It is the year 44AD. Around 12 years from the death and resurrection of Jesus. So we can perhaps conclude that the growth of the church has already span 12 years and believers now included a vast number of Jews and Gentiles. With growth comes challenges, strife, arguments and even misunderstanding among Jews and Gentiles. And there is also outside persecution from unbelievers and hard core Jews as well but nonetheless the Church continued to grow.
This growth threatened the Pharisees. It threatened their security, their power and influence. So the Pharisees found an opportunity to work with the present administration to bring down the apostles and the church.
Acts 12, verse 1 where we are introduced to King Herod.
VERSE 1: There are a couple of HERODs in the new testament and so this might be confusing.
As you can see, Grandfather Herod the Great was the king when Jesus was born, He ordered the murder of baby boys. Then his son Herod Antipas beheaded John the Baptist and was King when Jesus died. And now we come to Herod Agrippa the first, grandson of Herod the Great. Herod Agripa was just like his grandfather. Grandfather Herod had his own son, Aristobalus, the father of Herod Agripa, killed because of conspiracy.
King Herod Agrippa the First had recently got his position of kingship granted after spending a little bit of time in prison in Rome. Because of favorable connections with the hierarchy of Rome, Herod Agrippa was given authority to rule over his grandfather’s kingdom.
Herod was a seasoned politician, very savvy and so he wanted to win favor from all influential parties including the Pharisees to maintain his level of power in the region. He also knew that in order to stay in power, he had to maintain peace. His predecessors fell from power because the jews became unruly. And so in order to keep the Jews happy, he began to viciously attack the Christians.
And in Verse two, he did what the Pharisees most likely wanted to do but could not. It says in v2 : "He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword." James was the first apostolic martyr. Sword slaying probably indicated a beheading and Herod must have chosen this way of execution because beheading was particularly degrading to the Jews.
And in verse 3, we see Peter arrested as well, and all this happened at the time of Passover. This is the Jewish holiday celebrating how the angel of death passed over every household that had been marked by the lamb's blood while they were in captivity in Egypt.
Passover had special meaning to the Jews as it was an ongoing reminder of God's deliverance from captivity.
And this timing and circumstances also parallel the experience of Jesus twelve years earlier as John the Baptist was beheaded and Jesus was taken into custody awaiting His death after Passover.
So the church is under threat and constant persecution. They were starving due to sever famine. They were in constant fear. They were constantly attacked, many imprisoned and tortured. It was a very difficult time for the church. And then one of their leaders, the Apostle James is put to death and then PETER was arrested and was awaiting a public trial which follows an execution.
And Peter wasn't just arrested. He was put into prison and chained with 16 guards. Now that's what I call maximum security - 16 guards for one man. It gives you an indication as to what Herod thought of Peter and the type of example that he was trying to make of him.
I can imagine the delight of the Pharisees. Peter was arrested and planned for trial and execution twelve years to the day after Jesus.
The church was desperate and their attention was turned towards the only one they believed could help them.
VERSE:5, “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
Earnestly – passionate, intense, serious, deep, strong, fervent.
They earnestly prayed for him. I remember when my first born was hospitalized. He was going to be operated on and it was his very first birthday. One year old boy at the operating table. As with any parent, you would want to be the one under the knife instead right. This was one of those times that my wife and I prayed like crazy and it just made me realize how helpless we were without GOD. We cannot do anything. The doctor said that the procedure would take only 4 hours. But 4 hours had past and the operation was not yet completed. We were desperate for news that did not come and so we resorted to more prayers.
Have you ever been in a similar situation. When your world suddenly stops and your whole focus is in your current situation, the agony is so intense that all you want is to make it stop. It may not just be a life threatening situation. Its possible that as the end of the month approaches, and you’ve done everything possible to make rent but you don’t have enough and you know the check is going to bounce. Or you just got laid off from work again and you don’t know what to tell your pregnant wife how to make ends meet. Or like one of your leaders who had a serious stroke and found himself in the ICU. The world around us suddenly stops and all that matters is finding a way out of our circumstances. What do you do?
That is when our faith and trust is put to the test.
In verse 5, The church demonstrated what Christians should do. They could think of no other place to go. They were truly desperate. Praise God that we have a hope and a Creator because even if we can't comprehend how He would get us through our situation, He calls us to Him through prayer.
Prayer is an expression of sincere desire including praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession and requests. Prayer is our unique opportunity to talk to God, to converse with him which means that Prayer also is a way of God talking to us. Every believer needs the prayers of other believers. Other believers present our needs to God as a way of standing with and supporting us.
See, I can surmise that the church also prayed for JAMES, right? But he was beheaded. And I know many of us wrestled with this as the bible doesn’t give us an explanation or a closing story just like the death of Stephen….
And so let me ask you this, when you prayed, did you ask God about James? Why James was allowed to die a seemingly gruesome death? Sometimes, when we pray it is always a sort of one way communication isn’t it? Like a walky talkie pressed on and we are the only one speaking. God talks to us and he talks to us when we pray and through many different ways as well. Like the events that happened with Peter in the next verses.
In verse 6 "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."
The high profile prisoner was bound in two chains. Herod was not taking any chances, they knew what happened when he was imprisoned before. So this time, he was surrounded by 16 guards, around the clock security. He was naked, maybe even beaten. Maybe, at the back of his mind he was thinking about James, who was killed and the execution that is to come tomorrow. He hasn’t delivered his farewell message to his fellow apostles yet and we read here that he was asleep. Isn’t that amazing….If I were in his situation, I would probably be crying! I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I don’t know…
In Acts 12:7 and 8, Scripture tells us, "Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shown 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 wrist. Then the angel said to him, 'Put on your clothes and sandals.' And Peter did so, perhaps still half asleep thinking he was just dreaming. 'Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,' the angel told him."
the angel of the LORD took care of Peter by making sure he got dressed and prepared him for what he would need to do outside the prison.
In verse 10 to 11 “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.”
Peter had doubts and only until it dawned upon him what has just happened that he realized God rescued him from certain death.
So Peter proceeds to the house of John Mark where the church had been praying for him and he starts knocking on the door (indicating). And Rhoda goes to the door and recognizes the voice of Peter. she's so overjoyed that she forgets to open the door and runs back to tell her friends that Peter's there.
And they brush it off. Baliw ka ba Rhoda? Guni-guni mo lang yun or minumulto ka lang. "It's not Peter, it must be his Angel”. How can it be Peter. we're praying for him.
And poor Peter was still at the door.
And isn't it just like us. How many times have you guys prayed together in your group and when God answers, you are initially in disbelief? Perhaps unsure if God really answered your prayer or if it was just a coincidence? Peters initial reaction was disbelief, so was the reaction of those praying for him! Unbelief and doubt..
But see God acts according to His will and not according to our expectations. For we are limited by our very own mental and physical faculties but our sovereign God sees all and knows it all.
Luke 12:7 - But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
God knows it all including the number of hairs in our head or the lack of it….
Matthew 10:29
29 Are not two psparrows sold for a 9copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
God sees everything. He is in control, He is in command.
And this helps me when I wrestle with the sudden death of James or why the guards were collateral victims.
You and I will never understand the ways and purposes of God. Because if I was the one calling the shots, I will spare James, I will have him go around the world and spread the good news and protect him from all side. Right? I mean isn’t that logical from a strategic perspective.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God has a course for each of us; no two are the same. Life is not fair; the inequities in life are many. However, what is CERTAINLY CONSTANT for all of us is the love that God has for us and the reality that someday He will welcome us into His eternal presence. God simply has a unique path for each of us.
And I rest in the conclusion that I do not have the answer but I can trust that God is in control and in command of these events. Peace is found in the trustworthiness of GOD!
So when they saw Peter, they were astonished! Astonished at how God answers prayers, astonished at how swift he does it? Astonished beyond belief with questions as to how it happened.
Verse 17 Peter tells them to spread the word, to tell his story, to encourage James, the half brother of Christ, and the other disciples. And this parallels Christ's command to his disciples after His resurrection. And then Peter left for another place.
Persecution and trouble should call all of us to prayer. Pray for our own circumstances and pray for others as well. God has all the answers. God has a purpose for every persecution that we go through and he wants to draw our attention to Him, because he controls everything. When we earnestly pray and fix our eyes on Him, He allows us to see the things he will do through our circumstances.
Sometimes He saves us from the fire of persecution and sometimes He saves us THROUGH the fire of persecution. But in all cases, God uses the refining fire of persecution to draw His people's attention to Him.
And you know what, when the pain is excruciating, we find ourselves all the more focused on GOD.
When circumstances seem the darkest, light dawns when we close our eyes and bend our knees in submission, dependence, and pleas.
It is not the strength of our faith when we prayer; it is the person to whom we pray. God is not limited in answering our prayers by the degree of our confidence in praying. The issue really, is our willingness to enter into beseeching God’s will to be “done on earth as it is in heaven.
So what circumstances or type of persecution is God currently allowing in your life? Will you fix your eyes on him in prayer. Don't be surprised when He shows up knocking at your door.
Mathew 6:9-13...
Exaltation and honor.
Surrender
God speak to me - give me my daily bread
Humility - forgive our sins
Petition.
VERSE 18 In the morning all of the guards are now running around in confusion because of what happened. So a thorough search is initiated but the guards were unable to find Peter. Herod must have been really angry and disappointed. This was his opportunity to show everyone that the leader of the Church cannot stand against him. Completely Enraged, Herod executed the guards.
Herod goes down to Caesarea from Jerusalem as he has meeting with representatives from Tyre and Sidon.
Tyre and Sidon are cities up the coast from Caesarea and they rely on Herod's lands to provide food in exchange for trade and they were desperate to make peace because they needed food due to the famine. Herod used this opportunity to establish leverage over these other cities creating an unfair advantange. Think of it like Singapore reliance on Malaysia for water and suddenly Malaysia decides not to give water anymore, so this is a big deal for Tyre and Sidon. Fortunately four representatives secure support from Herods assistant, Blastus and he assists in the peace agreement.
Verse 21 says on the appointed day. Commentators say that this appointed day is a festival day honoring the Caesar and Herod used this occasion to conclude the agreement with Tyre and Sidon in the theatre. So this is like one of those bilateral or inter country peace agreement signing I suppose and so many dignitaries in the region were in attendance.
With reference to the Jewish Antiquities, Flavius Josephus recounted that Herod wore a silver outfit that glistened as the rays of the sun radiated from it. The theatre where the event was taking place was designed so that the rays of the sun was showing from the east over the building thereby reflecting upon the outfit of Herod as he sat on the throne. Such pomp and pageantry. It was like a full scale theatrical production with Herod as the superstar. HE was so resplendent as to spread awe over those that looked intently upon him.
Verse 22: "They shouted, 'This is the voice of a god, not a man.'
And Herod probably had a smirk of his face thinking, yes, that is actually true.. He believed in his own propaganda. Instead of correcting the people, instead of humbling himself and recognizing that he went too far. He embraced all the glory to himself.
Verse 23: Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, Other versions of scripture says, Herod did not give GLORY to God. an angel of the Lord struck him down and he was eaten by worms and died."
So like his grandfather, God struck him and he died a disgraceful death, eaten by worms from the inside. Flavius Josephus details that he died after 5 days. Scholars surmise that he died of peritonitis from a perforated appendix and intestinal roundworms that thrive on intestinal fluids and grew to create a painful blockage, vomiting, and severe pain. So Herod suffered a painful death.
Other people in Scripture died being eaten by worms, showing that what appeared to the WORLD on the surface as DESIRABLE and POWERFUL was really rotten to the core.
Herod's pride and self-centeredness and self-exaltation go all the way to the end and God caused this account to be recorded in Scripture so that we can see where all our pride and ego is going.
Pride stumbled our first parents ADAM and EVE and self-adulation blinded Herod to his human-ness. As we see in this example, God is not idle in condemning any affront to His exalted sovereignty and holiness.
There is a limit to God’s tolerance of human arrogance. Herod Agrippa crossed the line when he overtly claimed a status that only belongs to God.
There is a saying - “Many men have sought to be God, but only one God sought to be man!” Jesus’ life and teaching made this point – that the way to greatness is humility.
Luke 14:11 says For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Will you humbly ask God in prayer to identify areas in your life where pride or ego is slowly creeping in so that you can nip it in the bud before its too late.
And our chapter ends with the verses 24 and 25.
But the word of God continued to spread and flourish. When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.
The Church grew despite the increased persecution caused by the rule of Herod. And with Herod eliminated, the church flourished and spread to the uttermost ends of the earth.
And we can learn a principle here:
Gods unstoppable church flourishes despite increased persecution.
The Jews cannot stop God, Rome cannot stop God. No one can. And no one can stop the work of GOD in believers when you identify with Christ.
God enables the people of His church to make it through persecution. All we have to do is persevere. We persevere in prayer, we persevere in suffering.
And we we will end with this verse in Romans 5:3
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
No wonder the church flourished despite persecution because the character of the believers were strengthened, they became more resilient, tenacious, they became stronger. Their faith and trust in GOD became more pronounced.
LET US PRAY…
