I'll believe on your behalf

On Saturday, I watched the funeral service for Rachel Held Evans.  So many powerful words were spoken throughout the service.  Rachel's sister, Amanda Held Opelt, with more courage than I can imagine mustering, gave an amazing Eulogy for Rachel.  In one part of it, she was discussing how family lifts each other up, and in her words and in her song, I heard the words (I may not have them exactly correct here) "When you can't believe, I'll believe on your behalf."  It was such an amazing thought, and perfectly in line with the way Rachel taught us.

I went to church the next day, and as part of the lectionary, we read this passage where something stood out to me:

When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Acts 16:27-34 (NRSV)

Right in the middle of that we see "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."  In the past, I might have interpreted this passage that the "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" was a condition for each member of his household rather than a condition only for the jailer for the sake of his household.  I don't know that it makes sense to read it like that anymore (though I admittedly don't know the underlying Greek).  Look at the rest of the passage:

“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house...then he and his entire family were baptized without delay...and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.



It says that his family rejoiced that he had become a believer in God, not that they had become believers in God.  Yes, Paul and Silas did preach to the entire household, but there is nothing to indicate that any other member of his household believed (unless we infer that from the fact that they were baptized).  However, that last line seems to indicates to me that he was the convert, and his whole family was saved and baptized because he had become a believer in God.  He believed on their behalf.

Granted the context there is different than the one Amanda was offering, but still, after reading that passage, I couldn't help hearing those lines again "I'll believe on your behalf."  As someone who is almost reliant on others believing on his behalf right now, I found some modicum of comfort seeing an example in the Bible of someone who saved his entire family by believing on their behalf.