236. PETER ESCAPES FROM PRISON
"Of a surety the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the, people of the Jews".
The persecution of the sect known as the "Way " was but the beginning of troublous times. From the stoning of Stephen a wave of persecution was unleashed upon the ecclesia at Jerusalem causing many to flee. This was turned to the advantage of the Truth by the Gospel being carried throughout Asia Minor. But back in Jerusalem the anxiety of the ecclesia was increased by the effects of a famine which ravaged the territory of Judea. To add to these difficulties, Herod Agrippa 1 sought a way to raise his popularity amongst the Jews by arresting certain important members of the ecclesia. He had not long returned from Rome and had noticed the hatred the Jews felt for the followers of Jesus (now called Christians).
Acts 12
THE DEATH OF JAMES (verses 1-2).
About eleven years had passed since the ascension of Jesus to heaven. It was about the year 44, and King Herod Agrippa 1 was at the height of his power. He was anxious to gain the favour of the Jews and quickly found that the easiest way to win general approval and popularity was to persecute the ecclesia. He was a ruthless and ambitious king who masked his lust for power by a hypocritical following of Jewish religious customs. So whilst saying publicly that he served God, he secretly plotted and schemed ways of persecuting the true people of God, the followers of Jesus. This wicked king began his campaign of terror upon the ecclesia by seizing one of the ecclesial leaders. James, the brother of John, was arrested and executed "with the sword", which means that he was publicly beheaded.
This cruel and merciless murder threw the ecclesia into shock and mourning. They feared for their lives and the safety of their leaders. Herod, however, was greatly pleased. He saw that his action had pleased the Jews and Judaism had struck a blow against Christianity. His lust for power was not satisfied at this terrible murder, but only served to increase his desire to shed the blood of innocent victims. He decided to arrest Peter. He knew how important Peter had become and what effect his arrest would have on the already shaken ecclesia.
PETER IS IMPRISONED (verses 3-5).
Herod Agrippa stepped up his campaign of violence against the brethren and sisters at Jerusalem by seizing Peter but because it was on the eve of the Passover, he decided to keep Peter in prison until the feast days were over. He did not want to upset the Jews by disturbing their religious services. What an evil, hypocritical king this man was. He pretended to respect the Jewish ceremonies but in his heart, he was impatient at the delay in carrying out his death threat upon Peter.
Peter was therefore shut up in prison until the end of the seven days' Feast of Unleavened Bread that followed on and was a part of the Passover Festival. Every security was taken to see there was no possible way for Peter to escape. Not only was he bound with a double chain attached to two members of the guard, but two others were also on watch outside the entrance to the prison-ward.
Peter's imprisonment drew the members of the ecclesia very close together. They could only do one thing and that was to turn to God in prayer. So for the rest of that week, day and night, the ecclesia prayed "without ceasing unto God for him" (v.5). They could well have had in mind the past deliverance of Israel out of Egypt at the time of Passover and here the ecclesia was fervently praying for deliverance from a cruel ruler.
The feast was rapidly drawing to a close, and still Herod's plan remained unchanged. The last night before the day of execution saw the brethren and sisters gathered together in prayer at the house of Mary the mother of John Mark.
PETER ESCAPES FROM PRISON (verses 6-11).
Whilst the ecclesia was anxiously praying and counting the hours, Peter remained quite calm. Throughout the long week he also had prayed and now he was quite resigned to whatever would take place on the morrow. So in the midst of increasing activity on the part of Herod and the ecclesia, Peter slept. What a contrast Peter shows to the Peter who denied his Master in the court of Caiaphas. He had then roughly denied with an oath that he was a follower of Christ, but that seemed a long time ago as now he calmly awaited the persecutions that he was prepared to suffer for Christ's sake. His faith had matured and despite the horrifying prospects of the morrow he rested quietly.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by Peter and filled the dark prison with a bright light. He was shaken awake and heard the instructions to stand up quickly. Immediately his chains fell off from his hands. "Bind on your girdle (belt) and your sandals" continued the angel. As in a dream Peter obeyed and wrapping his cloak about him as instructed, he followed the angel out of the prison. It all seemed a little unreal to Peter, for "he wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision" (v.9). They left, passing unseen by the guards both inside and outside the ward. At last they reached the large, heavy, outer gate of the prison, which opened up of itself as they approached, leaving the guards standing as though in trance. They walked along one street in the city when suddenly the angel left him alone. He looked around in astonishment. He was free! His prayers had been answered in an amazing way. He now knew "of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews" (v.11).
For a moment he thought over his remarkable deliverance.
THE ASTONISHED ECCLESIA (verses 12-17).
Having got his bearing, Peter hurried to those who were anxiously praying for him. Although it was very late there was still a large number of brethren and sisters gathered together. He found the door securely bolted for fear of the Jewish authorities. When a young sister named Rhoda heard Peter's knocking and recognised his voice, she quickly ran back inside leaving Peter standing outside. Overwhelmed with joy, she excitedly told the others that Peter was at the gate. They thought she was mad. But she insisted that it was Peter. They then thought it must be his messenger (or "angel" as the word can signify). The tension of the nights of prayer and anxiety prevented them from believing in somethings that seemed too good to be true.
The knocking continued, however, until curiosity finally got the better of them, and opening the door, they beheld the beloved apostle Peter before their eyes. Excitedly they began to speak, asking him questions: but Peter quietened them down and explained how that the Lord had delivered him. He told them to inform James (the Lord's brother and a leader of the ecclesia) and the brethren. It was not wise, nor safe, for Peter to stay with the brethren, and therefore, having given them instructions, he left immediately to hide in another place.
JUDGMENT ON HEROD AGRIPPA (verses 18-25).
In the morning, Herod sent for Peter, only to find him missing. No explanation could be given. Peter was no longer in prison. Herod became suspicious that the guards had deliberately helped Peter to escape. The soldiers were fearful of the penalty handed out to guards who allowed a prisoner to escape. They did not fear in vain. They were examined by torture and put to death.
Shortly after this, Herod was the special guest at a public ceremony designed by the people to win his favour. Standing before the crowds in splendid royal apparel, he made a public oration to them. The crowd, anxious to flatter the king, cried out their praise, "it is the voice of a god, and not of a man". In Herod's mind this placed him as equal to the Roman Emperor who was looked upon as a god and worshipped. He loved the applause and his heart swelled in pride.
But immediately the angel of the Lord smote him with a terrible and painful disease. Within five days he died in agony. So Yahweh dealt with this persecutor of His people. The ecclesia recognised his death as a sign of divine judgment, and was encouraged by these events to believe that although God had brought them all through anxious times, He nevertheless overshadows the lives of all. They could see the hand of God's providence working in their lives, and in the nation, to bring about His will. With that renewed faith the brethren gave themselves to the work of the Truth, and the word of God grew and multiplied (v.24).
LESSONS FOR US.
The righteous judgments of God blazed forth against a wicked king who had slain one of the ecclesial leaders and imprisoned another. This taught the ecclesia, and us, that God rules in the kingdom of men and men cannot persecute His people without receiving the just punishments of God.
In the midst of trouble, Peter and his brethren and sisters set a good example for us in turning to God in prayer. The "effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" is the advice of James (5:16). God will hear our prayers but He will decide, in His wisdom, when to answer them. He can do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20), and this was demonstrated in the remarkable answer to their prayers when Peter was miraculously delivered.
In the deliverance of Peter and the judgment upon Herod, the ecclesia understood the overshadowing care of God for His people. We, like them, can be brought through difficult times by the loving, guiding hand of God. We can show our appreciation for His guidance by accepting gratefully His call and dedicate ourselves in His service. If we do that then we will be assisting the Word of God to grow and multiply even in these last, perilous days of the Gentiles.
REFERENCE LIBRARY:
"The Story of the Bible" (H. P. Mansfield)—Vol. 13, pp. 93-100
PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:
1. Why did Herod Agrippa slay James?
2. Show how the ecclesia and Peter showed a trust in the power of prayer at the time of Peter's imprisonment.
3. Describe how Peter was delivered from prison.
4. How did God show His judgments upon Herod Agrippa?
ESSAY QUESTION
1. Describe the imprisonment and deliverance of Peter from prison as recorded in Acts 12.