Freedom:  What Is It Worth?

Freedom.  It is a word upon which our country was founded.  It is a word that we will hear others say quite often as we move through this Fourth of July holiday weekend.  For this weekend is about remembering how we gained our independence… our freedom… from Great Britain.  It is also about those individuals who believed in that freedom so deeply that they were willing to give their lives so that we… and all future generations… might enjoy freedom.  We talk about freedom.  We think about it.  But do we really understand what it means?  And do we know what it is worth?

            Paul and Silas came to Philippi to spread the good news about Jesus Christ.  This came after a hard-fought battle in Jerusalem over the rights of Gentiles to become Christians without first becoming Jews.  It was an important battle for us as Christians today.  Paul won that battle.  If not for Paul, we would all be Jews, as well as Christians.  But, it was no longer necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised, nor did they need to follow the strict dietary laws of the Jews.  They now had freedom… freedom from the religious laws of the Jews.  Was it worth it?  Was it worth gaining this freedom for Gentiles, and, at the same time, initiating what would become a complete break with the Jews?  How do you measure the cost of freedom… and how do you judge its worth?  Can you attach a monetary value to it?

            In Philippi, Paul and Silas made their way to a house of prayer.  Why?  Because in a house of prayer in the first century… just as we find here this morning… there would be people gathered who were seeking God and wanted to learn more about God.  Just as Jesus made his way to synagogues to teach during his lifetime, Paul went to this house of prayer to reach those who were searching for God.  And, on the way there, he met a slave-girl who brought her owners a great deal of money through fortune telling. 

            Now, let me take a moment to put slavery into a first century perspective.  In the Roman Empire and its territories, slavery was not uncommon.  Some scholars estimate that, at any point in time, approximately one-third of the population was in some form of bondage to the other two-thirds.  Sometimes, these were citizens of nations conquered by the Romans, but, more often than not, these were individuals who sold themselves or their children into slavery to pay a debt.  This woman, we assume, was one who had either sold herself or been sold by her parents into slavery for economic, rather than political reasons.  Her value to her owners was that she was possessed by a demon with powers beyond those possessed by ordinary people and that people were willing to pay for the use of those “powers.” 

            So, on two levels, then, this woman had no freedom.  First, she was possessed by a demon and, thus, she was not free spiritually.  Secondly, she was owned by other people and, thus, she was not free physically either.  But, as she followed Paul and Silas around for many days, she spoke the truth about them… or the demon within her did, as demons in the New Testament characteristically do.  Do you remember the demoniac at Garasenes who met Jesus by the tombs… or the man in the Temple in Jerusalem who proclaimed Jesus the Son of God?  Yes, demons recognized the power of God and truthfully proclaimed it, though they were often not believed. 

            In this story, through, we now have a dilemma.  This woman was possessed by a demon and Paul had the power to set her free.  But he didn’t.  Why not?  If Paul wanted to set the woman free, why didn’t he exorcise her demon on that first day? Some say that it was because she was, after all, speaking the truth about Paul and Silas.  Others say that Paul was aware of the lucrative nature of her work and knew that her owners would be upset if he disturbed their income stream.  Their reaction may have disrupted his ability to continue to preach in Philippi.  But, if that is true, then why did he eventually exorcise the demon anyway?  Most scholars say he just got tired of her constant yelling and wanted it to stop.  But there are a couple of scholars who present an alternative view that, I think, adds a new dimension to the story.

            The Greek word that the woman used for “most high God” was, according to the writer of Acts, hypsistos.  In the first century, this word was commonly used by both the Jews and pagans in speaking of the supreme god that they worshipped.  For the Jews, it was their One True God… the Holy One of Israel.  For the Romans, it was Zeus, the mighty god of Olympus.  If, as the woman claimed, Paul and Silas were slaves of the “most high God,” then which god was it?  Could people have mistakenly thought that they were slaves of Zeus?

            Also, the writer of Acts records that this woman kept repeating that these men were proclaiming “a” way of salvation, and not, as was usually the case in this writer’s style, “the” way of salvation.  Did Paul become aware that her pronouncement was confusing the very people that he was trying to reach?  Did he think that his audience would hear her proclamation and assume that his teachings could be applied to any god, and that his “way of salvation” was just another alternative among many?  Was this why he was finally disturbed by her?  And did he exorcise her demon to end that confusion?

            Whatever the reason, Paul set her free.  She was freed from the demon… free to be herself.  And, because she was now worthless to her owners, it is possible that she was also freed from bondage as well… though not likely.  We will never know, for she drops out of the story completely at this point.

            What we do know is that, at precisely the time when this slave-woman gained her freedom, Paul and Silas lost theirs.  They were suddenly not free.  Seized by the slave-woman’s owners… dragged before the magistrates… accused of disturbing the peace… beaten by the crowd… and jailed, Paul and Silas, who had come to Philippi as free men to proclaim the gospel, found themselves in the deepest, darkest part of the city jail… chained and in stocks.  Was it worth it?  Was it worth losing their freedom, so that the slave-woman could gain hers?  How do you measure the cost of freedom – and how do you judge its worth?  Can you attach a monetary value to it? 

            And, what was Paul and Silas’ response to their plight?  To curse the girl and bemoan their fate?  No.  Our text says that, at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying… and singing hymns to God.  And the other prisoners were listening to them. 

            Have you ever wanted something that you saw in someone else?  I have.  For me, it is usually some elusive quality of character that I see in others.  And it usually manifests itself when those people are in very stressful situations.  In the face of horrific challenges, these people show patience… or tolerance… or love…or courage… or tenacity…the list goes on and on.  Put yourself, for a moment, in the place of the other prisoners who were in that same jail with Paul and Silas that night.  Within minutes of their arrival, you would have heard of the circumstances of their arrest and imprisonment… arrested on trumped up charges… attacked by a mob… beaten… and flogged… and, finally, thrown in jail.  When you heard this story, what response would you expect from them?  Anger… bitterness… frustration… rationalization… and, perhaps, a plan for vengeance.  Instead, what do you hear in the dank, dark cell of that jail in the black of night?  Prayers… and singing!?!   

            What is it that causes them to sing?    What is it that they have that you do not have?     Why would they want to sing in this place?    Perhaps, if you listen, you’ll find out.  And then, maybe, you can get some of what they have for yourself.  So, you listen and, as you listen, you realize that these men are not prisoners.    They are not trapped in same helplessness and hopelessness that you are.  They are free.    They have a freedom that you have longed for… the freedom of knowing that they are loved and protected by a mighty God.  They bear witness to that freedom from their jail cells… just as Deitrich Bonhoeffer bore witness to his freedom from his jail cell in Nazi Germany.    Paul and Silas bear witness to their freedom by praying and singing.  And that freedom has such a pull for you, their fellow prisoner, that, when the earthquake comes and your chains fall to the ground, you stay… you stay to learn more about this God of theirs.  Suddenly, for you, physical freedom is not enough.  

            Then, there’s the jailer.  Theoretically, the jailer was a free man.  But the jailer had a job to do, and the consequences for any mistakes were very high.  He was not worried, though, because the jail was a pretty secure place and all the prisoners were chained, as well as behind bars.  They would never escape.  And, secure in that knowledge, the jailer dozed off.     Imagine his horror when the earthquake woke him and he saw that the prison doors were wide open.     Freedom?  What freedom?     If the prisoners were free, he was a doomed man and his life was not worth living.  So, this free man drew his sword to end his life.  But suddenly Paul shouted, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”  And the jailer called for lights and, sure enough, he found that all the prisoners were still in the jail.   

            Why did Paul shout?     If he had just kept silent, they would have all been free!  After all, wasn’t the earthquake an act of God to free them from the gross injustice of man?  Couldn’t they just walk away, knowing that God would protect them?     Ah, but that freedom would come with a price.  And, in this case, the price was a man’s life.  Was it worth it?     Was it worth gaining their freedom, so that the jailer would lose his…lose even his life?  How do you measure the cost of freedom – and how do you judge its worth?    Can you attach a monetary value to it?

            So, what is freedom really?     And who really has it?     We say, in America, that we are free… that we have freedom.  Thousands of men and women fought to obtain that freedom and more have died to protect that freedom.  But, what is it that we are free of?     And what is it that we are free to do?     How are we using our freedom?     And is it worth it?  Is it worth the cost of all those lives?     How do you measure the cost of freedom… and how do you judge its worth?     Can you attach a monetary value to it?

            The woman who was a slave to men and demons at the beginning of our text found at least one kind of freedom when her demon was exorcised.  Paul and Silas lost one kind of freedom to find another kind of freedom in the dark jail cell late at night.  The prisoners found a different kind of freedom in the witness of Paul and Silas.  And the jailer, who thought he was free, learned he was not, and then learned what true freedom was.   

            In this case, not only did Paul save the man’s life, he also saved his soul.  And in saving his soul, Paul gave the man a freedom that could never be taken away from him.  But that freedom, too, came with a price…the price of a man’s life.   Jesus of Nazareth died so that we might all be free.  So that we might all know the freedom that Paul and Silas knew that night in the dark, dank cold of that lonely jail cell.  Was it worth it?    Was it worth gaining our freedom at the cost of our Savior’s life?    How do you measure the cost of freedom… and how do you judge its worth?  Can you attach a monetary value to it?

            As we come to God’s table today, we come knowing that we who are here today are doubly free.  We are physically free because of the men and women who fought for our independence as a nation.  And we are spiritually free because of the life we have in Christ… because Christ came to set the captives free.    What is that freedom worth to you?    Can you attach a monetary value to it?   And what will you do today because you have that freedom?  Amen.

Acts 16:16-34; Isaiah 61:1-2a