Acts 12:1-19 (As people look up this Scripture briefly explain the first phrase in the first verse ...)
The first verse says, “It was about this time …”
The events leading up to Chapter 12
Stephen is martyred
Great persecution breaks out
Believers are scattered throughout the empire
Saul persecutes - Saul is saved
Gentiles are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit
Peter is called to Jerusalem to explain
Acts 12:1
“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.”
Are you worried about what is going on in the USA?
It is almost as if the church has become a doormat for those who wish to wipe their feet on.
There are many reasons for this and much fault lies at the feet of Christians who call themselves Christians but do not know Christ or His Word. And, much fault lies at the feet of lukewarm Christians who try to live with one foot in the kingdom of God and the other foot in the world.
We as Christians in America certainly should live as responsible citizens of the USA, the Bible instructs us to be good citizens and living out the fruit of the Spirit will naturally make us good citizens whether we live in the USA or North Korea.
But in other areas of the world persecution is going on against Christ and His sons and daughters at a horrific rate in horrific ways.
Acts 12:2
“He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.”
We tend to read this and just pass over it to the next verse. James was a leader in the Church of Jerusalem. This is just a simple statement. Herod simply wanted James put to death and he had James executed by being run through, or hacked to death or beheaded with a sword.
It’s not pretty. If he was run through with the sword it could take some time to bleed to death.
However it was done it was a simple fact. Herod wanted James dead and had him killed.
Acts 12:3-4
“When [Herod] saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.”
James’ death pleased religious people. Here in Acts 12 religious people are celebrating the death of James the brother of John!
Religion is cruel, sometime inhumanly cruel,
and religious people can be really mean.
Of course we see this very clearly in the Muslim world, where they are killing Christians - and each other.
There was a strange relationship between Herod and the Jews. Herod wanted to please the Jews because of their control over the masses which kept peace in the region and the Jews tolerated Herod because he tolerated them and he might not be as bad as whoever would replace him.
So, Herod wanting to please the Jews, has Peter arrested during one of their most important festivals but does not want to hold the trial until after the Passover so the Jews can have the pleasure of participating in the trial.
Herod wanted to make SURE that Peter stayed in prison. Now the Romans really knew how to build buildings; some of them are still standing after thousands of years and yet Herod assigns four squads of four soldiers to guard Peter and make sure he stays in prison.
That’s a little overkill, isn’t it? Really?
We see later in the account that two of them are actually shackled to Peter and two are standing guard. So, if Peter’s going to get away it’s going to take and act of God!
Acts 12:5
“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
If our District Superintendent was put into prison because he believes in Jesus and oversees churches who proclaim the Gospel we would be praying for him just like they were praying for Peter.
Things were very different back then. They couldn’t go find a defense lawyer who would go and argue the constitutionality of locking Kevin away for preaching.
Their constitutions consisted of whatever the current Caesar or whatever one of his appointed kings said it was.
They weren’t about to attempt a jailbreak!
They were helpless … except for prayer.
One quote I saw on the internet said:
“Prayer is what you do when there’s nothing else you can do.”
And you know, I really don’t like that saying. How’s this:
“When there is nothing else you can do you can still continue to pray!”
So, they were praying!!
What happened next?
Acts 12:6-9
“The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
“Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’ the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.”
Now, I’m assuming that the soldiers were awake. But, even if they were asleep.
Suddenly there is light in the cell! Light will wake you up!
The angel is talking; there’s no indication that the angle was whispering …
The chains fell off Peter’s wrists - chains make noise when they fall …
Peter has to take the time to get dressed - no indication that he was being quiet!
The angel is talking out loud again
I assume that they had to pass through some doors and gates which usually make noises.
Now, here’s an amazing thing! This operation is so secret that Peter doesn’t even know that it’s really happening! He thought he was seeing a vision!
Sometimes we can’t see God working even when it is ridiculously obvious!
Acts 12:10-15
“They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
“Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.’
“When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’
“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
Sometimes we can’t see God working even when it is ridiculously obvious because God seldom answers them in the way we pray!
We can see this all through the Bible!
Just a few chapters before we see this awful man, Saul, persecuting the church as if he has a command from God Himself to do so. (Actually, he DOES think he’s doing the work of God!)
You can just imagine what the Christians were praying. Lord, strike this man dead! Lord, confuse Saul so he can’t find us! Lord, save us!
So, what does the Lord do???? He saves Saul! That must’ve just about made their heads explode!
So, there’s this young lady named Rhoda who hears Peter knocking on the door. What kind of a name is that anyway, Rhoda!!!
Anyway, she hears Peter’s voice through the door and gets so excited that she runs back to the other people in the house without opening the door and letting him in.
Here’s the dialogue which took place.
It’s Peter! What? It can’t be him. He’s in prison. I know it’s Peter. It must be his angel! But, it’s Peter! It’s Peter! It’s Peter!
Finally just to shut her up they go and see and guess what! It’s Peter!
And the people are amazed and Rhoda says, “I told you so!”
Anyway, Peter’s hand is now bleeding from knocking for the past 35 minutes and they finally let him come into the house.
Acts 12:17
“Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. ‘Tell James and the brothers about this,’ he said, and then he left for another place.”
And, they all lived happily ever after!
No! That’s not exactly true! We know that the guards were executed for allowing the prisoner to escape. We don’t know if all 16 were executed of just the four who were on duty at the time but Herod had them executed as I am sure the Jews were furious that Peter had gotten away.
We all know that the words often quoted, “God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.” are not actually found in the Bible but the sentiment is truly found in the Scriptures and in the testimony of the saints.
Fanny Crosby - was born with sight but at six weeks of age was blinded when her eyes became irritated and a quack doctor applied a poultice which was too strong. Miss Crosby wrote thousands of poems specifically intended to be set to music providing spiritual nourishment to generations of Christians.
She could have lived out her days bemoaning her unnecessary blindness but chose to allow the Lord to use her in spite of it.
“I have not for a moment in more than eighty-five years felt a spark of resentment against him (the doctor), because I have always believed...that the good Lord...by this means consecrated me to the work that I am still permitted to do.”
“When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”
And, as we reflect on this story from the 12th chapter of Acts we look in amazement at the great and miraculous deliverance of Peter from the certain death facing him after what would have certainly been a mock trial and execution by Herod.
However … James, the brother of John, is still dead … at the hand of Herod.
Was Peter more righteous than James? Peter, too, was eventually martyred.
Mark 8:34-38
“Then [Jesus] called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
“If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Gary Kinneman, a Christian writer says, “I’ve been spending a good portion of my time lately with folks from Frontiers, a ministry to Muslims. They’ve introduced me to what they call “a Gethsemane theology of suffering,” that is, a New Testament willingness to literally lay down your life for others.
Currently Frontiers has over six hundred workers with their children serving in potentially life-threatening areas of ministry. One single woman wrote to us that she had come to a place where she faced her greatest fear: that she would have to trust totally in the grace of God. Like Paul, who tells us about his suffering, that he asked God repeatedly to take it away. God responded, “My grace is enough.”
Christians in the Arab world, in places like Egypt, are dying daily.
Are you ready to embrace the Gethsemane theology of suffering?
Not my will but Yours, O Lord!
