1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and 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 followed him. 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 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. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, 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 brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The church had experienced a period of peace from persecution since Saul’s conversion but now it rose up again under Herod (Herod Agrippa I). Herod had James, brother of John and one of the inner circle of disciples, killed with a sword. Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he had Peter arrested and put into prison. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened bread which would have brought back memories of the Passion of Jesus and reminded them that disciples may share in Jesus’ suffering. Possibly remembering the apostles’ escape (Acts 5:17-26), Herod had Peter guarded by four squads of soldiers while he waited for the end of Passover to bring him before the people. While Peter was in prison, the church prayed for him in earnest.
On the night before Herod was planning on bringing Peter out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and with two sentries guarding his door. Then an angel appeared next to him and a light shone in his cell. The angel struck him on the side and told him to get up. His chains fell off his hands and he was told to get dressed, put on his sandals, wrap his cloak around him and follow him. Peter obeyed and followed the angel but all the while he thought he was experiencing a vision. After passing the first and second guard, they came to an iron gate which opened by itself. Once the angel had him free, he left him. Then Peter realised that the Lord had sent an angel to rescue him. All of the attempts to secure Peter did nothing to restrain God’s hand.
Peter headed to Mary’s house where many disciples were praying. Mary was the mother of John Mark who would later write the gospel of Mark based on Peter’s eyewitness testimony. When Peter knocked at the door, a servant girl named Rhoda answered. She recognised Peter’s voice and in her joy, she ran to report Peter’s arrival but forgot to open the gate for him. The believers, who had been praying for his release, didn’t believe her and thought she was out of her mind. After insisting that she had seen him, they conceded that she had seen something and reckoned it was his angel (Matt 18:10). Peter continued to knock, and when they finally opened and saw him, they were amazed. He told them to be quiet and then described how the Lord had aided his escape. Then he told them to pass the message on to James (Jesus’ half brother and leader of the Jerusalem church) and those at the Jerusalem church. Then he left them for another place.
Consider how you pray. Do you pray with the expectation that God can do what you ask of Him? Or do you pray thinking that a situation is hopeless because it seems that way from the human perspective? Where have you seen God work around human limitations that can bolster your faith for future prayer?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Grace is Sufficient: 2 Corinthians 11-13