We have come to Friday and our next reading as we continue to read through the New Testament in a year is Acts 12. Read the Scripture first and then come back as we walk through the story together.
At the end of Acts 11, the early “Christians” who comprised the church in Antioch were moved by the Holy Spirit to take up a collection for the poor in Jerusalem’s church who were experiencing famine (11:27-30). It was about 45 - 46 a.d. when a significant famine came upon that area of the world. The Antioch church sent the gift with Barnabas and Saul to the elders in Jerusalem for distribution. As chapter 12 opens, Luke has rewound the clock to go back to a time just before all this takes place. He is letting us know what was happening in Jerusalem at this time and he opens with some rather tragic sober events.
The Apostle James is killed by the order of King Herod. James is the brother of the Apostle John, and as one of the original twelve he is the first Apostle to be martyred. James was the leading elder of the church in Jerusalem and as such Herod makes a bold calculated strike against the church. Why? Vs 1 says “Herod intended to persecute them”, and in vs 2, Luke writes, “it pleased the Jews”. We should not think the entire Jewish population was involved; but rather, the key Jewish authorities - the Chief Priest’s family, the Sanhedrin’s powerful Jewish aristocrats - these were the Jews that were pleased that Herod struck at the church’s leadership. The Jewish leaders, in all likelihood, appealed to Herod, who was a new King over Jerusalem, to do something against the Christians in Jerusalem. Herod complied with James’ execution - no charges are listed - and also Peter’s arrest.
Four generations of Herod’s appeared in the New Testament, and none of them were godly or caring about what is good and right to do. Herod, the Great, the grand-father of this Herod struck down babies in the Bethlehem, Hebron area, 2 years and under to attempt to kill off any competitive “king” that might have just been born. Joseph, warned by an angel in a dream, took Mary and their baby, Jesus, and fled to Egypt for a time, escaping Herod’s sword. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, the second Herod was referred to by Jesus as “that Fox” - a calculating King who made his reputation by getting rid of a brother and taking his wife as his own. Then when John the Baptist named him in public for his adultery and manipulations, Herod killed him by cutting off John’s head after a rash stupid vow before a party. This Herod, in Acts 12, took over at the time of the early church’s beginnings. The final Herod would once again surface later in Paul’s career, when under arrest he would stand before Herod Agrippa to give his appeal for what his ministry was all about. Herod’s family generationally were linked by their political power and willingness to do whatever it took to maintain that power - even ruthlessly, if need be.
Peter is thrown into prison - but in God’s providence it is at the time of the Passover, so Herod is constrained from striking Peter down while the Passover festival goes on for the 7 days that follow. Not taking any chances Herod puts Peter in a well-guarded, secure prison...handcuffed in a cell with guards on either side of him, guards outside the cell, and guards outside the prison. The scene is set: Peter is in a guarded cell awaiting execution once the feast days are over. The Jewish leaders are happy as one more of the Jerusalem church leaders is going to be done away with soon. Peter is handcuffed and awaiting the days when he will soon be with his Savior. The church is praying, crying out to God for mercy and deliverance, but convinced that they soon will lose another Apostle - everyone is sure of what is to happen the next day as the Feast days end.
THEN, God sends one of his Angels! The story is magical, awe-inducing, jaw-dropping to read. The angel enters the cell and even though there is a brightness of glory that fills the cell, only Peter sees and hears the angel. “Angels unaware”, the writer of Hebrews writes later. The guards that stood at the tomb of Jesus did not see the angels but fled after dawn emerged and they saw the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Now, the angel of God - God’s servants who go as he commands - come to stand before Peter.
“Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.” Hah! Wow! I can only imagine.
Then the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” Peter did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” There is no chit-chat... “Hi Peter, I’m Gabriel and I’m glad to meet you...the Lord has sent me to you to free you so that you might continue to live on and lead the church.” No, it would happen that way, but for now the Angel is all business. The Lord sent him to free Peter, and in what can only be described as supernatural power, chains fall off, guards still sleep, Peter’s cell door opens and they walk past the sentries outside his door and the sentries outside the prison!
Peter thought he was dreaming.
“And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.”
Amazing...you cannot read that and not be struck with how amazing the scene is played out. One moment Peter is sleeping between two guards, and the next moment is walking out of a very secure prison, out into the street, and he is alone! Mission accomplished, I’m going home. Peter is standing there as if he awoke from a dream and realizes he needs to rub his eyes...what is going on here? The story turns from amazing to almost comical at this point. Peter realizes he is free, and as the angel had left, he quickly realizes he needs to go to his friends and let them know what happened. Vs 12 says he went to Mary’s house, the mother of John Mark, who later would write the Gospel of Mark under Peter’s tutelage. The house church of Christians in Mary’s home are having a prayer meeting. They are crying out to God for mercy for Peter, for God somehow to deliver him - they don’t even know their prayers are already answered.
When Peter shows up outside the gated home his knocks at the door in the middle of the night bring a servant girl - who upon seeing Peter she is so overjoyed that she leaves him standing there while she runs back to tell the others that Peter is outside the door! She leaves Peter outside the door! The angel opened the cell doors, but Peter cannot open a locked door, so he waits. Finally, someone went to the door and there stood Peter! They were so overwhelmed with joy that Peter had to calm them down to not make such a racket as to arouse others near them. Their prayers were answered, but, at first, they did not believe it! We are guilty of that sometimes, aren’t we? Peter does not stay but leaves...probably as much out of concern for these friends who would be seen holding him, as well as to escape a city that is determined to kill off the Apostles.
God was sovereignly directing this whole event. Peter was asleep and the angel woke him up. The chains came off and the doors opened because the angel moved them to. The church is praying as Peter arrives, but not at all positive the servant girl had seen Peter. The emphasis of Luke is that everyone human is a passive player and God is the chess master moving the pieces according to his own will.
As Peter leaves he hands the leadership over to James, the earthly brother of the Lord Jesus, and then he leaves. In the morning, Herod is told of Peter’s escape and he acts according to his ruthless nature and kills the guards. The story is finalized by Luke with Herod’s own death. It’s a rather ghastly story with the realization that while Herod was killing James, imprisoning Peter, killing the guards, he was being eaten alive by worms. It was not death by natural causes - for “an angel of the Lord struck him down.”
An angel freed Peter, and moved in accordance to God’s command to strike Herod down. The crowd proclaimed “this is the voice of a god”... no it was not. The judgment God delivered to Herod reminds us of what it is said in scripture that- “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God”.
John Stott summed this story up:
“It is in striking contrast to the death of the tyrant, that Luke adds one of his summary verses: ‘But the word of God continued to increase and spread’ (24, cf. 6:7; 9:31). Indeed, one cannot fail to admire the artistry with which Luke depicts the complete reversal of the church’s situation. At the beginning of the chapter, Herod is on the rampage—arresting and persecuting church leaders; in the end he is himself struck down and dies. The chapter opens with James dead, Peter in prison and Herod triumphing; it closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing. Such is the power of God to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish his own in their place. Tyrants may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster, oppressing the church and hindering the spread of the gospel, but they will not last. In the end, their empire will be broken and their pride abased.” [John Stout, “The Bible Speaks Today, the Message of Acts”].
Peace
Comments