The book of Acts
Herod arrests Peter but the Lord delivers him
Chapter 12
Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great, reigned in Judea for three years, from 42 to 44 AD. He was a favourite of the emperor Caligula, and wanted to please the Jews to maintain his position. To this end, he observed the rituals of Judaism, and "stretched out his hand to harass some from the church."
We do not know what it was that caused him to kill James the brother of John, as Luke says no more about this matter. With John, he had been called "Son of Thunder" by Jesus (Mark 3:17), Who predicted a violent death for them (Matthew 20:23). As an apostle, he was one of the elders of the Jerusalem church, and his death would have been to the liking of the Jews.
Agrippa saw how the Jews were pleased, so he proceeded to arrest Peter, another apostle and elder, to bring him before the people after Passover. He took special care lest he escaped, delivering him to four squads (sixteen soldiers in four teams) to keep him. He certainly would have known of the previous occasion when Peter and other apostles had inexplicably escaped (chapter 5:19).
On the night when Herod was about to bring him out, believers were praying earnestly to God for Peter, but he slept in prison, bound with two chains between two soldiers with sentries before the door.
A light shone in prison and an angel of the Lord awakened Peter striking him on the side, told him to get up quickly, and the chains fell off his hands; Peter put on his clothes, tied his sandals and covered himself with his cloak, not knowing if it was real or just a dream or vision. Following the angel Peter passed by the two sentinels, the iron gate opened by itself and they went out and down one street. Then the angel departed from Peter.
Then Peter came to himself and realized that the Lord had delivered him from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting. Having considered this, Peter then went to the house of Mary the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered to pray for him. Mark was the one who wrote the Gospel bearing his name, and whom Peter affectionately called "my son" (1 Peter 5:13). According to Christian writers of those times, Mark wrote what Peter told him, and this Gospel, therefore, may be regarded as the testimony of Peter. Mark had previously been with Paul in Rome (Colossians 4:10).
Peter knocked on the door and a girl called Rhoda went over, but recognizing the voice of Peter, in her excitement she hurried to tell the others leaving it closed. It is interesting to see how this detail and the surprise, even disbelief, of the people there are described for our knowledge.
The Bible shows the humanity and even the weakness of faith of these disciples, though they had seen so many signs and wonders performed by the Holy Spirit through the apostles at that time. Perhaps James's death had been a shock to them, and they were now beginning to doubt that God would operate more miracles.
As the girl was convinced that it was Peter, and evidently was not beside herself, they sought to satisfy themselves with the explanation that it was his angel! Some Jews believed that each person has an angel to serve him. However, as Peter continued knocking at the door, they went over and opened it. It would have been high dawn, unfit for anything that was not of great urgency.
Then they saw that it was indeed Peter. He motioned them to keep silent, and “declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.” There really was not much to tell, and Peter was in a hurry. He asked them to inform James and the brethren then departed and went to another place. These words show that this was just a group in that house, not the whole church. That would be impossible, for the church of Jerusalem, comprising thousands of people, could not all fit in a house.
We are not told who this James was. It could have been the apostle James, son of Alpheus (Matthew 10:3), or James the brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19), who was one of the elders of the church in Jerusalem.
Peter went to another place, possibly leaving Jerusalem to avoid being recognized. He was in Jerusalem after the death of Agrippa, which happened soon after, as we see in the following verses, and was there during a conference of elders of the church a few years later (chapter 15:7).
There is absolutely no evidence that he went to Rome, as told in the Roman Catholic tradition, nor that he ever founded a church there. If he had done so, it would be strange that Paul did not include his name in his letter to the Romans, as Paul avoided building on another man's foundation (Romans 15:20, 2 Corinthians 10:16).
We do not know where Peter went, but if he left Jerusalem instead of hiding there, he must have gone to do the work of an evangelist, taking his wife with him as revealed by Paul (1 Corinthians 9:5). The absence of Peter caused a great stir among the soldiers the next day, and when they could not give satisfaction to Herod, they were executed on his orders.
Herod also lost his life shortly after, because he did not give glory to God when the people flattered him, exclaiming, "The voice of a god, and not of a man." The angel of the Lord struck him, and he was eaten by worms and died. What an inglorious death!
Meanwhile, Barnabas and Saul had come to Jerusalem bringing with them a contribution from the brethren in Antioch. After they had given it to the elders of the church in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch, taking John Mark with them.
R David Jones
1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.
2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.
4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.
8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."
9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."
12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.
14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.
15 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."
16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place.
18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.
19 But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.
20 Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country.
21 So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.
22 And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!"
23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.
Acts chapter 12