Introduction
“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast 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.” Acts 12:1-4
In the previous chapter, we saw that in Antioch the followers of Christ were first given the name Christian and we learned that the name Christian means more than a name, Acts 11:26. It’s not just a title we wear but it is a way of life, our every breath and action should declare to the world that we belong to Christ.
Some people are not afraid of dying but most people are afraid of how they are doing to die. And what Luke tells us here, is a prime example of a person dying for the cause of Christ.
He tells us that sometime near the time when Barnabas and Saul were taking the gift from Antioch to Jerusalem, Herod Agrippa, Matthew 2:1-16 / Luke 23:7-12, decided to inflict pain on certain members of the Lord’s church, Acts 12:1 / Mark 10:35-40.
What Herod Agrippa is doing, is going for the churches’ leadership, the apostles. He first had James, John’s brother, taken captive and killed with the sword, Acts 12:2 / Matthew 17:1 / Matthew 26:37 / Mark 5:37 / Mark 9:2 / Mark 14:33 / Luke 5:37 / Luke 9:2 / Luke 14:33.
We know that James’ death must have occurred somewhere near 44 A. D. since that is the year Herod Agrippa I died. Note that there is no attempt to replace the apostle James. It was not death but transgression that removed Judas, Acts 1:25.
Remember that Herod was not only a king to the Jews but he was also a very good politician. And because of his good connections in Rome, he was the last king to unite with the Jewish territories.
Luke tells us that because Herod saw that Jews loved him for killing James, and it had some political advantages, he immediately had Peter imprisoned, intending to put him to death as well, Acts 12:3-5.
Peter’s imprisonment was around the time of Passover, Acts 12:4, which lasted for some eight days. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a seven-day celebration that began on the day after Passover each spring, Acts 12:3.
While Herod waited for the conclusion of the Passover, he had sixteen soldiers, divided into four groups of four, to watch the apostle in the prison, Acts 12:4 / Acts 5:17-21.
Make no mistakes about it, King Herod had a plan, he planned to publicly execute Peter at the conclusion of the feast.
“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him”. Acts 12:5
We don’t know what Peter was thinking as he waited but we do know what others were thinking while they were waiting, Acts 12:5, perhaps Peter’s mind went back to the Passover he enjoyed with Jesus, Luke 22:14-21.
Please note, that they were not just thinking about doing something while they waited, but they were actually doing something while they were waiting.
Luke says while Herod waited for the end of Passover, the church waited in prayer, Acts 12:5. They asked God to be with Peter, whether they were simply requesting that God help sustain his faith or have him released, we’re not sure. But we do know that the Greek words used by Luke suggest there was a prayer being offered up around the clock, Luke 22:44.
We should never underestimate the power of God, and we should never try and restrict His capabilities. These people didn’t just pray that God would give Peter the courage to face death, they prayed that God would deliver him so that he wouldn’t have to face death in the first place, John 15:7.
Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
“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. 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”. Acts 12:6-10
Luke says the night before Herod intended to call for Peter, the apostle lay sleeping, Psalm 127:2, chained to two soldiers with two more outside the door, Acts 12:6.
The angel of the Lord, Acts 5:19 / Acts 8:26 / Acts 12:23, woke him up and caused the chains to fall off his hands. Then he told Peter to dress and led him out of the prison, Acts 12:7-8 /Acts 12:1-2.
Peter wasn’t sure what has happening because he thought it was a dream, Acts 9:10 / Acts 10:10. But he followed the angel past the first and second guard posts, through the gate, which seemed to open automatically, and out into the street, Acts 12:9-10.
Neil, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Luke clearly regards Peter’s escape as a miracle, a divine intervention by a supernatural visitant, Luke 2:9’
This wasn’t just a supernatural deliverance, this was God answering the prayers of the saints, who spent the night in prayer. If we believe that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, Genesis 1:1, we should have no trouble believing every other miracle we find recorded in the Bible, Revelation 4:11.
“Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.” 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 girl 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.” But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 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.” Acts 12:11-17
Peter, when he found himself free and on the street, he finally understood that this wasn’t some dream, this was a miracle, Acts 12:11.
Why did God allow Herod to kill James but not Peter?
McGee, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The answer is that this is the sovereign will of God. He still moves like this in the contemporary church. I have been in the ministry for many years, and I have seen the Lord reach in and take certain wonderful members out of the church by death. And then there are others whom He has left. Why would He do that? If He had asked me, from my viewpoint as the pastor, I would say that He took the wrong one and He left the wrong one! But life and death are in the hands of a sovereign God. This is His universe, not ours. It is God’s church, not ours. The hand of a sovereign God moves in the church.’
Luke says that Peter was awestruck and now saw that the Lord had sent His messenger to deliver him out of the murderous hands of Herod, Acts 12:11. And so after thinking for a moment, Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, to tell the church of his miraculous release, Acts 12:12.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Mary’s house, Acts 12:13.
‘The scene that emerges here is one of affluence, if not wealth. Mary’s was a house large enough to contain a gathering for prayer meeting, having a courtyard and a gate attended by a servant. From Mary’s example, we may conclude that there were many who had not sold all their possessions during those occasions mentioned earlier in Acts.’
It seems as though a girl named Rhoda recognized the voice of the apostle at the gate and in her excitement, she did not let him in but went to inform the others in the house that Peter was outside, Acts 12:13-14.
And at first, everybody else thought she was crazy and then they thought she had heard Peter’s angel, Hebrews 1:14, but Peter kept knocking at the door until he got an answer. And when saw him they were amazed at what they saw, Acts 12:15-16.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the angel, Acts 12:15.
‘This verse proves that in the apostolic church the Christians believed that every person has a guardian angel; but it is uncertain what deductions should be made from this fact. Jesus apparently justified such a view by his reference to the angels of little children in Matthew 18:10, as being angels of the highest rank.’
The Bible says that they were ‘amazed’, and I too find this amazing but not for the same reasons that they were amazed. They were amazed to see Peter but I’m amazed at their lack of faith.
Luke said that they had been praying constantly to God for Peter, Acts 12:5. Even though they had been praying to God on Peter’s behalf for days, it’s almost as if they couldn’t believe their eyes.
In other words, they were asking God to help Peter but deep down in their hearts, they didn’t believe it was going to happen. And the lesson we can learn from this is, don’t pray for something if you don’t believe that God will answer it, James 1:5-8.
After everyone saw Peter standing at the door, Peter told them the story of his deliverance by the Lord and then he told them to inform James, the half brother of Jesus, Acts 15:13 / Acts 21:18 / Galatians 1:19 / Galatians 2:9 / Galatians 2:12 / James 1:1, and the brethren before he departed from their company, Acts 12:17 / Galatians 2:11-14.
“In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.”. Acts 12:18-19
While everyone was amazed and rejoiced that God answered their prayers so powerfully, back at the prison it was chaos.
It should be of no surprise to us that the next morning, the prison was in turmoil because no one knew what had happened to Peter, Acts 12:18. And when Herod could not find him, he had the guards executed.
Under Roman law, it was required that a guard face the punishment which was intended for any prisoner who escaped under their watch, Acts 16:27.
That’s why Herod had the guards executed when Peter disappeared, Acts 12:19.
Herod’s Death
“Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. He had been quarrelling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply”. On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God continued to increase and spread”. Acts 12:19-24
And it wasn’t long after Peter escaped and Herod had his guards killed, that He left Jerusalem and went to Caesarea, his other capital. What happens next is also very interesting, Acts 12:19.
In the Old Testament, we read that the cities of Tyre and Sidon, Acts 12:20/ Ezekiel 27:17 / Ezekiel 28:4, depended on Galilee for their food supply, as they had done in the days of Hiram and Solomon, 1 Kings 5:9ff.
Once these cities realized that they had offended Herod, they set out to make things right. They somehow got close to Herod’s personal aide, Blastus, and through him asked for peace, Acts 12:20.
The Jewish historian Josephus, says the following, concerning Acts 12:21.
‘Herod set aside some days to honour Caesar, perhaps on his birthday which was May 1. And on the second day, he says that Herod went into a theatre where a large group of people were assembled and the early morning sun reflected brightly off his garment, which Josephus says was totally made of silver.’
Why did God have Herod struck dead? Luke says that when Herod was seated on the throne, the people began to praise him as a god, Acts 12:22-23. The mistake that Herod made was that he didn’t stop the proceedings, he gladly accepted all the praise as if he were a god, Isaiah 42:8 / Daniel 4:30.
The Lord caused his angel to strike him because he did not give glory to God. Only God is worthy of our praise, He is the only one we should ever bow down to, Acts 10:25-26 / Revelation 19:10. No man should ever be worshipped because it is only God who is worthy of our worship.
We are blessed to have Jewish historians because they give us a good understanding of what life would have been like during these biblical times. When Josephus was describing this event in his writings, he said that Herod suffered severe stomach pains and a horrible, lingering death that took five days.
Whatever way he died, we can be sure it wasn’t nice, Luke tells us that ‘he was eaten by worms’, Acts 12:23. Time and time again we’ve already seen many of the Lord’s people thrown into jail to stop the spreading of God’s Word. And time and time again we have seen God freeing His people so that His word can be spread, Acts 12:24.
Despite the fact, that Herod had James executed, despite the fact they searched for Peter and couldn’t find him, even though the cities of Tyre and Sidon joined forces with Herod to keep the peace. Despite all the attacks of men and failure to give God the glory which belongs to Him, God’s Word still grew and multiplied, Acts 12:24.
Barnabas And Saul Sent Off
“When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. Acts 12:25
In the previous chapter, we left Saul and Barnabas delivering a special offering of money which was taken up for some needy saints in Jerusalem, Acts 11:30.
Luke tells us that straight after Barnabas and Saul had completed their task of delivering the gift of money for the needy saints in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch, Acts 12:25 / Acts 11:30.
But this time they took John Mark with them who was Barnabas’ cousin, Acts 12:25 / Acts 12:12 / Colossians 4:10. Remember that Mark’s mother was Mary, this is important because Luke had just reported that the church met in her house for prayers while Peter was in prison, Acts 12:12.
It is even possible that her house was used as a resting place during Barnabas’ and Saul’s stay in Jerusalem. She obviously didn’t sell her house as Barnabas did earlier, Acts 4:37.