Commentary by Ron Beckham

Verse 1.  "Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them."

This is Herod Agrippa, I, grandson of Herod the Great. He was not only tetrarch of Galilee (like Herod Antipas), but he also had the government of Judea given to him by Caesar Claudius. His residence was mostly at Jerusalem, where he was at this time. The Herods were originally Edomites, but Josephus the historian, said this one (Herod Agrippa, I) was "zealous for the Mosaic rites." He had become a convert to Judaism.

Nothing much has been said about persecuting the Church, since the time Saul (Paul) was blinded and converted to Christ. What happened to him seemed to take the heart right out of the Jerusalem persecutors for awhile. (Not anymore, for Herod was now on the warpath). Notice that this "religious" man was a persecutor of God’s people. We must be sure that our love of God is greater than our love of religion. This "convert" was now laying violent hands on the people of our Lord.

Verse 2.  "And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword."

This is the "James" who was the brother of John, and as related in Mark 3:17, he was one of two of the original 12-apostles nicknamed "Boanerges" or "Sons of Thunder" by our Lord. It certainly is no guarantee of safety that we are close to our Lord, as James was. We can be sick, financially bankrupt, die, be divorced, go out of business, or end up in jail; all while we are close to Him. There is a great purpose being done in our lives, though, and whether we live or die, we belong to Him.

James ended up the same way Paul did – killed with a sword. Paul said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). He knew, as we need to know, that our real home is with Jesus Christ – HE IS our home. Whether we prosper (live) in this body or not is irrelevant, for to LIVE IS Christ. Don’t be afraid of anything or anybody. Any "damage" to your life is only temporary – HE WILL lift you up!

Verse 3.  "When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread."

Herod felt "lucky" after his murder of James the Apostle. There was no uprising of the people, and no lightning bolt came down from heaven. He figured that if he could kill one of the Christian leaders, he could gradually get rid of them all. Note that it "pleased" the Jewish leaders – Herod was a politician who wanted to stay in power, and he bent to every political wind that came his way. You and I must learn to follow the will of God, and not be ruled by the opinions of people.

We can see from this verse that the dignitaries of that time seemed to have no problem with breaking their own laws. In other words, events like the murder of James and the arrest of Peter, were not supposed to occur during the Passover, but they did it anyway. Little has changed, for people (and the leaders of people) seem to obey the law when it suits them, and break it when they think they won’t get caught. Peter had been arrested before, and then went free, but now there was a difference – Now James had been jailed, and then he was successfully killed by a sword. They would try to get Peter again.

Verse 4.  "When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people."

"Four squads" is a total of 16-soldiers – to guard one man! Here was Herod Agrippa, I, an adept politician who left nothing to chance. Sixteen strong, armed men would imprison this former fisherman, and note the timing: He would bring Peter out right "after the Passover" when only modest objections would likely be made as to the murder of yet another man of God.

Herod made the mistake we often do, and that is to decide we are somehow able to "think of everything." We can never do that, because we are just people, and Almighty God is simply OUTSIDE of our human limits. Those who fight against God (and His prophets) can never protect their schemes, because He can reach right into our darkest intentions.

Verse 5.  "So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God."

Matthew Henry raises the interesting observation that James was taken quickly and killed in a hurry, whereas Peter’s execution was to be delayed – which gave the Church an opportunity to pray. From that perspective, these verses reveal the differences between earnest prayer and its’ lack. There is no mention of prayer for James, but the Church was now united in earnest prayer for the imprisoned Peter.

When you pray, never give up – Luke 18:1-8, is an interesting command, in parable form, that we are to persist in prayer. We are "to pray and not lose heart" (verse 1), and "shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily" (verses 7-8). God answers prayer.

Verse 6. "On 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."

The Passover was now completed and it was time to kill Peter. Herod must have been rubbing his hands together in glee and anticipation. He would kill them all (the Christians), or so he thought. Peter, on the other hand, was asleep. J. Vernon McGee observed that this was the same Peter who fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemene. He apparently was not troubled with insomnia.

Peter’s circumstance was impossible. You might remember this, when your situation appears to have no solution. There were guards all around him. He was chained, probably to them and to the wall. There were guards outside the door and as it says, they were not asleep – they were watching! But we shall see that which they could not – God was with Peter, and so were His holy angels.

Verse 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."

Here we are taken behind the scenes of this world, into the unseen that is all around us. We are seeing, in this verse, answered prayer. For once, the Church was united in prayer. Stephen was dead (Acts 7:54-60), James was dead (Acts 12:1-2), and Peter was on death row. It has been correctly asked, what if one farmer, with one kind of crop, was praying for rain, and another farmer, with another kind, prayed it would not rain? What would happen?

This is typical of the Church, for we are often not united in prayer. Here in this verse is typically what happens when we are united in prayer: God answers our need. An angel was directed to respond; the light of God shone into the situation; Peter was awakened (Ephesians 5:14, "awake sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you"); and the chains fell off his body (and his life was saved). Prayer can set you free. Agree with one another and pray fervently together – prayer can set you free.

Verse 8. "And the angel said to him, ‘Gird yourself and put on your sandals.’ And he did so. And he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’"

Peter was still half asleep (see commentary on verse 6 – he had no trouble sleeping) and was just standing there. The angel had to tell him to get dressed ("gird yourself"), and then, "put on your (shoes)". And even then, Peter was not awake enough to put on his outer cloak. It was like trying to cause a child to get dressed. (We tend to be like children for we are children).

Verse 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."

Peter did not know if he was awake or asleep, in a vision or not. This leads me to think the visions of Peter (an example is Acts 11:54 & context), must have been quite profound. He was so caught up on them, that this earth must have seemed to fade away. Look at Psalm 73:20, where Asaph is discussing the fate of those who reject God.

He is pointing out that those who reject God often seem to have it "made" at times but this life is not the end. This life will seem "like a dream when one awakes" as the reality of eternity is suddenly encountered. Because visions were so real to him, Peter did not know for sure what was happening, but like a newly awakened child, he followed the angel from the cell.

Verse 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."

They (the angel and Peter) passed the first guards (at the door of the cell) and then the second set of them (at the door of the prison), and this is interesting – these guards were awake (see verse 6 – they "were watching"). They passed right in front of alert guards who did not see them at all. The fervent prayer of a united Church was heard and answered – Peter was being set free!

Notice that the iron gate to the city "opened for them by itself." Matthew Henry compared this to the Red Sea, which opened for the children of Israel. There is no barrier in your life or mine that cannot be opened by the fervent prayer of God’s people, when we are one in His Spirit – "He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Note the angel now vanished, for the need had passed.

Verse 11. "When Peter came 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 that the Jewish people were expecting.’"

Peter finally woke up (see preceding verses). He had not been fully awake while the angel was rescuing him, and he did not know whether this was a dream or if it was really happening. Now he knew. He was out of prison. He saw that this was an actual angel of God sent to rescue him, and he was free(!) from the clutches of Herod Agrippa, I, and from the intentions of the Jewish leaders.

It’s time for us to wake up, to realize that God has sent his angels and delivered us often from an enemy who would kill us, or assign us to some kind of living death. Just go visit in a prison or in a hospital and see how blessed you are. Think about the opportunities you have to tell of Christ. If you think you have nothing, you still have the opportunity to receive our Lord. Thank Him and praise Him, for He was sent to rescue us all – He was sent to rescue you.

Verse 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."

This was the John Mark who accompanied Barnabas and Paul (Acts 12:25). He was their helper (Acts 13:5). This was the cousin (some say nephew) of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) who left them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Paul refused to take him back (Acts 15:37-40), and Barnabas and Paul broke up with each other over him. But later, Paul found this same John Mark to be useful and valuable (2 Timothy 4:11). This young man was the author of the Book of Mark (Mark 1:1). He must, at some point, have been closely associated with Peter, for the early Church taught that "Mark" (the Book) consisted of the recollections of Peter, as told to Mark. And sure enough, in 1 Peter 5:13, Peter referred to him as "my son, Mark."

His mother’s (Mary’s) house was large enough to accommodate a lot of believers ("many were gathered" as in this verse), suggesting they were people of wealth. If he came from a "soft" (wealthy) background, it would partly explain why he drew back and would not continue with the missionary journey of Barnabas and Paul. The door of this spacious dwelling was about to receive a knock from the Apostle Peter.

Verse 13. "When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer."

When Peter knocked at the door, a servant girl (Rhoda) responded. The fact that John Mark and his mother Mary had at least one servant, is another suggestion that their financial condition was more than adequate. (Some have money, by the way, so that God may use that wealth to bless others). You are not your own, and your money is yours for God’s purposes, rather than your own.

Note that the house was filled with people who were praying for the deliverance of Simon Peter (verse 5). And it was Peter who was knocking at their door. I think that sometimes the answers to our prayers are knocking at the doors of our lives, and we just don’t understand. Listen with your heart, for God is responding to you.

Verse 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."

Rhoda the servant girl was a Christian like the rest, and she was filled with joy when she recognized the voice of Peter, who was saying something like "Rhoda, let me in." But she didn’t, and instead she impulsively ran back to tell the others. It may be that because of the persecution (verses 1-3, and forward), she had been ordered by Mary to not open the door without her mistresses’ permission.

Peter at the door was the very answer they had been fervently seeking in prayer (verse 5). While they were still praying, there he was! In Isaiah 65:24, we are taught "before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear." In the next verse (65:5), we see the familiar "the wolf and the lamb shall graze together." We in the Church are often as different from one another as the wolf and the lamb, and yet it is important that we "graze" together in prayer, as one before our God.

Verse 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.’"

They were saying things to Rhoda, like, "Shut up, girl, you’re nuts," or "Be quiet, can’t you see we’re praying!" Yes, they were praying, and even though they were fervent in this religious act, their response suggests they thought Peter was already dead, and it was his "ghost" at the door. None of that was true, for Peter, the answer to their prayers (verse 5), was even now at the door, right at that moment, unable to get in.

We tend to not believe. In our zeal to not receive that which is false, we are apt to keep evidence of the miraculous right out of our lives. To her credit, Rhoda (which means "rose bush") kept on insisting it was really Peter at the door.

Verse 16. "But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed."

Many think of the early Church as filled with great faith, and in some cases that was true. But most of them were just like we are – We hope our prayers will be answered but often we really don’t expect them to be. These people were praying for Peter fervently (verse 5) but they were astonished when their prayers were answered."

Peter was the answer they sought, and they would not let him in! Peter knew he was there, because he was him! Rhoda knew he was there, but they would not listen. This suggests that those of the early Church, had just as much trouble believing as we do.

Verse 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 James and the brethren.’ Then he left and went to another place."

Finally, they were starting to believe this was actually Peter, and they must have been all shouting at the same time, for he had to motion them to be quiet – he knew Herod would be looking, and for them to be loud, could mean death for them all. He then told them everything about how the Lord had sent an angel to rescue him from prison. Then came a caution that the other James and the "brethren" must be told, and he left for a different, safer place.

The question has been asked, how did Peter know to go to this house (of Mary and John Mark). The answer is two-fold: 1) He was a leader of the Church and would know where they were meeting, and 2) the same Lord who released from prison, led him there.

Verse 18. "Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter."

You bet they were disturbed! The soldiers had thought they did everything right and then everything went wrong! The prisoner (Peter) was gone! These guys were good at what they did, but excellence in performance is not enough. If every part of our being is spent trying to please our earthly masters, we will eventually fail and be destroyed by them. I have seen that in the corporate boardroom, for many I have known – just about the time you think you can do it perfectly, something you never heard of before pops up, and all is lost. They were in big trouble, as we shall see in the next verse.

And by the way, YOU can never control all the events of your life. There are supernatural events happening in relation to our lives that are not within our awareness or our control, but they are reflected in our lives. Just about the time you think you’ve thought of everything, World War III or IV or something occurs, and all "bets" are off. We need to do our best but we also need to trust in God.   And God WILL bring us through.

Verse 19. "When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there."

Herod sent out his search parties, but wherever Peter went after he left the house of Mary and John Mark (verses 12 and 17), they couldn’t find him. Herod was not a pleasant man (none of the Herods were), and he turned his attentions to the guards who had been guarding Peter. "He examined them" means he had them tortured, much like Jesus was "examined" (Luke 23:14), which really meant tortured (Matthew 27:26 and forward).

Then he (Herod) had them killed. Historically, guards have paid the price of the escaping prisoner. Matthew Henry wrote about 250-years ago, and his commentary is interesting in relation to this verse: "With us (the England of his time), if but a prisoner for debt escape, the sheriff must answer for the debt." Throughout history, to become a jailer has been a difficult career choice.

Herod was wearied from all of this, and he left the irksome Judea, in favor of the luxury and opulence of Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Verse 20. "Now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king's chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king's country."

"Very angry" or "highly displeased" in the Greek, carries the meaning of "having a hostile spirit" against someone, and includes "maintaining a strong resentment". It describes "a state of feeling which may exist before war, during war, and after war, when only a hollow peace has been made" (Joseph Excell). Since the time of Solomon, there had been a history of trade between Palestine, which supplied wheat, in return for timber from Tyre and Sidon. But they had recently been at war. Blastus had the king’s ear, and his enemies were asking for peace through him.

These negotiations took Herod’s attention away from his search for Peter, and also diverted him from persecuting Christians in general. I like Proverbs 21:1 – "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." Our politicians tend to think they make their own decisions, but they don’t. God is patiently unfolding history (and your life and mine), in a manner designed to protect His loved ones and to bring us to renewed faith in God

Verse 21. "On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them."

Josephus the historian, reported Herod Agrippa I "wore royal robes that were made of woven silver." His appearance would have been in sharp contract to the rough robes of Peter, and also those of Barnabas and Saul (verse 25). But Herod the "magnificent" had just a few moments to live, and then he would be sent to the hell he intended for Peter and the others. We are judged by how we treat other people. Herod loved himself and only tolerated others if they flattered him.

He took the rostrum and began delivering a speech to them. It was a very good speech, which can definitely be inferred by the response of the people as recorded in verse 22. But also note that not one word of his speech is recorded in history. It is as though he never spoke. But we have the words of Peter and Paul, and their words speak to the hearts of millions of people, even today. To work against God and the people of God is simply a waste of time.

Verse 22. "The people kept crying out," ‘The voice of a god and not of a man!’"

Herod was quite the talker. In our day, he might have been a radio announcer or a talk show host (or a politician). He apparently had a great voice and a commanding manner. He likely was a competent leader, from a human point of view. God gives and gives and gives to all of us, in one way or another – if we have nothing, we have the opportunity to place our faith in Him (which is everything). Herod had been given much, but in his pride, he was about to lose everything he had.

Verse 23. "And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died."

If you have money, or talent, intelligence or wit, good looks, fame, charisma, or whatever, it is God who gave you those characteristics. (For His purposes). We are responsible before a holy God to credit Him (the Author) and not somehow take the glory for ourselves. The penalty for violating this holy ordinance – is death! The crown was God’s gift to Herod, and Herod’s smiling acceptance of the words given about him (verse 22) implied that he somehow gave himself that gift. He paid a price for this sin of omission. That which had been given to him, was now taken away.

We have an affirmative duty to give God the glory. There is no pastor who speaks from a pulpit in the power of the Lord, or a worker who speaks powerfully to a co-worker about Christ, except the Spirit of God acts through them. The one who is swept up by the Spirit in prayer, is drawn to do so by the Lord. We are all just like the cup on the table – the water it contains is there because it was filled by a hand not its own. The Spirit who enables the Christian to speak or act is the Holy Spirit of God - we must glorify God and not ourselves.

Verse 24. "But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied."

Note that Peter the Christian was alive and Herod Agrippa the (former) king was dead. God clearly intervened at least twice to thwart Herod’s plots and also to answer the prayers of God’s people (verse 5). And the Word of the Lord, which Herod intended to stamp out, "continued to grow and to be multiplied." Jesus is victor, in your life and in mine.

My suggestion to you, as you read these words – if you ever have in mind attempting to stamp out the Word of the Lord, you will be stopped. "The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). God will defend His Word, and God will defend His people.

Verse 25. "And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark."

We had a considerable discussion of John Mark, in relation to the commentary on verse 12. It is sufficient to say at this point, that this young man was to become the human author of the Book of Mark, which the early Church regarded as the recollections of Peter (as told to Mark).

Mark is interesting (again, see commentary on verse 12), because he was (from Paul’s perspective) going to fail as a missionary. This is important to us all, because we all have failed in something or other, and we will fail again. The word "human" applies here – If we don’t fail, sooner or later, we wouldn’t be human beings. Note (commentary on verse 12), God (and Paul) took John Mark back into fellowship.

All of our failures were paid for on the Cross of Christ, and we can never truly fail because we are in Him. Outwardly we can, but where it is important, we are HIS, and as Corrie Ten Boom often said, "Jesus is VICTOR", and we are victorious in Him.

Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org