Acts 12: 1-24
He got his
12 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. 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. 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.
What does this statement mean to you, ‘He got his!’ Don’t know? I guess it is just another one of our Philly terms. It means ‘he got the payback that was coming to him. Or ‘the bad guy got what he deserved.’ Someone said to me that I do not like to call it revenge…returning the favor sounds nicer.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we are not suppose to go there in our thinking. Our Holy God desires that no one should perish but all should be saved yet, as you know the path to destruction is wide and many go that route.
Today we are going to learn about a really evil man who will get his. His name is Herod.
Herod Agrippa, (11 BC – 44 AD), was a King of Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He was the last ruler with the royal title reigning over Judea and the father of Herod Agrippa II, the last King from the Herodian dynasty. The grandson of Herod the Great and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice, he was born Marcus Julius Agrippa, so named in honor of Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.
Agrippa's territory comprised most of Israel, including Judea, Galilee, Batanaea and Perea. From Galilee his territory extended east to Trachonitis.
The historian Josephus informs us that, after the execution of his father, young Agrippa was sent by his grandfather, Herod the Great to the imperial court in Rome. There, Tiberius conceived a great affection for him, and had him educated alongside his son Drusus, who also befriended him, and future emperor Claudius. On the death of Drusus, Agrippa, who had been recklessly extravagant and was deeply in debt, was obliged to leave Rome, fleeing to the fortress of Malatha in Idumaea.
After a brief seclusion, through the mediation of his wife Cypros and his sister Herodias, Agrippa was given a sum of money by his brother-in-law and uncle, Herodias' husband, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, and was allowed to take up residence in Tiberias, and received the rank of aedile in that city, with a small yearly income. But having quarreled with Antipas, he fled to Flaccus, proconsul of Syria. Soon afterwards he was convicted, through the information of his brother Aristobulus, of having received a bribe from the Damascenes, who wished to purchase his influence with the proconsul, and was again compelled to flee. He was arrested as he was about to sail for Italy, for a sum of money which he owed to the treasury of Caesar, but made his escape, and reached Alexandria, where his wife succeeded in procuring a supply of money from Alexander the Alabarch. He then set sail, and landed at Puteoli. He was favorably received by Tiberius, who entrusted him with the education of his grandson Tiberius Gemellus. He also formed an intimacy with Caligula, then a popular favorite. Agrippa was one day overheard by his freedman Eutyches expressing a wish for Tiberius's death and the advancement of Caligula, and for this he was cast into prison.
Following Tiberius' death and the ascension of Agrippa's friend Caligula in 37, Agrippa was set free and made king of the territories of Gaulanitis, Auranitis, Batanaea, and Trachonitis, which his uncle Philip the Tetrarch had held, with the addition of Abila. Agrippa was also awarded the ornamenta praetoria and could use the title amicus caesaris ("friend of Caesar"). Caligula also presented him with a gold chain equal in weight to the iron one he had worn in prison, which Agrippa dedicated to the Temple of Jerusalem on his return to his ancestral homeland. In 39, Agrippa returned to Rome, and brought about the banishment of his uncle, Herod Antipas; he was then granted his uncle's tetrarchy, consisting of Galilee and Peraea. This created a Jewish kingdom which did not include Judea at its center.
After the assassination of Caligula in 41, Agrippa was involved in the struggle over the accession between Claudius, the Praetorian Guard, and the Senate. Agrippa cooperated with Claudius in seeking rule. After becoming Emperor, Claudius gave Agrippa dominion over Judea and Samaria. Thus Agrippa became one of the most powerful kings of the east. His domain more or less equaled that which was held by his grandfather Herod the Great.
Agrippa returned to Judea and governed it to the satisfaction of the Jews. At the risk of his own life, or at least of his liberty, he interceded with Caligula on behalf of the Jews, when that emperor was attempting to set up his statue in the Temple at Jerusalem shortly before his death in 41. Agrippa's efforts bore fruit and persuaded Caligula to rescind his order thus preventing the Temple's desecration. However, another historian Philo of Alexandria recounts that Caligula issued a second order to have his statue erected in the Temple. Another statue of himself, of colossal size, was built of gilt brass. The Temple of Jerusalem was then transformed into a temple for Caligula, and it was called the Temple of illustrious Gaius the new Jupiter.
The new centre for world evangelization having been set up (unknowingly at the time) at Antioch, Luke wants us to know that the old will now be dispensed with. The message of chapter 12 is simple. Jerusalem was faced with the choice between a new ‘king of Israel’ appointed by Rome and the Messiah sent by God. This was not just the case of another tyrant whom they did not want. This was a king whom they respected and loved. And so they chose the king sent by Rome, and sought to destroy those who represented the King sent from God and enthroned in heaven. The result will be that Peter ‘departs for another place’, the king is smitten for blasphemy and Jerusalem will no longer be required in furthering God’s purposes.
The point is being emphasized here that, as had their fathers of old, they have chosen a Roman appointed self-exalting king-god, and rejected the God-appointed, God-exalted Holy and Righteous One. The words of Stephen are being borne out yet again.
As a result Israel’s physical king then sought to destroy the representatives of the true King, the Messiah, and the true Rule of God, in order to try to prop up and establish his own kingdom under the old Israel. It was Satan’s further attempt to set up his own Messiah. But as this chapter will reveal, the Lord will step in to rescue His own, and will destroy the usurper, from then on dispensing with the services of Jerusalem. From now on Jerusalem will drop out of the frame, the hope of the earthly kingdom will cease, and the outreach to the world will take over as being what is of prime importance, carried out through the Holy Spirit from centers such as Syrian Antioch, which has already been prepared as a full functioning church ready for takeover.
It is true that the facts of history prevent Luke from dropping Jerusalem completely (while using history he never alters it to suit his purpose). He has to introduce it in chapter 15 because what is described happened in Jerusalem, but it was there as a venue where they could establish the rules which would galvanize the Gentile mission, not as an attempt to evangelize Jerusalem or to reach out to the world. And it is later seen to be the trap by which Satan seeks to destroy Paul in chapter 21. Otherwise, as far as Luke is concerned, Jerusalem no longer has any evangelistic importance to the great commission. The main task of the church in Jerusalem was now the maintenance of the faith of those thousands of Hebrew and Pharisaic Jews who still remained (21.20) who would affect no one but themselves (except harmfully). By its acceptance of Agrippa and its rejection of the Apostles Jerusalem had made its final choice. How often Christ Jesus our Lord would have gathered them under His wings, but they would not. From now on the Good News would go out to the Gentiles, and it would start from Antioch.
This now meant that in Jerusalem two kings were in competition. There were two rival claimants to the loyalty of Israel. The first was our Lord Jesus through His Apostles. He had been declared Messiah and Lord, and His Apostles had been seeking to bring men under His Rule for a number of years, and had been working vigorously in Jerusalem to that end. They wanted Him ‘crowned’ as King of Jerusalem. The other was King Agrippa I, one of Satan’s upraising as his final end shows, who would begin to seek vigorously to dispose of the Apostles of the Messiah Who was claiming Jerusalem. And Jerusalem had to choose between them as to whom they would have to reign over them.
In chapter 1 verse 6 The Lord Jesus had been asked, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingship to Israel?’ And Jesus had simply pointed out to them that what God would do in the future, and when, was at that time no business of theirs. But now a physical kingship had arisen over Israel, one that was accepted by most of the people, and it faced all Jerusalem with a stark choice, Christ or Agrippa.
In the face of the choice Jerusalem did not sit on the fence. It made its selection. And its selection meant that it chose Agrippa and rejected Christ, and therefore encouraged the execution of the Apostles. This comes out in that for the first time since the initial outreach, it is the people as well as the leaders who approved the targeting and slaying of the Apostles and revealed their willingness to uphold Agrippa in doing so.
12 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.
The Pentecost date in which the Holy Spirit came upon all those disciples in the upper room was 3 and `1/2 years after our Lord Jesus Sacrifice on the cross. James’ death is about eleven years after the martyrdom of Stephen, probably about A.D. 41-42. Agrippa may have been motivated toward this persecution by zealous Pharisees (like Paul) who sought to suppress the Jews who taught that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. It even appears that the people of Jerusalem no longer support the Jewish Christians.
Luke points out that as soon as ‘Herod the king’ began to target those of the twelve Apostles who were in Jerusalem, and slew the first one, (as with Stephen, Satan was only allowed one of the leaders).
To the horror of all Christians James, the brother of John, one of the select three of Peter, James and John was put to death by the sword. In Jewish law death by the sword was the penalty for murder or apostasy. The Apostles were therefore being treated as apostates from Judaism. It was the first death of an Apostle that we know of and must have baffled the church. I am sure the thoughts of the believers at this time was why had God allowed this to happen to an Apostle? Previously the Apostles had been sacrosanct.
But as with Stephen, James was allowed to be martyred, as our Holy Master and King Jesus had strongly hinted might be the case. God did not intervene. He was ‘making up that which was behind of the sufferings of Christ’, for the principle of Scripture and the purpose of God is that righteousness advances through suffering (Colossians 1.24). The Servant is the suffering Servant. It is through much tribulation that we will enter under the Kingdom of God (14.22). And the Apostles could not be excluded, now that the church was no longer so dependent on them.
It is not for us to ask why James was taken and Peter was spared. Some perish by the sword; others are saved from the sword (Hebrews 11.34, 37). That is God’s pattern and it is He Who holds the reins. But it is interesting in the light of the great commission that both James and Peter were still in Jerusalem. Perhaps this was to be a strong hint to the Apostles that it was now time that they were moving on, in the same way as the martyrdom of Stephen had been a means of dispatching the witnessing church out among the nations.
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.
Seeing that killing one of Jesus' Apostles "pleased the Jews", Herod was going to murder one of the top leaders of the budding Church and really be honored and appreciated by the Jews.
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.
Now you might be thinking then ‘Why didn't he kill Peter upon his arrest? The Days of Unleavened Bread" is another name for "Passover. Unleavened bread is the bread that God commanded the Jews to eat during the night when the Lord passed over Egypt. To execute anyone during this feast day would have violated Jewish law and therefore displeased the Jews.
The four squads of soldiers represented the maximum security arrangement at the time; this meant there were 4 squads of 4 soldiers guarding Peter around the clock in shifts of 3 hours during the night and 6 hours during the day. During each shift, 2 soldiers were inside the cell actually chained to the prisoner and 2 were outside the cell.
Why did you think Herod went to all this measure? You see Peter had a habit of disappearing from prisons. Back in chapter 5:17-20 we have learned, "Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life."
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
A great thing to learn in how we as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ is not to take matters into our own hands. Did the church try to storm the prison to rescue Peter? No, "but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church" We are taught in the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14 a great lesson, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land
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.
Please note the amount of obstacles that stood between Peter and freedom? We see that there were at least 10: "two chains" (verse 6) on "his hands" (vs. 7), the "two soldiers" (vs. 6) at the other end of those chains, "the door" (vs. 6) of his prison cell, the "guards" (vs. 6) on the other side of that door, "the first and the second guard posts" (vs. 10) and "the iron gate" (verse10).
Someone commented to me about how stealthy the "angel of the Lord" was. If you look again at what happened He wasn't. Upon arrival, he lit up the prison - "light shone in the prison" (vs. 7). He "struck" Peter (vs. 7), talked to him, and since Peter had been "raised... up" (vs. 7), "his chains" (vs. 7) probably made more noise when they "fell off his hands".
So many people think out loud that how come the soldiers guarding Peter didn't wake up? You see they weren't asleep. They "were keeping the prison" (verse 6) as they were supposed to, but the angel of the Lord had made them see and hear nothing.
The prison break wasn’t rushed. The angel even waited for Peter to get dressed properly: "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.'" (vs. 8)
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.”
Since he had been sleeping and "did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision" (vs.9) until after the fact, he probably thought he was enjoying a good dream.
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.
James already had been murdered, and since "Herod was about to bring [Peter] out" (vs. 6), this was the night before Peter's execution, so they most likely had been praying their hearts out. The Lord doesn't always let us see His answers to our prayers so readily. When He does, it's quite spectacular, as it must have been on this occasion. Yet the Bible without fanfare simply states matter-of-factly that they were "astonished".
Let us take a moment and look at the 4 errors the occupants of the house made. First of all Rhoda should have opened the gate "when she recognized Peter’s voice". (verse 14). If it was not Peter but an "angel" (vs. 15) would go right through a gate, not knock on it to ask humans to let him inside. And if an angel did choose to knock on your gate, you should still let him inside, not just verbalize "It is his angel." (vs. 15). But the most serious error - a sin - was their unbelief. They undoubted had been praying fervently for the Lord to save Peter. When Rhoda "announced that Peter stood before the gate" (vs. 14), the faithful reaction would have been jubilation at the Lord's answer to their prayers. Instead, they accused her, "You are beside yourself!" (vs. 15), and then surmised that she had heard Peter's angel, which means that they thought the Lord had not answered their prayers, that Peter was already dead and in spirit form. To her credit, Rhoda, most likely a lowly servant girl was the one who had the faith to attribute Peter's voice to an answered prayer.
Let’s consider this action, if James was killed then why would Peter say, "Go, tell these things to James..." (vs. 17)? This wasn't the James who had been killed by Herod. This James was the half-brother of Jesus - "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." (Mark 6:3-4) - who had come to believe in Christ after His resurrection and who had since become one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem.
Another question that has come up regarding this chapter is as to why God saved Peter would but let James get murdered? For those who truly believe in heaven, the question is re-phrased, "Why did God promote James to heaven but not Peter?" We have to understand that for every God-ordained Christian, martyrdom is a fast-track promotion to heaven. Remember Paul’s reaction when he knew that he was to be executed. We read in the book of 2 Timothy chapter 4, “6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
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.
Please notice the extension of the blindness and mental unawareness of the soldiers to the miracle, their eyes were not opened to understand what happened until the next "day". I believe that this happened most likely to delay Herod's manhunt until Peter had safely reached the "another place". (vs.17)
We get an insight as to the wickedness of Herod. But even this beast you would think would avoid getting his guards against him. So, why then did Herod have the guards "put to death" (vs.19)? If the guards were truthful, they would have told Herod that they have no idea how Peter disappeared, which would have been incredible to Herod, who would have surmised that the guards either had colluded with Peter to let him escape or had fallen asleep while on duty. In addition, Herod most likely was angry and wished to take it out on someone. After all, he had awoken with the intent to kill.
In verse 19 we see that Herod went "down from Judea to Caesarea" and stayed there. By killing Peter, he would have demonstrated his power and won accolades from the Jewish rulers, who would have sounded praise to him for helping them crush the local church. By arresting and then losing Peter, he had instead demonstrated his impotence against the spiritual power that the people knew was happening all around. It emboldened the local church, much to the displeasure of the Jewish rulers, who most likely gave Herod the cold shoulder for making matters worse for them. What better place for Herod to go and lick his wounds than Caesarea, the home of the local legion and the governor of his Roman overlords? Josephus, the Jewish historian from the era also adds that an opportune feast in Caesar's honor was being held at Caesarea at the time.
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.
Tyre and Sidon are coastal cities in today's Lebanon, which is north of Caesarea.
The people from Tyre and Sidon shouted to Herod, "The voice of a god and not of a man" (verse 22). You will notice the reference that "Having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend" (vs. 20), they might have been tipped by their friend that a little bit of flattery then may be particularly appreciated by Herod.
Please notice who struck Herod and why? "An angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God." (vs. 23) This passage should encourage all Christians and especially pastors to take a moment to ponder if they have or are receiving glory due God.
Did the strike of the Angel kill Herod? No, "he was eaten by worms and died". (vs. 23)
Given that this happened to a king, isn't there any corroboration from extra-Biblical sources?
There is. Josephus, the Jewish historian, recorded that on this occasion, the people hailed Herod as a god, and confirmed, "Upon this, the king did neither rebuke them nor reject their impious flattery... A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner... He was carried into the palace... and when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life." (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 19, Chapter 8)
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.
What was the result of the persecution of the church? "The word of God grew and multiplied." (vs. 23)
Our Precious Holy Spirit now introduces Barnabas and Saul's ministry in Jerusalem. They brought the "relief" from Antioch, where they "returned" (vs. 25): "And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." (Acts 11:27-30)
Barnabas and Saul/Paul took with them from Jerusalem John whose surname was Mark" (vs. 25) who was "the cousin of Barnabas" (Colossians 4:10) and the son of "Mary" (Acts 12:12) on whose gate Peter had knocked after his escape. If Paul and Barnabas had been among those praying at the house of Barnabas' aunt, Peter's escape and visit would have been a valuable lesson in faith orchestrated by the Lord, who was about to send them out on their exciting but dangerous missionary journeys
