Call to Commitment

 

Rhoda ran to tell that Peter was knocking

 

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

1.      Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 

2.      Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 

3.      And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 

4.      So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 

5.      Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 

 There are several kings named Herod in the Gospels and the book of Acts, so let us distinguish this one in Acts 12. This is Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great, who met the wise men and killed the babies from two years old and under, in and around Bethlehem. Herod Agrippa was the nephew of Herod Antipas, who beheaded John the Baptist. He was brother to Herodias, wife of Antipas and father to Agrippa, to whom Paul, the apostle, made his defense in Caesarea.

 Having identified this king, we can see the cruelty and godlessness that ran in this family. David’s prophecy in Psalms 2, pointed especially to the two men, who participated in the unjust judgment of Christ… Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas, the murderer of John the Baptist. The disciples identified these two, when they prayed, according to the will of God, by the word of God in Acts 4: “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate” (Ac. 4:27), and then, they added, “with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together.”  The common Roman soldiers and the common Jewish people joined with their leaders against the word and will of God.

 However, Herod Agrippa certainly fulfills David’s prophecy in Psalms 2 also and took his stand “against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bands in pieces and cast away Their cords from us’” (Ps. 2:2, 3).  He comes on the scene later, “to harass some from the church,” and to attack the church, is to attack the Lord and His Anointed (v. 1). He killed James the brother of John, the first of the original disciples to magnify in his body the Lord Jesus, by martyrdom (Ph. 1:20). Apparently, he was beheaded with a sword. James, along with John, were two of the first disciples called by Jesus, when they were with their father and his boat, repairing their nets (Mt. 4:21). He was one of three, who was often separated by the Lord, to more closely observe His works. He was so assured of the truth of the gospel that he was willing to lay down his life for it (v. 2).  

 Herod Agrippa saw this to be a popular move and, being a politician, who served the will of the people and opposed the will of God, he turned from the murder of James to harm Peter, also. Once again, the Jews were gathered from all nations, as well as all parts of Israel, for the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. Joining the natives were the Hellenist Jews, living outside Israel, the assassins of Stephen, in whom religious fanaticism serves the devil’s cause (v. 3).

 This was the third time that Peter was in prison. We read of his first arrest in chapter 4, verse 3, and the second in chapter 5, verse 18. See the precautions taken to see that Peter would not escape. Certainly, Herod knew of Peter’s escape in the past and thought that, by increasing the security. that he would prevent another. He ordered four squadrons of guards to keep him, that is four at a time, to be replaced by a fresh squad through the watches of the day and night. Two soldiers were chained to Peter himself, while two watched the doors. Herod intended a public execution after the festival had ended (v. 4). The commentary of Jamieson, Faucett, Brown says, “Ye think your prey secure, bloodthirsty priests and thou obsequious tyrant who, to ‘please the Jews,’ hast shut in this most eminent of the servants of Christ within double gates, guarded by double sentinels, while double keepers and double chains seem to defy all rescue!” How vain and futile are the thoughts and attempts of men against Almighty God!

So, Herod would kill Peter as well, and there is nothing on earth that should detain him, except the prayers of God’s people. The time that will pass until the feast ends, gives time for the Christians to pray. As Satan ruled the heart of the king, so prayers to God ruled his people and the power behind their prayers, absolutely prevented the king from fulfilling his purpose. As His people, we must be accustomed to seeing that spiritual forces rule over the affairs of men. Then, we must know that the spiritual forces, which are available to the Christians, rule over their enemy’s forces. Prayer is the most powerful weapon in the believer’s arsenal. I said it before and I say it again, that Luke is the evangelist that most emphasizes the place of prayer in the Christian life. He does it throughout his Gospel and continues in the book of Acts. Herod relied on his gubernatorial authority, but the church looked to the mightiest throne in the universe to back God’s own eternal purposes. It was desperate, earnest intercession, to which the Lord so often brings His people, and He does so, by creating dire situations. They lament and they cry; they will not be denied, as they wrestle with God (v. 5).

 

An angel is sent in answer to the prayers of the church

      6.      And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with                                two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 

7.      Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. 

8.      Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." 

9.      So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 

10.  When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 

11.  And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." 

12.  So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 

13.  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 

14.  When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 

15.  But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel." 

16.  Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 

17.  But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place. 

18.  Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 

19.  But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there. 

 I mentioned in chapter 10 that angels attend the prayers made in Jesus’ name, ascending to heaven with them and descending with the answer. When Jesus met Nathanael, He spoke to him of greater things, than what his initial encounter with the omniscient Christ revealed to him. He said that he would see “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (Jn. 1:51). Here, I will point out that in Revelation 8:1, an angelic apothecary offered the prayers of the saints with incense off the heavenly altar before God. It is another example that angels are sent by God “to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (He. 1:14). An angel so mighty that John was tempted to worship him, admonished the apostle, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant” (Rv. 19:10).

Another characteristic of the workings of God, is that He seems to wait until the last moment before intervening. Our granddaughter and her husband prayed for a child since 2022. One day in pain, an ambulance took her to the hospital to uncover the cause for her inability to conceive. They learned that an operation would be necessary to remedy the obstacle. They decided to wait a year to make that decision, and then a year later, a week after concurring with the surgeon as to a date for the operation, she became pregnant naturally.

 We will notice first, that only hours before his execution, Peter found rest, to the degree that he had to be struck in order to awaken. That sleep may have been the first answer to prayer and then, an angel was sent from heaven to descend upon the prison cell with the total response to prayer (v. 6). Heaven took control of the situation and, although angelic light beamed into the cell, the keepers slept on. The chains, that bound Peter to the arms of two soldiers, fell (v. 7).

 We want to be sure to notice that human response is required to confirm the miraculous work of God. Paul teaches that “all the promises of God in Him are ‘Yes’”, but God is glorified when we offer the “Amen” (2 Co. 1:20). There must always be human response, so Peter arose quickly, put on his shoes and coat, and followed the angel (v. 8).

 How many times does it happen that only in hindsight to we see a miracle? When we reflect and put all the facts together, we can see that what has taken place in our lives has to be supernatural. Already outside the prison, Peter realizes that he is not dreaming or seeing a vision, but an angel has actually freed him from prison and death (v. 9). Verse 10 gives us the hopelessness of his imprisonment and the wonder of God’s deliverance. The apostle experienced physical freedom, but our redemption from the chains of sin and Satan and the iron gates of hell, require mighty and constant meditation.

Peter awoke to reality and he confessed truth… God in heaven was interested personally in him, involved him in His eternal purposes, came to his aid with angelic assistance, rescued him from the most powerful authority in his nation and all the population. He has done no less for us, but the Holy Spirit must open our spiritual eyes to see the wonder of it all! (v. 11).  “It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Ro. 13:11-12). 

 Peter decided to go immediately to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, who in her hospitality had opened her door for God’s people to meet for prayer. Ah, but it was more than a private home, it was the source of power that had generated all the action, which we have just studied. It had sent heaven in motion, dispatched a powerful angel, opened prison doors, broken iron chains, and upset the plans of a king. Can we capture it? May God give us light to see and respond, as the Holy Spirit wills that we do! (v. 12)

 Evidently, Peter made this stop at Mary’s gate, just to make the believers aware of what the Lord had done. As we will see, they needed this brief visit. I appreciate the fact, that heaven records, for all ages and for all nations, the name of the ‘insignificant’ girl, who goes to answer. She is Rhoda (Greek for Rose, a beautiful name) was the first to know of the miracle that had just happened. She recognized Peter’s voice and became so excited that she left him standing outside and ran to give the news to the others (v. 14). I suppose that I should criticize the response inside, because it shows a lack of faith. However, I feel too much empathy with it and, in fact, I find the human frailty a bit humorous. The adults in the room told the poor girl that she was crazy, and she, defending her sanity, insisted that she saw him outside the gate.

 “You’re insane!” they proclaim, “Peter’s in prison and we’re praying for him. He can’t be here! Maybe it’s his guardian angel” But, what were they praying for? That God would intervene and save him. They were looking for anything at all to explain, what had happened, but there was no reasonable explanation. The answer was so dramatic that they just could not fathom it, but thank the Lord, He was greater than their human limitations! “Holy Spirit, help our unbelief!” (v. 15).

 When they rushed to the gate, their eyes confirmed what faith already declared to be true. There was Peter in flesh and blood, as living proof that God answers prayer (v. 16). He was not anxious for their neighbors to learn of his presence, as such an amazing story would quickly circulate throughout the city. He silenced them, so that the wrong people would not learn that Peter had escaped from prison. However, he did want his people to know the wonderful work that God had done and he wanted the word to reach to James, along with the Christian elders and other apostles (v. 17). This is Luke’s final account of the opposition to people in Jerusalem and what the Lord had done to counter it. We will see other things happen there, but they will be in relation to Paul and things concerning the Gentiles.   

 Can you imagine the consternation of the guards at the prison? Two found that their shackles, that had been attached to Peter, were now dangling loosely from their wrists. The two guards at the door, soon discovered that there was no longer a prisoner to contain. They must have realized the great danger they were in with the king. The new squadron of four came upon this situation, when they arrived to relieve the former squadron. What could the former possible say to defend the loss of the prisoner? (v. 18). We know that Peter did not stay in Mary’s house and that he did not go to the leadership in Jerusalem, so the account does not tell us, what became of Peter. I visited frequently a jail in Mexico, where the jailor allowed two people to escape and, as retribution, received their sentences. Peter was sentenced to death; therefore his guards took his penalty (v. 19). 

 

God saw to Herod’s just recompense

      20.  Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord,                   and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country                   was supplied with food by the king's country. 

21.  So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 

22.  And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" 

23.  Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. 

24.  But the word of God grew and multiplied. 

25.  And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark. 

 Although there is much injustice in this world, God wants to give us an example, through His word, that He will one day bring justice in every situation. In the case of Herod and his cruelty, especially for the murder of James, God’s righteousness will be demonstrated. Although there was no one in the world, capable of bringing it about, the Lord found a way to destroy this wicked man.

 As we learned in the case of the Roman centurion, Cornelius, Judea’s governmental center was Caesarea. Herod Agrippa went to live there, and his persecution of the Christians in Jerusalem came to an end. Did he understand the divine intervention in Peter’s escape? We do not know.

 He was now closer to a troubling situation with the people of Tyre and Sidon and was very angry with them. Probably, because of his proximity, as well as their need for Israel’s food supply, their citizens looked for a better relationship with the king. Two similar situations took place in their history. For instance, Hiram, former king of Tyre, came to an agreement with Solomon, that Hiram would supply cedars from Lebanon for Solomon’s temple, if he would supply food for his people. Many years in the future, in building the second temple, Israel acquired cedar from Lebanon through the people of Tyre and Sidon, while Israel gave them food supplies. Tyre had an abundance of cedar in their Lebanese mountains and Israel had always been a great agricultural nation. To this day, the country of Lebanon’s flag has a cedar tree in the middle.

 The people of Tyre and Sidon seize an opportunity by gaining friendship with the personal aide of the king, Blastus (v. 20) Through him, an arraignment was made with Herod, to address these people, on a set day which, according to the historian, Josephus, was a festival honoring Claudius Caesar. Herod Agrippa, from his throne and dressed in his best royal apparel, dazzled the people of Tyre and Sidon (v. 21).

 

They, in turn, used the ancient, and too often effective, method of flattery, carrying it to the degree of proclaiming Herod a god (v. 22). At this point, heaven no longer could endure the evil arrogance of this king. God avenged the death of his disciple, James, and judgment fell. God also punished his egocentric lack of the fear of the Lord, not recognizing Him as King of kings. A doctor may have written on his death warrant that his intestines were consumed by an infestation of worms, but the biblical account gives the inside story, informing God’s people that he was struck by an angel. God dispatched an angel to a prison to rescue Peter and now dispatched another to bring a swift end to Herod Agrippa (v. 23).  

 Herod did not give glory to God, but in contrast, “the word of God grew and multiplied.” One day, the Lord will settle all accounts and perfect justice will prevail upon the earth. However now, we need to ask in prayer that God would bring this contrast before the eyes of the world, so that in our time, as He did on this set day and as He has done from time to time throughout the history of the church, He might be glorified. It is His will to do so, but we should be a people through whom He can work to bring it to pass (v. 24).

 In the closing verse, Luke tells us that Barnabas and Saul returned from Antioch to Jerusalem. We learned in this chapter of the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark and now we hear that John Mark will go with the two missionaries, as they soon venture from Antioch into the Gentile world (v. 25). In the next chapter, Luke will inform us of the great moving of the Holy Spirit in Antioch and some of the ministries that God was developing there. It will soon become the hub of Christianity.