MORE POWERFUL THAN PRISON BARS

ACTS 12:1-17

NASB

1 Now about that time [a]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. 2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. 3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now [a]it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four [a]squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

6 On [a]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and [a]put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 When Peter came [a]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all [b]that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to [a]James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.

12:1 [a]I.e. Herod Agrippa I  12:3 [a]Lit they were the days  12:4 [a]Lit quaternions; a quaternion was composed of four soldiers  12:6 [a]Lit that night  12:8 [a]Lit bind  12:11 [a]Lit in himself  [b]Lit the expectation of the people of the Jews  12:17 [a]Or Jacob 

NLT

1 About that time King Herod Agrippa[*] began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.[*]) 4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. 5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.

9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders[*] had planned to do to me!”

12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

16 Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.

[12:1] Greek Herod the king. He was the nephew of Herod Antipas and a grandson of Herod the Great.   [12:3] Greek the days of unleavened bread.   [12:11] Or the Jewish people.  

All followers of the Messiah have to maintain a difficult balance. We live in a natural world guided by natural laws, yet we serve a God who can —and sometimes does —overrule the laws of nature. For the most part, we must accept circumstances at face value. Good people get sick and die. Hardworking people go bankrupt. Honest businesses go under. Innocent people are mistreated, convicted, and punished. In many situations, God does not supernaturally intervene to prevent misfortune, yet we must not view life strictly from a human perspective. Miracles rarely occur. Whether or not the Lord chooses to intervene miraculously, He remains in control and has promised to work out all events and circumstances for our good and for His glory (Rom. 8:28).

In an age when miracles are exceedingly rare, maintaining this natural-supernatural perspective can be a challenge. One might be tempted to think that holding an eternal, spiritual perspective would be easier if miracles were more common. As Luke demonstrates in this segment of his narrative, however, people always have trouble seeing beyond the temporal realm, even when God is more visibly active in the world. The Christians in Jerusalem, despite their seeing some of the Lord’s most amazing displays of miraculous power, also struggled to break out of their two-dimensional perspective. In this notable example, they placed limits on what God could or would do on their behalf.

— 12:1-2 —

Luke sets the time as during the persecution of “Herod” —Herod Agrippa I — which predates the “famine visit” of Barnabas and Paul (11:19-30). In other words, Luke has rewound the clock, taking us back in the chronology to the time before the narrative detour to Syrian Antioch, back to the time shortly after Peter’s visit to Caesarea. In terms of chronology, 12:1 follows 11:18.[96]

Up to this time, the chief enemies of the church had been the Sanhedrin, the political and religious heavyweights associated with the temple —the high priest, the aristocrats, the Pharisees, and the former high priest and crime boss, Annas. This religious persecution reached its zenith with Saul of Tarsus leading the charge; but with Saul now following Jesus and living quietly, far from Jerusalem, pressure from the temple subsided. At least for a few years. In the meantime, the church expanded dramatically, sweeping through Judea and Samaria. Its influence remained religious and sectarian within Judaism for the most part, so few people outside the ranks of devout Hebrews took notice. Then Peter visited Caesarea. That’s when Herod Agrippa I began to involve himself for political reasons.

By this time, the name “Herod” had become a title, much as the imperial designation “Caesar” that later evolved from the life and influence of Julius Caesar.[97] This particular Herod was Agrippa I. He had acquired land and titles by choosing the right political partnerships at the right time, undercutting anyone who got in his way, including his own family. He had gained control of all the land once ruled by his uncles, Philip the Tetrarch and Herod Antipas, and he clearly had designs on eclipsing the power of his grandfather, Herod the Great. To do that, however, he would need Judea, which Rome ruled directly through procurators.[98]

THE CHAOS OF THE HERODIANS

ACTS 12:1-4

For many years after the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, the Herodian dynasty continued to cast a great shadow over Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and regions beyond. His descendants divided up his realm: Archelaus took Judea and Samaria, Antipas took Galilee and Perea, and Philip took over several northeast provinces and, later, some of Syria.[99]

Within a few years, Archelaus self-destructed. He was responsible for the murder of many Jewish subjects (Matt. 2:20-23), which provoked a massive conspiracy to get rid of him. Delegations representing Jews and Samaritans —usually bitter enemies —as well as his brothers, Antipas and Philip, all converged on Rome to have him removed. Augustus heeded the chorus of voices against Archelaus, deposed him, banished him to Gaul in present-day France, and placed his land under Roman control. Thereafter, Roman procurators and governors ruled Judea.

The territory of Archelaus covered Idumea, Judea, and Samaria. The territory of Herod Antipas covered Perea and Galilee. The territory of Philip covered Batanea and Auranitis. The territory of the Proconsul of Syra covered the area southeast of Galilee and the area around Gaza.

Israel after Herod the Great. After Herod the Great’s death, his family divided his kingdom to rule.

Antipas proved more successful than Archelaus, although his dalliances eventually came back to destroy him. He drove his wife, the daughter of Nabataean King Aretas IV, into exile so he could marry his sister-in-law/niece, Herodias. He survived the consequent political and religious unrest by befriending Tiberius and by placating wealthy Hellenistic Jews. Eventually, however, his political calculations failed. Aretas attacked and seized some of his land —including the city of Damascus (2 Cor. 11:32-33) —and the death of Tiberius proved fatal to Antipas’s reign. Here’s how:

After the death of Herod the Great, Philip married his niece, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, whose sensual dance before Antipas led to the execution of John the Baptizer (Matt. 14:6-11; Mark 6:21-28). Philip lived quietly and maintained close ties with Rome, and upon his death in AD 34, his land reverted to Syrian control. But only for a short time. When Tiberius died, Caligula became emperor and gave Philip’s land to Agrippa I, the brother of Herodias. He also gave Agrippa the coveted title of king. When Antipas and Herodias went to Rome to seek the same honor, Agrippa sent accusations against Antipas, resulting in Antipas’s banishment to Gaul. Accordingly, Agrippa gained the land once ruled by Antipas.

To gain Judea, he needed to convince the powers of Rome that their interests were better served with him in control instead of one of their procurators. Gentile procurators, after all, had been a constant source of irritation to the Jews, and Jewish irritation always unnerved Rome. Local rulers had two primary, all-important responsibilities: keep the people from revolting and keep the money flowing to Rome. Agrippa could easily position himself as the best candidate. Who better than a Jew,[100] a descendant of Herod the Great, and a loyal friend of the emperor? If he could convince the Jews that he would be a better option than the procurators, he might just succeed. And what better way to curry favor with the Jews than to side with them against an insignificant, upstart, sectarian group following a dead Messiah?

His calculations proved successful, and timing worked in his favor. When Caligula died in AD 41, Agrippa was in Rome. He gave crucial advice to his childhood friend Claudius and interceded on his behalf with the Senate, ultimately helping him succeed Caligula as emperor. As a reward, Claudius gave Agrippa Judea and Samaria, helping him eclipse Herod the Great in terms of power and land.[101] He quickly moved his capital to Jerusalem and began to solidify his relations with Jews at all levels, from the populist Pharisees to the aristocratic Sadducees. He no doubt strengthened relations with them when he executed James, the brother of John, in the manner of the Romans: by beheading with a sword (12:2).

— 12:3-5 —

The designation “the Jews” in much of Luke’s writings is a technical term for the religious and political leaders in Israel, usually brought up in references to their connection with the temple. This would include the high priest, along with his aristocratic associates and the members of the Sanhedrin. Throughout the Gospel of Luke and the first part of Acts, he doesn’t mean “the Jews” in the racial sense. At the time, the vast majority of the church was comprised of ethnic Jews, who represented a significant part of the population in Judea. Increasingly, however, the Jewish rulers were able to turn more and more of the Jewish people against the followers of the Messiah —a program of propaganda that would become much easier when Jews saw how many Gentiles were joining the sect of the Christians. Therefore, at some point we can assume that Luke’s use of the term “the Jews” begins to refer to more than just an elite group of rulers. A gradual parting of ways between Judaism and Christianity, synagogue and church, as distinct religious groups was taking place. Perhaps Peter’s activity among Gentile converts in Caesarea proved too much.

Because Agrippa ruled Judea directly as a representative of Rome, he had the power to sentence people to death without needing anyone’s permission. He had exercised that power by killing James, so he arrested Peter, intending to execute him as well (12:3). But first, he would “bring him out before the people” (12:4). Luke doesn’t reveal why Agrippa wanted to do this, but the reason seems obvious. As the absolute sovereign of Judea with the conferred Roman ranks of praetor and consul, he didn’t need to justify an execution. He didn’t need to have Peter tried and convicted by the Sanhedrin, although that would not have been difficult. He intended to “bring him out before the people” to galvanize their hostility against the Christians by publicly accusing Peter of violating Jewish traditions. Peter enthusiastically associated with Gentiles, ate their food, and dared to call them his brothers.

Agrippa placed Peter in prison because the feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread —celebrated back to back for eight days (Deut. 16:1-12) —prevented trials.[102] Naturally, the king posted a guard to prevent Peter’s escape. The Greek term for “squad” is tetradion [5069], which is based on the number four. Normally, one tetradion would be sufficient to provide one soldier for each “watch” (three-hour shift) of the night. But Agrippa quadrupled the guard, assigning four squads to guard Peter, obviously worried that such a high-profile figure would have ample help for an attempted jailbreak. Furthermore, Peter had proven to be a slippery prisoner at least one other time (Acts 5:17-25).

Luke calls attention to the opposing forces involved. On the one side, Agrippa locks Peter behind bars and posts a quadrupled guard (12:4). On the other side, the church prays fervently on the apostle’s behalf (12:5).

— 12:6-10 —

On the last night of the Passover, God intervened (12:7-8). Luke describes how the tetradion was arranged: one soldier chained to Peter’s right arm, one chained to his left, and two posted at the entrance to his cell (12:6). If four squads guarded him around the clock, each took a shift of six hours before being relieved by the next. Given this arrangement, along with the heightened vigilance, it’s doubtful the guards slept during the six hours they remained on duty. Peter, on the other hand, slept like a healthy baby!

Luke includes the detail that Peter slept in spite of circumstances that would keep most people on edge. Peter had been through similar situations before (4:1-3, 21; 5:17-25).

Luke’s description of Peter’s release highlights the supernatural, miraculous element involved. An angel appeared and filled Peter’s cell with light. This was certainly more than a dreamlike vision within his mind. And yet, Peter’s guards, all of whom undoubtedly remained awake during their six-hour shift, saw and heard nothing. Still, Peter was not aware of the angel’s presence, so the angel “struck Peter’s side and woke him up” (12:7). His chains dropped, and he heard the angel speak, which should have alerted the guards. It didn’t. He got up, dressed himself, walked quietly out of his cell, and strode past the two outer guards, through the main gate of the prison, and out into the street (12:8-10). To Peter the experience seemed unreal, but there he stood outside on the street (12:9, 11). To the guards everything seemed normal. While Peter saw things as they were, the guards were deluded.

— 12:11-12 —

Luke describes Peter as coming out of a vision to full consciousness (12:11), yet he had seen things exactly as they were. That’s because the whole experience felt unreal, perhaps because it was so extraordinary. Earlier, when an angel had released Peter and John (5:19-20), no guards were mentioned, suggesting the apostles simply walked out through open gates and a relatively deserted jail facility. This occasion was very different. Standing in the public street confirmed what had seemed surreal.

So Peter took off to find the believers, who were praying at “the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark” (12:12). Mark will become significant as the story of the church unfolds. John is a Hebrew name. Mark is a Greek name. He was the son of a woman named Mary, one of many Jewish women named for Miriam, the sister of Moses. She may have been a widow of some considerable means. No husband is ever mentioned, yet she had a home large enough to accommodate church meetings. John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10), so Mary must have been Barnabas’s aunt.

The community of believers most likely met often in the home of Mary since that’s where Peter immediately went.

— 12:13-15 —

Typical homes of the time —especially large homes —were encircled by a wall. The outer “gate” (12:13) was a solid door, large enough to allow carts drawn by animals to enter the courtyard. This large gate also had a smaller door cut into it to allow easier access to individuals. Like a phone call at three o’clock in the morning, a nighttime knock at this smaller “door of the gate” rarely brought good news. While the congregation prayed fervently for Peter, one of Mary’s household servants, Rhoda, answered the knock. The Greek term translated “servant-girl” (paidiskē [3814]) suggests that the girl might have been quite young.[103] Unlike today, people wouldn’t normally have opened the door to a nighttime knock —not without great risk of robbery. One opened the door only after confirming the identity of a friend. Rhoda recognized Peter’s voice, but in her exuberance, failed to let him in! She couldn’t wait to share the news. Meanwhile, Peter waited patiently.

I don’t want to criticize the response of the praying congregation too harshly. They had just mourned the death of James, whom God did not deliver from the executioner’s sword. Yet they should not have been completely surprised; this was, after all, Peter’s second miraculous release from prison.

But they scolded little Rhoda: “You are out of your mind!” (12:15; mainomai [3105]) —you’re “raving mad,” “no longer in control of your senses,” “out of touch with reality.” Each occurrence of this word in the New Testament (cf. John 10:20; Acts 26:24, 25; 1 Cor. 14:23) uses the term as hyperbole: “You must be stark raving mad!” When she insisted, the congregation tried to reason with her by offering a more plausible explanation. The statement “It is his angel” is troublesome for modern interpreters. Expositors suggest the following possible meanings:

While either of the last two options is possible, I favor the last. It seems unlikely to me that these believers would to hold such poor theology, given the quality of teaching they had received from the apostles and the intense activity of the Holy Spirit. Regardless, two things are clear. First, they couldn’t believe that Peter was standing safe and sound at the doorstep. The two verbs translated “she kept insisting” and “they kept saying” are in the imperfect tense, which describes ongoing or repetitive action, thus depicting Rhoda and the congregation in an ongoing, back-and-forth argument. Second, no one behaved rationally. Rhoda left Peter outside rather than let him in, the congregation suggested nothing helpful, and no one hurried to do the obvious thing: go to the door and find out!

— 12:16-17 —

Poor Peter, miraculously released from prison and having escaped certain death, couldn’t wait to see his friends, but he was left standing out in the cold —literally —knocking repeatedly at the front door (12:16). He had supernaturally walked out of a high-security prison but couldn’t get past the gate of his friend’s house. He had casually walked past the king’s guards to escape execution, but he couldn’t get a little servant girl to let him in to join the prayer meeting held on his behalf.

When they finally opened the door and saw Peter, the gathered believers were beside themselves (existēmi [1839]). Finally, after gaining entrance, he related the story, giving all the credit to the Lord. He then instructed them to tell James, the Lord’s brother, and “the brethren,” the church elders in Jerusalem. He then departed to another location, either to visit others gathered for prayer or to remain out of public sight.

APPLICATION: ACTS 12:1-17

God Is in Control

I wish the application of this passage were simple. I wish I could say the enduring lesson is this: “The God of impossible circumstances will accomplish the impossible when you pray hard enough.” But we all know that reality is more complicated than that. Even during this remarkable, unusual period when Holy Spirit miracles happened often, the church understood that Peter would most likely die by the sword before sunset the next day. They believed God, but they had seen their friend Stephen stoned to death, and they had just recently lost James the brother of John, one of the Twelve.

So, what do we learn from the incredulous believers who prayed and, to their shock, received a miraculous fulfillment of their greatest desires? How often have we prayed for the impossible, trusting God’s ability, only to mourn our disappointment? While we live in a different time and our experiences will not necessarily duplicate theirs, I find two imperatives to apply.

First, ask God for what you want —and be bold! Too often we temper our requests —even good, godly requests like the healing of a friend or the restoration of a failing marriage —perhaps to protect ourselves from disappointment, or to pray responsibly, or to avoid presuming upon God, or to pray within the bounds of what we imagine the Lord’s will might be: “Lord, if it be Your will, restore this failing marriage.”

“If it be Your will . . . ?” Really? Pray boldly for what is good. Don’t hold back. Don’t qualify your requests. God’s sovereignty isn’t threatened and His goodness isn’t compromised if you plead earnestly —supplicate shamelessly —for good to prevail. He may not choose to alter the circumstances. He may allow a Stephen to suffer unjustly. He may allow a wicked authority to deprive the church of a godly leader. Nevertheless, He will honor your earnest desires, if not in the manner you hope, then in some unexpected way you cannot foresee.

Second, trust the sovereignty and goodness of God to prevail. The people in the home of Mary gathered to pray for Peter. We don’t know the content of their prayers, but some must have asked God for a miraculous release, just like the earlier release. Clearly, however, no one really expected to see Peter alive again, or they wouldn’t have been so dubious when he knocked. Still, they trusted God.

We can’t expect the Lord always to do as we ask or to give us exactly what we want. (In my own prayers, I stopped telling God how to fulfill my requests a long time ago.) Even so, we can be sure He will always do what is right and will always act in the long-term best interests of everyone involved. No matter how your circumstances turn out after earnest prayer, assure yourself with these words —repeat them as often as necessary: The Lord is right in all His ways (see Deut. 32:4 and Dan. 4:37).