and righteousness in some new way for Jesus’ sake.

On a more personal level, spending time getting to know one at-risk youth in your community and paying attention to what’s going on in their life can be just the change that keeps them from becoming a statistic. A small change can create ripple effects.

For Paul and Silas, their disruption of the unjust economy of Philippi created a ripple effect in the justice system as well.

Jesus Disrupts Systems of Injustice

Paul and Silas immediately experience the effects of an unjust “justice” system. The angry owners of the slave girl use an angle in the Roman justice system to punish Paul and Silas for taking away their livelihood. In Rome, it was illegal to introduce new religions without senate approval. Ironically, Rome had a pantheon of gods and even worshipped caesar as a god. But because the main concern was maintaining order and keeping the peace, a new religion that didn’t conform to the status quo would be disruptive and wasn’t allowed.

Paul and Silas preaching that Jesus could save you from the kingdom of darkness that rules systems like the Roman Empire and then demonstrating that salvation by freeing the slave girl from her spiritual bondage in the name of Jesus Christ was disrupting the status quo. So, the Roman system of injustice kicked into gear. Without the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, without a fair trial or opportunity for defense, they are beaten and thrown into jail.

Everything in this system is unjust. And Jesus disrupts the whole thing. Paul and Silas have the spirit of Jesus. So, in prison, instead of screaming and banging on the bars to be let out, they sing hymns. Their first response is not to demand their rights. Their first response is to pray and worship.

Acts 16:25 (ESV)

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

They focus their attention on God, not on their suffering. God answers in a big way. He sends an earthquake and miraculously releases their chains.

Acts 16:26 (ESV)

and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

Only after He reveals His will to release them do they then advocate for the rights of Roman citizens and demand justice, which we see at the end of the passage.

But in the meantime, Jesus disrupts our notions of justice. Our notion of justice is self-centered. It really looks more like vengeance. Think about the scenario we are reading. If God released the bonds of everyone in the jail, we can assume that everyone in there did not deserve to be there.

Acts 16:27 (ESV)

When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

Paul, Silas, and probably all these people had all been unjustly imprisoned, and this jailer was culpable. He deserved retribution and wrath, and if this was a Hollywood movie, his suicide would have been cheered by any audience.

But Jesus’ notion of justice disrupts all that. Justice is essential. But how Jesus accomplishes justice disrupts our ways. Jesus was not seeking vengeance. He desires mercy. What would be more effective for the kingdom of God, vengeance on the unjust jailer, or an officer of the criminal justice system transformed by grace?

Paul and Silas have been preaching salvation in Jesus Christ. Anyone in Philippi can be saved from the kingdom of darkness that rules the Roman Empire, the economy that exploits the weak, and the in-justice system. This message finally hit home for the jailer when Paul and Silas are freed from their bonds in the prison and they remain in the jail and keep the jailer from harming himself.

What is the result? The grace of Jesus in His missionaries disrupts the jailer’s notions of justice, mercy, and fear. Going into this situation, his greatest fear was the power of Rome and the shame of failure. When he receives mercy, his greatest fear is the God of Paul and Silas. And he realizes he needs the salvation they had been preaching.

Acts 16:29–30 (ESV)

And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

The reality is that every one of us have been, or are now, in this place. Our lives were going along without a bump and then Jesus came to disrupt us. How will we respond to Him?

Some of us are just going along with the systems that rule our world, bound by the kingdom of darkness, contributing to injustice. We lived like everyone else, trying to do our best to get along, but without the light of God. We were in bondage to using others for our own benefit. We were contributing unthinkingly to an economy that exploits the weak and vulnerable, children, women, immigrants, and the poor. The presence of Jesus disrupts your comfort and you realize your guilt. What do you do? What must I do to be saved from God’s wrath for the injustice we have inflicted on others?

What about the injustice toward ourselves? Maybe you were in bondage to the fear of people more than the fear of God. You were in bondage to pleasing people and maintaining the status quo. We were in bondage to shame and the fear of failure. What must I do to be saved from these bonds? What must I do to be saved from the kingdom of darkness?

What about those of us in bondage to misguided and self-centered view of justice? Grudges and desire for vengeance when we’ve been wronged holds a lot of people in bondage. How were Paul and Silas able to overcome this? They show mercy for the jailer before they work for true justice in the public sphere at the end of the passage. This is where our themes come together.

The themes that run through this passage are salvation and justice. The salvation of Jesus Christ disrupts our concepts of economics and justice. If we were going to save ourselves, we would offer some offering or sacrifice to make atonement for our sins. We would pay restitution. If we were going to save ourselves from shame and fear we would work harder to overcome them. Tell me what to do. What must I do?

But Jesus disrupted all of that on the cross. There is nothing you must do to be saved.

Acts 16:31 (ESV)

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Paul doubles down on kingdom of God language. Believe that Jesus is Lord. He is bringing a new kingdom with a new economy in which God pays all and you receive grace. He is bringing in a new justice system in which you receive mercy when you repent and believe in the forgiveness Jesus provided when He took our judgment on the cross. This is the disruptive Jesus.

Communion

When we believe in Jesus, He frees us from our bondage to selfishness, shame, fear, grudges, and the kingdom of darkness. He frees us to work for true justice on behalf of others, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Where will you live and work in that freedom, for that kingdom this week?

Questions for Discussion

Who are some disruptors in industry, politics, medicine, education, or faith, that you appreciate? What did they end or create for the better?

What are some examples of injustice or exploitation in our economy and/or justice system? Is there anyone we could support who is doing good work to change that?

What are some ways Jesus and the kingdom of God disrupt the systems that rule our world: economic, political, justice, education, etc.?

What are some lessons we can learn from the way Paul and Silas handle their unjust treatment in our passage? How were they able to do what they did?

In what ways can we proclaim and demonstrate the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ to those living in the kingdom of darkness in our community?

In what ways does the gospel disrupt our notions of justice?

In what ways should the church be seeking justice in the public sphere right now?

How will you respond to this passage this week?

Who is someone you can share this passage with this week?