Acts 12 Herod Vexes the Church
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.
When nature through the great famine could not touch the apple of God’s eye, supernatural forces gathered. Herod “made a great effort to hinder the progress of the church and to destroy the faith of believers. This Herod was King Agrippa I. He was the grandson of Herod the Great that slew the infants at the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:1-16)” (Charles Box) Agrippa saw the reliance of the church on the apostles. Yet he did not understand that we always have Moses and the prophets... and apostles through their Torah. They are alive on the mount of transfiguration, through their testimony – they being dead, yet they speak. But since the movement would not die naturally (Acts 5:38), “with their friend on the throne, the Jewish hierarchy decided to exterminate Christianity; and there was no reason why they could not have succeeded, except for the intervention of the Father in heaven. When the earthly fortunes of the Christians seemed the most precarious, however, providential events took place with sudden finality, lifting the threat completely." (Burton Coffman)
Then he killed James the brother of John... “On one occasion the sons of Zebedee and their mother requested permission for these men to sit on Jesus’ right and left hand in the kingdom. Jesus told them, ‘You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.’ (Matt 20:23) Just as predicted by the Lord James drank of that cup of suffering.” (Charles Box)
"By killing with the sword we are to understand beheading. Among the Jews there were four kinds of deaths: 1. stoning; 2. burning; 3. killing with the sword, or beheading; and, 4. strangling. The third was a Roman as well as a Jewish mode of punishment. Killing with the sword was the punishment which, according to the Talmud, was inflicted on those who drew away the people to any strange worship, Sanhedr. fol. iii. James was probably accused of this, and hence the punishment mentioned in the text." (Adam Clarke) There were so few words for James the brother of John for this temporal death is of no consequence. “How little the New Testament makes of the martyrdom of even the best of men… The Bible does not dwell upon the deaths of Christians so much as upon their lives. Whitefield used to remark, ‘You will have no dying testimony from me, you must take my living witness for my blessed Lord.’” (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. “This was the principle on which he acted. It was not from a sense of right; it was not to do justice, and to protect the innocent; it was not to discharge the appropriate duties of a magistrate and a king, but it was to promote his own popularity." (Albert Barnes)
"Man proposes, but God disposes; and the prayer of faith reaches the Disposer’s hand. James wanted was suddenly seized and taken off, but there was time to pray for Peter. God opened the door of opportunity through Herod’s desire to keep all quiet till after the passover; the Church eagerly entered that door.” (W. Arnot, D. D.)
Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread, "the seven days immediately succeeding the Passover, during which the Jews were required to eat bread without leaven, Exo 12:15-18." (Barnes) During the days of unleavened bread, the Jews were supposed to rid their homes (personal lives) of leaven, any substance that puffs up. Jesus warned the disciples of the leaven of the the Pharisees and Sadducees, finally revealing that it is their teachings which concerned Him. (Matt 16:12)
“It was a crowded time in Jerusalem: strangers from all parts of the world flocked together to the festival; and the spectacle of an apostle’s execution was to be their pastime in the intervals of religious duty. Such is religion when it is once possessed and saturated with bigotry, fanaticism, and party zeal! “ (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
They delivered Peter “to four squads of soldiers to keep him…”, ”four quaternions; making sixteen. A quaternion was a company of four." (Abbott's Illustrated New Testament)
How did the church respond? "Prayer was made without ceasing - The Greek word εκτενης signifies both fervor and earnestness, as well as perseverance. These prayers of the Church produced that miraculous interference mentioned below, and without which Peter could not have thus escaped from the hands of this ruthless king." (Adam Clarke)
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.
"God often delays His answers till the eve of our extremity; but Peter’s sleep is typical of the quiet faith that can trust God absolutely, whether to live or die." (F.B. Meyer) "Two soldiers guarded his person; his right hand being bound to the left hand of one, and his left hand bound to the right hand of the other. This was the Roman method of guarding their prisoners, and appears to be what is intimated in the text." (Adam Clarke)
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.”
Now behold a Messenger of Yahweh bid him arise and gird himself. “When God bids us arise and obey, we must do so without considering the obstructions that confront us. It is our part to arise and gird ourselves; it is for Him to cause the chains to fall off and the iron gates to open. What are iron gates to Him who cleft a path through the Red Sea!” (F.B. Meyer)
And when Peter had come to himself... "The angel guides us super-naturally, only so long as we are dazed and unable to form a judgment for ourselves." (F.B. Meyer) Peter said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord (Jesus) has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
Peter’s words were within himself. The Lord Jesus had sent His angel and delivered him. “A good man can never be alone; for, in defect of other company, he can fruitfully converse with himself, and commune with his own conscience, and thereupon lift up many a humble, joyful, and thankful heart to God.” (John Trapp)
That delivery was from “all the expectation of the Jewish people.” “What that expectation was the fate of James had assured him.” (Whedon)— death of all the apostles and therefore the church of the firstborn.
Acts 12 The Prayer of Faith
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.”
"Herod’s soldiers were watching under arms at the door of the prison; Christ’s soldiers were watching unto prayer in the house of Mary. Christ’s soldiers are more powerful with their arms than Herod’s soldiers with theirs: they unlock the prison-doors and bring Peter to the house of Mary." (Wordsworth)
After Peter considered within himself what had just happened, he went to give his testimony to his brethren. He came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark... "It has indeed been suggested that it was in this very house that the Last Supper was eaten and that it continued to be the meeting place of the disciples in Jerusalem." (Barclay)
Where many were gathered together praying... ”I may see the two soldiers to whom I am chained, but not the ones that in secret are pouring out prayers for me. Oh, the unknown helpers! The unseen forces of the universe are stronger than the visible agencies.” (C. F. Deems, LL. D)
Rhoda came to the door and testified, “It is Peter,” "They said, ‘thou art mad’ - as we say, ‘sure you are not in your senses to talk so.’” (Wesley) Yet, she was not mad but rather glad, knowing ”... Peter and his voice from his frequent visits there." (Robertson's Word Pictures)
Some said, "it is his angel!" "It was a common opinion among the Jews that every man has a guardian angel, and in the popish Church it is an article of faith. The Jews also believed that angels often assumed the likeness of particular persons. They have many stories of the appearance of Elijah in the likeness of different rabbins." (Adam Clarke)
But this precept is not Scriptural and merely gives an avenue for Satan to enter into a house and bind the occupants.
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate... the door was probably shut for fear of the Jews… "It is me- Peter." "Interesting is the account of the prayer meeting held in behalf of Peter. When God had answered their prayers they were reluctant to believe it." (Gaebelein) "But, Reader! the grand point remains to be considered. Do not overlook, the blessed answers to prayer in Peter's deliverance. So gracious, so abundantly gracious was the Lord in this event, that they who were so earnest in prayers, did not believe the thing was done, when answers came to their prayers: so that the Lord far exceeded all their expectations. And oh! how often, both before and since, hath the Lord done so by all his people! See a beautiful proof of it in the Church of old, Ps 126 throughout." (Hawker)
"It was a great wonder that the infant Church of Christ was not destroyed. She was like a lone lamb in the midst of furious wolves. With what weapons did she protect herself? The answer is--prayer. Whatever may be the danger of the times, and each age has its own peculiar hazard, our defence is of God, and we may avail ourselves of it by prayer." (Spurgeon)
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.
But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent... "His wish was, not that there should be clamorous joy, but that they should listen in silence to what God had done." (Barnes)
His declaration- "Observe how Peter gives God, and not the angel, the glory of his deliverance, Acts 12:17. 'He declared how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.' The angel was but the instrument, God was the principal agent, Acts 12:11. 'The Lord hath sent His angel, and delivered me out of the hand of Herod.' All deliverances must be ascribed to Him who commands deliverance for his people.." (Burkitt's Notes)
And he said, to tell these things… all true testimonies of Jesus' deliverances are an opportunities for the edification of the church.
Tell them unto James, and to the brethren... "It is obvious that about this time, probably in consequence of the death of his namesake, the son of Zebedee, James the brother of the Lord comes into a fresh prominence. He is named as receiving St. Paul in Galatians 1:19, and as being, with Peter and John, one of the pillars of the Church (Galatians 2:9).” (Ellicott) In ancient biblical religion, it would have been the natural thing for the next brother to take on the work of an elder brother who had been killed; “But from the gospels we learn that Jesus' brothers did not believe in him (John 7:5) and that they actually thought him mad (Mark 3:21). During his lifetime James was not a supporter of Jesus. But the Risen Christ made a special appearance to James (1 Corinthians 15:7)." (William Barclay)
And Peter departed and went to another place. "Commentators have been as much exercised to tell where Peter went on this occasion as Herod Agrippa doubtless was, and with quite as little success. The Romanists say that he went to Rome and there founded the popedom; had the which been true, Luke would have known it and told it. Luke simply means that Peter sought some other locality than Jerusalem for safety." (Whedon)
”Peter could not but know he should be sought after, and therefore durst not abide in one place, lest he should ruin himself, and endanger his friends that should harbour him. Thus the great apostle, as David formerly, was hunted, as one hunteth a partridge in the mountains, 1 Samuel 26:20." (Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible)
Acts 12: The Death of the Keepers and the King
18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.
"The soldiers, who were bound with Peter in the same chains, could not but miss him as soon as they did awake, and with admiration find the chains still holding them, though loosened from Peter. What strange imaginations they might have, is not to be expressed, though some guess at it." (Matthew Poole's English Annotations)
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.
When Herod sought Peter and discovered the situation, he "examined [anakrinas (Greek #350)] - sat in judgment upon 'the keepers' - who, either like the keepers of our Lord's tomb, had 'shaken, and become as dead men' (Matthew 28:4), or had slept on their watch and been divinely kept from awaking, 'and commanded that they should be put to death.'"
(Jamieson, Faussett, Brown)
"The rule was regularly that if a prisoner was allowed to escape, the negligent guards would suffer the fate that had been intended for the prisoner..." (Peter Pett)- death by the sword for religious heresy.
"And thus the wicked suffered in the room of the righteous..." (Wesley)-
"a miserable and shameful example of what happens to the enemies of the Church..." (Geneva Study Bible)- the second death, after the Last Judgment of God.
"Although Herod's victim had escaped his clutches, Herod himself was still at large." (John R. W. Stott)... going on to other places to be an unrighteous judge and governor, putting himself in place of God; but by the hand of God, his attention was diverted from the Jews until his own death as described below.
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.
"The flattery of people makes fools glad." (Geneva Study Bible) Yet: "These impious flatterers destroy whom they exalt; for God will pull down His rivals...
He gave not God the glory; priding himself in the acclamation the people had made, and not attributing his eloquence and glory to God, as the giver of them; or rather, not repressing or punishing their blasphemy; whereas Peter durst not accept of undue honour from Cornelius, Acts 10:26, nor the angel from St. John, Revelation 19:10 22:9."
(Matthew Poole's English Annotations)
Eaten by worms--"actually insect larvae in most biblical references, usually maggots, the larvae of flies... For example, maggots are evidently referred to in accounts of worms feeding on spoiled manna (Ex 16:19-20), corpses (Jb 21:26; Is 14:11), or open wounds (Jb 7:5). Mark 9:48 refers to a maggot that eats dead flesh." (Tyndale Bible Dictionary)
This reference in the Gospel of Mark makes worms a co-agent of the complete and ultimate destruction of the wicked in hellfire.
Acts 12:25-13:3 The Church Goes Forth From Antioch
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.
We return once again from Peter to Paul's ministry. And here begins "the extension of the Church of Christ in Gentile countries through the agency of Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles; his three missionary journeys, at the termination of each of which he returns to Jerusalem, and diligently promotes union between the Gentile-Christians, and the Judæo-Christian primitive congregation." (Lange's Commentary)
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their “ministry”… The same noun is used as that translated 'relief' in Acts 11:29..." (Ellicott) When when they had fulfilled their ministry, of taking relief to the brethren in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch to begin the Great Commission of Jesus to ”go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
And they also took with them John whose surname was Mark… It is strange that Paul took John Mark with him since the young man owed his conversion to Peter, but indeed, "it would naturally be regarded as a proof of that Apostle’s interest in it." (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)