Over the last few chapters, we have observed how God has advanced the gospel beyond the borders of Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria; he has literally moved his people, with the message of the gospel on their lips, into some of the most remote and unlikely places of the known world.
First, he moved the gospel into Gentile territory with Peter ministering to Cornelius (CH 10). Then he moved the gospel into the Vegas of the Middle East with Barnabas and others ministering in the sin city of Antioch (11:19 – 30).
Now, in the verses we are studying today, God moves our attention back to Jerusalem for a final glimpse of his ongoing care of the church there before he continues the advancement of the gospel to the ends of the earth. The main thrust of what we see back in Jerusalem is open hostility to God’s people and the message of the gospel.
Hostility towards God’s people and to the message of the gospel is nothing new and it comes in many shapes and forms throughout the Bible as well as in our own human experience. Whether it is our own daily fight against sin or the suffering we face with physical, emotional, and mental sicknesses or the pain we endure at the hands of human enemies, one thing is certain, wherever God’s people are and wherever the message of the gospel is advancing, there will always be opposition and hostility.
In our story today, there is an evil king named Herod who is openly hostile to God’s people and the message they are preaching. While we can be certain that the forces of Satan, Sin, and Death are behind Herod’s hostility (because our fight is not against flesh and blood according to Ephesians 6) we can also see that Herod was a formidable and deadly enemy of God and his bride, the church. Look at the text with me…
1About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4And 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. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6Now 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. 7And 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. 8And 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.” 9And 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. 10When they had passed the first and 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. 11When 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.”
12When 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. 13And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15They 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!” 16But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17But 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.
18Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
20Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24But the word of God increased and multiplied.
#1: HEROD MURDERS JAMES AND ARRESTS PETER (VV. 1 – 5)
Our text begins in verses 1 – 5 with a bloodbath and a frightening arrest as the evil king, Herod, violently persecutes God’s people, he murders James publicly with a sword, and he arrests Peter with intent to have him executed as soon as the celebration of the Passover is complete.
I can imagine how frightening and confusing these events would have been for God’s people. We are not far removed from the Passover in which Jesus was murdered. So, it seems plausible that God’s people may have had that gruesome image on their minds of Christ being murdered on a cross, high on the hill of Calvary, in full public view, as Herod began to unleash his bloody attack on them.
Nothing can drive us to our knees quicker than the unleashing of unexpected suffering, persecution, and horror. And this is exactly where the church is at the end of these verses – on their knees, in prayer amidst their fear and confusion. How often do you and I literally fall to our knees in desperation when the forces of Satan, Sin, and Death rear their ugly heads against us?
#2: GOD SETS PETER FREE (VV. 6 – 11)
In verses 6 – 11 God shows up in a stunningly miraculous way. At the last moment, when Herod was preparing to bring Peter out of his jail cell for his public execution, an angel of the Lord shows up in a dazzling display of bright light, shining into the darkness of Peter’s prison cell, he strikes Peter on the side, Peter’s chains miraculously fall off, the angel instructs Peter to get dressed, they walk through the prison doors that seem to automatically open as they walk towards them, and the angel escorts Peter a few blocks away and then disappears, leaving Peter with the realization that God had just rescued him “from all that the Jewish people were expecting” (v. 11).
When we go to the Lord in desperate prayer over a frightening and disorienting situation, sometimes he shows up in a way that far exceeds our expectations. There are definitely times when God says “no” to our prayers. And there are definitely times when God says “not now” to our requests. But when God says “yes” to our cries for his help, he typically does it in a way that brings full attention to his power and provision.
I think the intent behind God’s sovereignty in how and when he answers our prayers, is that he wants to draw us into a relationship of trust that is not dependent upon our expectations. What I mean by this is that the church – and even Peter for that matter – did not expect God to show up this way. It seems as though they expected Peter to be murdered and when God set him free, it was something that was beyond their expectations.
So, what were they praying for? I am certain they were praying for a miracle, but I do not think they were expecting it. Maybe they were praying for Peter to die honorably with the name of Christ on his lips and maybe they were praying for those who would watch the execution to hear the gospel and trust in Jesus as they observed Peter’s faithfulness even unto death.
The point here is that it seems like the church was relating to God without any of the conditions that our expectations usually put on a relationship. They knew that God would be faithful to them even in death and that he would be faithful to advance the gospel through any means necessary. Therefore, their prayers were the kind of communion with God that surpasses the shallow waters of our human expectations.
And the really cool thing, is that God actually answered in such a way as to completely exceed the churches expectations. When was the last time you experienced the freedom of not trying to control God with your expectations in prayer?
#3: PETER INTERRUPTS A PRAYER MEETING (VV. 12 – 17)
In verses 12 – 17, Peter shows up alive and well in the middle of the church’s prayer meeting. The girl who answers the door, in her excitement, does not even let Peter into the house as she runs back inside to let everyone know who is at the front door. Of course, because the church did not expect to see Peter alive again, they think the girl is crazy and that it is only Peter’s ghost. At some point they finally realize that Peter really is alive, and they let him into the house where he proceeds to explain the miraculous way that the Lord has set him free, and he instructs them to testify about this miracle to everyone they know.
Now I am certain that if we all took some time to write down all the things we are praying for, we would inevitably have many items on our lists that have not found some kind of resolution yet. We all struggle under the weight of things like sickness and disease, or weaknesses or needs or sin that we have not found full victory over.
I think that sometimes we get so focused on the things that have yet to be answered in our prayers to the Lord that we sometimes diminish or miss the things he has done or is doing. Maybe part of the lesson we could learn here is to not only go to the Lord in prayer but to also give thanks and to testify of the mighty things we have witnessed him doing. Far too often, we can be given to a “woe – is – me” kind of attitude when we should be given over to a “wow – over – Him” kind of an attitude.
How great would it be if the church not only communicated her needs in prayer and testimony but also proclaimed the miraculous power of God exceeding our expectations? I would challenge us to emulate Peter from this text by identifying some of the ways the Lord has shown up in our lives and then testify publicly to that experience. People who do not testify or give glory to the Lord wind up going from bad to worse.
#4: HEROD GOES FROM BAD TO WORST (VV. 18 – 23)
In verses 18 – 23, Herod goes from bad to worst and ultimately gets taken out by an angel of vengeance from the Lord. After Herod learns that Peter had escaped, he executes the guards and then heads over to Caesarea where he immediately finds himself in conflict with the people in the surrounding communities.
Those people in the surrounding communities relied heavily on Herod’s provision so they ask for peace and Herod speaks with them and they worship him as a god. Of course, Herod eats up the attention instead of glorifying God and an angel of the Lord strikes him down with a sickness that ends with him being eaten by worms from the inside out. What a gruesome way to go!
We cannot miss the significance of the fact that the one who violently murdered God’s people, was publicly executed by God in a humiliating and gruesome fashion. The moral of the story is that you cannot disrespect God and get away with it. God is the God of justice and sometimes he makes a public spectacle out of his enemies.
If you are suffering under the weight of the oppression of Satan, Sin, and Death – even at the hands of another human being – you can rest assured that God will eventually choke slam his opponents into the fiery depths of hell in a public display of his sovereign power.
CONCLUSION (V. 24)…
In conclusion, we have seen how God cares for his people to the extent that he not only sets Peter free from his prison cell, but he also takes out his enemies in a gruesome display of his power and authority. All of this is breathtaking when you think about it. But it is the final verse that brings everything home – it is the final verse that reminds us that it’s not just that God cares for his people (as comforting as that is and as important as that is) but overall God is about the advancement of the gospel.
When Luke closes out this episode, he attaches a final word about the Word of God (the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and returning) when he states that “the word of God increased and multiplied” (v. 24). The reality is that it does not matter when we die because death is merely the usher into God’s eternal presence. It also does not really matter who persecutes us because they will eventually get what is coming to them. What really matters is the advancement of the gospel because the gospel is the message of salvation for all who turn to our crucified, risen, and returning Savior.
The life we live here on this earth is merely a whisper in the wind or a blink of the eye in a small moment of the span of eternity. What really matters is whether or not the message of the gospel has taken root in our lives and whether or not it is increasing and multiplying in and through our lives. The primary way that the gospel increases and multiplies is through prayer amidst the suffering of this life.
Truly resting in the presence of God amidst hardship, begins with understanding that the bloody cross, the empty tomb, and the promise of Heaven are all centered on the person and work of Jesus and that through our faith in him we can come into right relationship with God.
From that foundation of believing the gospel, we are then enabled to rest in our Heavenly Father’s presence through prayer in the midst of any opposition or adversity. Prayer with our Heavenly Father is the safe place, the refuge, the shelter we long for when the going gets tough. In the midst of that refuge of prayer is where the gospel increases and multiplies in us and through us. – Amen!
1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).