Washing Stripes

“And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes…” (Acts 16:33)

The jailer had just been shaken from his midnight sleep and from his lethargy concerning his lost condition. He had been told by Paul and Silas to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved. He had seen the unjust and harsh stripes laid on the backs of these two servants of the Lord. Without coercion or hesitation he washed their stripes.

We live in a cruel world where evil men do evil things, laying many stripes on innocent people. These hurting people all need caring people to go to them from Christ and figuratively or literally wash the stripes of the hurting and wounded.

Perhaps the jailer remembered the pain of lashes laid on his back sometime earlier. Whether or not he had experienced similar stripes, he knew washing stripes was what he must do.

If we look around we can find someone suffering from stripes that need our attention.  Has the Lord sent you to “wash the stripes” of someone?