ACTS: The Divine Power Unleashed

ACTS: The Divine Power Unleashed The Gospel Assault on Death and Defeat (Acts 12) June 8, 2014 God Will Not Be Stopped 1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And 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. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. 6 Now 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. 7 And 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. 8 And 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." 9 And 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. 10 When they had passed the first and the 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. 11 When 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." 12 When 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. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They 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!" 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But 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. 18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And 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. 20 Now 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. 21 On an 1 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" 23 Immediately 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. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. 12:1. This Herod is Agrippa I, brother-in-law and son of a half-brother of Antipas, the Herod of the Gospels whose attempt to gain as much power as Agrippa cost him his own kingdom. (Antipas s fatal jealousy of Agrippa was instigated by his own consort Herodias Josephus Antiquities 18.7.1 2, 240 44, 250 54 although she had helped her brother Agrippa out after he had wasted all his money in Rome and returned to Palestine in debt Antiquities 18.6.1 2, 143 49.) Herod Agrippa I had partied with Gaius Caligula in Rome; when Caligula became emperor, Agrippa I became the first official Jewish king since his grandfather Herod the Great. Because his grandmother Mariamne was a Hasmonean princess, he was Jewish as well as Idumean (in contrast to Herod the Great). He was thus very popular with the people, on behalf of whom he used his influence. He was pro-pharisee and frequented the temple. 12:2. Formerly performed with an ax, in this period beheading was performed with the sword and was the more merciful form of execution given to Roman citizens and others for whom crucifixion was considered too cruel. As king, Agrippa had the right of life and death that had been denied the Sanhedrin before and after him. Like Judaism, early Christians believed that death did not come apart from the sovereign purpose of God. 12:3. Luke may mention the Feast of Unleavened Bread to recall to the reader the time of Jesus execution (Lk 22:7) or because Peter could not avoid being seen in Jerusalem during the feast; if Luke had meant it only as a chronological detail, he would probably have also indicated the year in Agrippa s reign. Although Agrippa gave generously to Gentiles outside Judea, his policies made him much more popular with his Jewish subjects (to whose majority whims he catered) than with his pagan subjects. 12:4. Agrippa I resided in Jerusalem. Luke does not mention the specific place of Peter s imprisonment, but the fortress Antonia on the temple mount is one possibility. As a trusted client ruler of Rome, Agrippa also had his own army, so the soldiers mentioned here need not be Romans, although they are described in terms of Roman organization. The basic unit of the Roman army was the contubernium, composed of eight soldiers who shared a tent; half units were sometimes assigned to special tasks, as here (sixteen soldiers total). Agrippa perhaps feared armed resistance. Luke uses Passover in its general sense in this period to refer to the whole Feast of Unleavened Bread. The expression bring before the people (NASB) was used for public judicial assemblies in Greek cities. 12:5 6. Prisoners who were chained between guards (as often they were 21:33; cf. 28:16, 20) had no human hope of escaping. 12:8 11. On miraculous escapes see comment on 5:19 20. Agrippa wielded much more 2 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

direct power than the Sanhedrin had, and his guards were much more efficient. In a popular Greek story, Dionysus had made chains drop off and locked doors open; doors opening by themselves appear in ancient literature from Homer to Josephus. Thus we can understand why Peter might think he is dreaming. 12:12 13. A home with an outer gate, a servant girl who could serve as a porter and a gathering much farther back in the house would suggest the home of a fairly wealthy resident of Jerusalem s Upper City. (For another indication of the family s wealth, cf. Col 4:10 with Acts 4:36 37. As Levites 4:36 they may have had ties with the priestly aristocracy; many well-to-do priests lived in the Upper City.) Thus the home is not far from the temple mount (hence not far from the fortress Antonia, where Peter may have been held). Believers met in homes rather than church buildings for the first three centuries of the church (e.g., Rom 16:5), just as some poorer Jews did who could not afford synagogues. Mark is a Latin name, but as a praenomen it need not indicate Roman citizenship; still, the use of the name hardly indicates antipathy toward Rome or its interests in Jerusalem, and may again suggest the family s wealth. 12:14 16. Because these believers had probably prayed after James s capture, and he had been executed, their uncertain faith is perhaps understandable. But given the purpose for this prayer meeting (12:5), their surprise (and Peter s having to keep pounding on the gate which could wake up some of the other neighbors, who are probably from aristocratic priestly families and hence dangerous) is ironic enough that ancient readers may have laughed. In some popular Jewish traditions the righteous would become like angels after death. 12:17. James (literally Jacob, as with every use of James in the New Testament) was a common name; this is not the James of 12:2, but the James of 15:13, 1 Corinthians 15:7 and Galatians 2:9. Jewish sources tell us that this James, Jesus younger brother, was highly reputed for his devoutness in Judaism (cf. Acts 21:18 20), and when he was later martyred the people of Jerusalem protested his death. He would thus be safe from Agrippa, who catered to the Jewish masses (12:1 3). 12:18 19. Given the soldiers precautions (chains, doors and different guards posted for each 12:6), it was humanly impossible for Peter to have escaped without all the guards having aided him. Agrippa examines them for information, perhaps under torture, but they have none. Under Roman law, a guard whose prisoner escaped would pay for it with the penalty due the prisoner in this case, his own life (cf. 16:27; 27:42), a custom Agrippa, deprived of a favor for the masses, chooses to follow. 12:20. The Hellenistic (culturally Greek) cities of Tyre and Sidon were dependent on Agrippa s territories for vital food supplies; he had been withholding trade from them. 12:21. Agrippa I liked to flaunt his power; his self-display had unfortunately led to anti-jewish riots in Alexandria earlier. His public meeting with these emissaries is in the theater of Caesarea, built by his grandfather Herod the Great; the foundations of this theater still remain today. According to Josephus this speech occurred on a festival day in honor of the emperor (probably his birthday, but perhaps a rare festival held in March 3 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

A.D. 44). 12:22 24. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus reports that on this occasion Agrippa flaunted his power, and his flatterers praised him as a god the sort of flattery toward royal patrons common for centuries in the Greek East. But in the Roman period Caesar expected even pagans who were not emperors (such as the general Germanicus in Egypt) to humbly deflect such praise. Because Agrippa does not repudiate their praise, he collapses immediately. Josephus reports that he was carried to the palace, where he died at the age of fifty-four, after five days of stomach pains caused by worms. Deaths from bowel diseases and worms were thought among the most horrible. 12:25 13:3 Antioch Sends Out Missionaries Despite the commission of 1:8, the Palestinian apostles are still in Jerusalem (15:6). The leaders of the church in Antioch, however, discovered success in the Gentile mission (11:19 26) and are moved to ratify the apostolic call of two of their number. 12:25. The journey from Jerusalem to Antioch was roughly four hundred miles. It was customary for ancient teachers to take disciples with them, and it was safer to travel in 1 groups. a. The martyrdom of James (12:1 2). 12:1 2. Artfully, Luke contrasted the love of the church at Antioch for the saints at Jerusalem with the coldhearted enmity of Herod and the Jews for the church. The Herod mentioned here is Agrippa I, a ruler popular with the Jews for he was partly Jewish, being of Hasmonean descent. His kingdom covered basically the same area as that of his grandfather Herod the Great. He was known for doing everything possible to curry the favor of the Jews, so he found it politically expedient to arrest Christians and to execute James, the brother of John. Herod Agrippa I died in A.D. 44. His son, Herod Agrippa II, was king of Judea from A.D. 50 70. Paul was on trial before Agrippa II and his sister Bernice (25:13 26:32). (See the chart on the Herods at Luke 1:5.) b. The imprisonment and escape of Peter (12:3 19) This incident clearly indicates that the church was an identifiable group which had become hated and despised by the Jews. 12:3 4. The execution of James pleased the Jews so Herod apprehended and incarcerated Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This seven-day spring 1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Ac 12:1 13:3). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 4 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

feast followed immediately after the Passover. Herod intended to bring out Peter for public trial after the Passover. The Passover here referred to the combined eight-day festival, the Passover itself followed by the seven days of unleavened bread. For at least two reasons Herod would find it expedient to execute Peter. First, Peter was known as the leader of the church, and second, he had fraternized with Gentiles. Herod made certain that Peter s imprisonment was secure by handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each! Probably this means two were chained to Peter, one on each side and two were standing guard outside (cf. vv. 6, 10). The four squads probably were each on guard for six hours each. Evidently the authorities remembered Peter s earlier escape (cf. 5:19 24) and Herod did not want that to happen again. 12:5. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The contrast is obvious: Peter was bound, but prayer was loosed! 12:6. Peter was so trusting the Lord that he was sound asleep the night before his trial (cf. 1 Peter 2:23; 5:7). He did not fear for his life because Christ had said he would live to an old age (John 21:18). 12:7 10. This is the second time an angel helped Peter escape (cf. 5:17 20). Awakening Peter, the angel told him to get dressed and follow him out of the prison. Supernaturally God caused the chains to fall off his wrists, kept the guards asleep, and opened the iron gate. 12:11. One of the subthemes of Acts is the outreach of the gospel in spite of opposition. This is seen in Peter s release. When Peter came to himself, braced by the night air, he acknowledged God s deliverance for him from Herod and the Jews. He now knew this was no vision (v. 9). 12:12. This verse introduces the reader to John Mark who figures prominently in Paul s first missionary journey. Evidently his mother Mary was a woman of prominence and means. Probably her house was a principal meeting place of the church, so it must have been spacious. Because John Mark s father is not named, Mary may have been a widow. This same Mark is considered to be the writer of the Gospel bearing his name (cf. Mark 14:51 52; 1 Peter 5:13). 12:13 17. The story of Peter s unsuspected arrival at John Mark s home is filled with humor and human interest. Joy in the Book of Acts is also evident here in the servant girl Rhoda who answered Peter s knock and recognized his voice. Though the saints were praying earnestly (v. 5) for Peter s release, they did not expect an answer so soon! When Rhoda insisted, Peter is at the door! they replied, You re out of your mind. It must be his angel. This statement implies a belief in personal angels, that is, angels who are assigned to individuals (cf. Dan. 10:21; Matt. 18:10). It also suggests a belief that an angel may look like the person with whom he is identified! When they saw Peter, they were astonished (exestēsan; cf. 9:21). Peter s mention of James indicates that James had a place of prominence in the Jerusalem church. Quite clearly this James was the Lord s half brother. After making himself known to the brothers, Peter left for another place. Where 5 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

this was is not known. It is possible, because of 1 Peter 1:1, to say he went to Asia Minor. Later Peter was at Antioch of Syria (Gal. 2:11). Paul referred to Peter s itinerant ministry (1 Cor. 1:12; 9:5). 12:18 19. After an investigation of Peter s escape, Herod cross-examined the guards and ruthlessly ordered their executions. Herod no doubt justified such harshness by reasoning that guards whose prisoners escape are irresponsible and unreliable. Yet Herod lost 16 guards by his actions (cf. v. 4). Herod then left Judea to stay for a while in Caesarea, the capital of the Roman province of Judea, from which Roman governors governed the nation. c. The death of Herod Agrippa I (12:20 23). 12:20 23. Tyre and Sidon were in Herod s dominion and for some reason had incurred his wrath. Because these cities depended on Galilee for grain, they desired to make peace with Herod Agrippa. Probably they bribed Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, to work out a reconciliation. On the appointed day when Herod was delivering a speech, the people honored him as a god, and the Lord God judged him with death. This was in A.D. 44. This account parallels that given by Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews (19. 8. 2). After Herod s death, Felix and Festus, successively, were the governors of Judea. Three of Herod s children figure prominently in the later narrative of Acts Drusilla, the wife of Felix (24:24 26); Bernice (25:13, 23), and Herod Agrippa II (25:13 26:32). d. The prosperity of the church (12:24). 12:24. But the Word of God continued to increase and spread (cf. similar wording in 6:7; 13:49; 19:20). In spite of opposition and persecution the Lord sovereignly prospered the work of His church. With this progress report Luke brought another section of his work to a conclusion (cf. 2:47; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; 28:30 31). From Antioch the gospel message was now ready to go to Asia Minor. B. The extension of the church in Asia Minor (12:25 16:5). 1. THE CALL AND DEDICATION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL (12:25 13:3). 12:25. After depositing the famine relief money with the elders at Jerusalem (11:27 30), Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch. They took with them John Mark (cf. 13:5), a cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10) from Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). 6 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

2 [First missionary journey, chaps. 13 14] H. Persecution by Herod Agrippa I. 12:1-25. Luke interrupts the flow of his narrative to record an event that had occurred a few years earlier. Since Herod died in A.D. 44, the famine mission must have occurred about A.D. 46. The Jerusalem community had met early opposition by the Jewish religious leaders, but the Christians were popular with the people. Violent persecution had arisen against Stephen and the Hellenistic wing under the leadership of Saul. Now for the first time, Luke records persecution from the ruling authorities in Palestine. It came not from Roman rulers but from a Jewish king. 1. Herod the King was Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great, who was king of all Palestine when Jesus was born. During our Lord s ministry, Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, was ruler over Galilee, while Judea was governed by Roman procurators. Between 41 and 44 A.D. Herod Agrippa was king over both Judea and Galilee. After his death in A.D. 44, the whole of Palestine again became a Roman province under Roman procurators. 2. The death of James was the first martydrom of an apostle and marked a new attitude of hostility on the part of the Jewish people toward the church. At first, the Jews held the Christians in high honor (5:13). Persecution by the Sanhedrin had been spearheaded by Saul. Now the king of the Jews; with popular support, directed persecution against the apostles. James thus fulfilled the prophecy of Jesus in Mk 10:39. 3. Herod is known to have followed a policy of catering to Jewish desires, and the popular response at his execution of James led him to seize Peter also. The days of unleavened bread, the seven days following the Passover, were holy days, when an execution would not be fitting. 4. Properly speaking, the Passover (AV Easter is incorrect) introduced the days of unleavened bread, but Luke uses the two terms interchangeably (Lk 22:1). Peter was guarded by four relays of four soldiers, one squad for each three-hour watch of the night. 5. Prayer... without ceasing. The Greek word may mean either continuing prayer or earnest prayer. The same word is used in Lk 22:44 of Jesus prayer in Gethsemane. 6. Peter was chained to two soldiers, and two others stood at the doors. Although the apostle expected to be executed on the next day, he was able to sleep soundly. 7, 8. The garment. The mantle or cloak worn over the ordinary clothing. 9. Peter thought that he was experiencing a vision or a dream and could not believe that it was real. 10. Peter and the angel passed two gates, each guarded by a soldier. The third gate, which led from the prison to the city, opened automatically. Possibly Peter was imprisoned in the Tower of Antonia, a military installation at the northwest corner of the temple area. One text refers to seven steps leading down to the city. 2 Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Ed.) (Ac 12:1 25). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. 7 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

11. Peter now came to himself, for he had been walking as though in a trance. For the first time, the true significance of what had occurred came home to him. 12. He first hurried to the place where the Christians were gathered in prayer. This house of Mary was one of the chief meeting places of the church. Churches, or buildings erected for Christian worship, are not known in the NT. John Mark (12:25; 12:5, 13; 15:37-39; Col 4:10; Phil 2:1; II Tim 4:11) is here introduced for the first time. Good tradition relates that he later became Peter s interpreter in Rome and that his Gospel is based on Peter s preaching. He was probably one of the sources of Luke s information. 14-16. Although the believers had been praying fervently for Peter s release, they were amazed when their prayers were answered. When the maid who answered Peter s knock, recognized the apostle s voice, she rushed back to the assembled church, leaving Peter standing at the locked gate. The believers thought that Rhoda was imagining things or that she had seen Peter s guardian angel (Mt 18:10; Heb 1:14). When Peter was admitted, his friends broke into excited questions, and he had to motion them to be silent. 17. James, the brother of Jesus, had become the acting head of the Jerusalem church, but he was not with the assembled church at this time. The brethren may be the elders of 11:30 who shared the rule of the church with James. After reporting his escape to the church, Peter went underground, and Luke no longer traces his activities. However, the tradition that he went to Rome is refuted by Acts 15:2, for Peter was present at the council in Jerusalem. 19. The words translated put to death may mean led off to prison ; but Roman law prescribed that if a prisoner escaped, the penalty due him should be inflicted on his guard. Caesarea was the Roman capital of the province of Judea; but Judea is used here not of the Roman province but of the dwelling place of the Jews. 20. Although Tyre and Sidon were free cities, they were dependent for their food upon the grain of Galilee in Herod s kingdom. For some unknown reason Herod was angry with these two cities. And so, to make peace with him, they presumably bribed Blastus to intercede with the king and gain a hearing for them. 21. The set day, according to Josephus, was a feast in honor of the Emperor. To receive the delegates from Tyre and Sidon in state, Herod arrayed himself in robes made entirely of silver. 22, 23. Pagans commonly attributed divine attributes to their rulers. Josephus relates that after delivering this oration, Herod was struck down with a violent pain in the stomach and was carried to the palace, where, after five days of suffering, he died. His death occurred in A.D. 44, and Judea was then placed under Roman governors, two of whom (Felix and Festus) appear in the later narrative of Acts. 3 24, 25. Luke now resumes his story of the church in Antioch (see 11:30). The lineage of Herod the Great (for more information consult the index of Flavius 3 The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: New Testament. 1962 (C. F. Pfeiffer & E. F. Harrison, Ed.) (Ac 12:1 24). Chicago: Moody Press. 8 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews). I. Herod the Great A. King of Judea (37 4 B.C.) B. Matt. 2:1 19; Luke 1:5 II. His Sons A. Herod Philip (son of Marianne of Simon) 1. Husband of Herodias 2. Tetrarch of Iturea (4 B.C. A.D. 34) 3. Matt. 14:3; Mark 6:17 B. Herod Philip (son of Cleopatra) 1. Tetrarch of area north and west of the Sea of Galilee (4 B.C. A.D. 34) 2. Luke 3:1 C. Herod Antipas 1. Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (4 B.C. A.D. 39) 2. Executed John the Baptist 3. Matt. 14:1 12; Mark 6:14, 29; Luke 3:19; 9:7 9; 13:31; 23:6 12, 15; Acts 4:27; 13:1 D. Archelaus, Herod the Ethnarch 1. Ruler of Judea, Samaria and Idumea (4 B.C. A.D. 6) 2. Matt. 2:22 E. Aristobulus (son of Mariamne) 1. his only son was Herod Agrippa I 2. Ruled all of Palestine (A.D. 41 44) 3. Killed James and had Peter imprisoned 4. Acts 12:1 24; 23:35 (a).his son was Herod Agrippa II, Tetrarch of northern territory (A.D. 50 70) (b). (1) consort of her brother (2) Acts 25:13 26:32 (c).his daughter was Drusilla his daughter was Bernice (1) wife of Felix 4 (2) Acts 24:24 4 Utley, R. J. (2003). Vol. Volume 3B: Luke the Historian: The Book of Acts. Study Guide Commentary Series (151). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International. 9 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org