God Speaks
About that time King Herod Agrippa[a] 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.[b]) 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.
Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison
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[c] 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.
18 At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn’t be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.
The Death of Herod Agrippa
20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, 21 and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. 22 The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”
23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.
24 Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.
25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned,[d] taking John Mark with them.
Footnotes
- 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.
- 12:25 Or mission, they returned to Jerusalem. Other manuscripts read mission, they returned from Jerusalem; still others read mission, they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: About the time of the famine prophesied in Acts chapter 11, Herod Agrippa I had James (the brother of John) killed. He intended to have Peter killed as well, but because it was the time of Passover, he temporarily imprisoned him. Even though he was guarded by four squads of soldiers, Peter was released by an angel. When Peter realized he was free, he went to John Mark’s mother’s house where people were praying for him. There he showed them that he was truly alive and free and told them to spread the word. Herod was so upset by Peter’s “escape” that he had the negligent guards executed instead. Because of his pride Herod accepted the flattery of the people of Tyre and Sidon who called him a god. He should have honored the true and living God. As a result, God dealt with him in very severe manner causing his death.
While reading this commentary on Acts 12, I found the following statement that was very reassuring when puzzling over conundrums like why God allowed Herod to have James killed while sparing Peter’s life: “It is good to know that, no matter how difficult the trials or how disappointing the news, God is still on the throne and has everything under control. We may not always understand His ways, but we know His sovereign will is best.” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe, published by David C. Cook, 2007 p. 362)
Prayer: Suffering Savior, please keep us close to You in the midst of persecution, suffering (of any kind), and death. Keep us earnestly praying for You to release the prisoners. Set them free naturally, supernaturally, spiritually, physically, or whatever way You see fit. Give us such peace and trust in You that, like Peter, we will be able to sleep amid trying circumstances. May we, like Rhoda, recognize answers to prayer and run to tell others. May we not doubt or quibble when You answer our prayers in unexpected ways. When You send us a miracle, may we, like Peter, calmly relate it, encourage others to share the news, and go on with the work, letting You have all the glory. May we never be so desperate that we, like the people of Tyre and Sidon, flatteringly worship an evil man like Herod, whom You struck down because he took Your praise to himself. May the work and word of God increase and multiply as leaders like Barnabas and Saul train the next generation like John Mark. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will visit a Christian who is “suffering well,” praising and glorifying God in the midst of their physical, emotional, or societal pain. I hope both to encourage and learn from them.
- I will write letters of encouragement to “suffering saints” both near and far away.
- I will join other believers in praying for persecuted Christians around the world.
- I will mentor a younger believer, modeling for them what it means to follow and trust Christ even in the tough times.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.