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Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends;
Today we begin a new month, June, and as always, I invite us to pause for a few seconds to reflect on the month just concluded, May. What wonderful experiences did you have in May? What important life lessons did you learn in May? What significant decisions did you make which may affect the remainder of your life? Now… what do you think June might hold for you and me? Aren’t you glad God already sees every moment of the month ahead, and the Holy Spirit of God is ready to lead us through June?
Yesterday I left you in Jerusalem with Barnabas and Saul. They had come with a substantial, and sacrificially given offering, to help those struggling under both the iron fist of Rome but also a tragic famine. (Acts 11:30) Did you notice this widespread famine actually occurred during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius, who reigned from 41-44ad. (Acts 11:28)
That little historical fact helps us locate the approximate time in history for the events of Acts 12. As we read the Bible, my friends, it’s important to watch for those indicators which help us shape timeframes, because if you’re like me, we get caught up in the story and forget to pause and try to grasp the timeline.
Dr. Luke, the human author of the Bible book of Acts, now draws our attention to what was happening among the apostles in Jerusalem, who had been trying to manage this remarkable spiritual phenomenon, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, almost 20 years before. Luke writes: “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 met with approval among the Jews, Herod proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.” (Acts 12:1-3)
Pause. Who is the king Herod? His title/name was actually Herod Agrippa I. He was the grandson of King Herod the Great, who had reigned in Jerusalem when Jesus was born. You’ll remember king Herod the Great had sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill infant boys under age 2, in his attempt to eliminate this ‘newborn king of the Jews’. (Matt. 2:16)
You may remember king Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great and during his reign this vicious Herod had John the Baptist beheaded! (Matt. 14:3-12) Now with Herod Agrippa I we find a third generation of the ruling Herod family in full opposition to what God is doing among His people.
Herod’s execution of James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, is now the second, high profile martyr in this early Christian movement. You’ll recall Stephen was the first. (Acts 7:57-60)
Barnabas and Saul had come from Syrian Antioch to bring much needed financial help to the starving Christians in Jerusalem. But suddenly they found themselves in the middle of great persecution and even bloodshed. With the apostle Peter also imprisoned, and probably scheduled for death, this was a critical moment in the Jesus movement, and did you notice it was happening during the Passover Festival time?
I imagine every Passover was a special time for that first generation of Christians as they remembered the crucifixion and celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, their Savior! Perhaps some even revisited Golgotha hill or went back to that empty tomb? Oh my, how their world had changed since Jesus’ death and resurrection!
King Herod was obviously a vicious man intent on silencing the followers of Jesus. Herod was disliked by the Jews and when Herod saw the killing of James seemed to please especially the Jewish religious leaders, Herod imprisoned the most influential of all the followers of Jesus, the apostle Peter.
Acts 12 tells us Peter was guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Peter was shackled with irons on both his legs and arms, in a dungeon, “But the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” (Acts 12:5)
May I ask you friends, does that little phrase mean anything significant to you? Is prayer something you engage in with confidence that God hears your prayer? Are you confident God cares about your prayer and has the power to do something in response to your prayer?
These first century Christians believed that with all their soul, that’s why they prayed earnestly! They knew if Peter would also be killed, the Christian movement would be severely affected. God’s response to their prayer is very exciting, do you see it in the next verses?
“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 shown in the cell.” (Acts 12:6,7) I love that picture! King Herod had done the best he could, with the human resources available to him, to make Peter’s imprisonment secure. God sent only ONE angel, and the next verses tell us the irons fell off Peter’s hands and legs; the guards either went into a deep sleep or were oblivious; and the prison gate opened wide by itself!!
Peter and the angel simply walked out of that impenetrable dungeon! Sounds very similar to how one angel, sent by God, opened the jail and freed all of the apostles in that same Jerusalem, about 15 years before! Remember that? (Acts 5:18-21)
I find it fascinating that after the angel had brought Peter safely out of the prison, suddenly the angel left Peter, a freed man! (Acts 12:10) Peter had an important decision to make...where should he go? What should he do now? How often has God done that with you and me? Delivered us out of a difficult situation, then left us to decide what to do next!?
What we do next AFTER God does what only God can do, is very important because it proves to ourselves and those watching us, what the authenticity is of our faith in God and our discernment of God’s guidance in our lives.
Peter made an important decision. He must have instinctively known some Jerusalem Christians would be gathered at Mary’s house earnestly praying for Peter, so he went there! Peter knew it would be important for those praying to see him AND hear Peter’s story of how God answered their prayer! But Peter also knew time was of the essence and he needed to leave Jerusalem as quickly as possible for certainly Herod would demand a wide-spread search to find Peter!
Let’s pause right here. You choose. You can walk with Peter to the prayer meeting, or you can sit in the prayer meeting unaware Peter is about to knock on the door. Either way, what does the Holy Spirit want you and me to learn in this remarkable situation?
How strong is your trust in God? Do you know this same situation is happening many times every day, all around the world in our day! Earnest people are crying out for God’s help in desperate situations! Is God listening?
“Lessons learned” study notes for further study are available at the link just below, and then a wonderful worship song which I hope will draw you into a time of prayer. And I’ll meet you in Mary’s house tomorrow and we’ll see what God does.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 12:1-11.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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