The Word Made Fresh
1Around that time King Herod seized some of those who belonged to the church. 2He had John’s brother James put to death by the sword, 3and when Herod saw how it pleased the Jews he arrested Peter also. This was during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4When Herod put Peter under arrest and locked him in prison he assigned four squads of soldiers to guard him. He planned to bring him out to the people after Passover.
5The church prayed earnestly to God for Peter, 6and the very night before Herod planned to bring him out, Peter was bound by two chains and was sleeping between two soldiers with more guards at the door keeping watch. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and the cell was filled with light. The angel touched Peter’s side to awaken him and said, “Get up quickly,” and the chains on his wrists fell away. 8The angel told Peter, “Tighten your belt and put on your sandals,” and he did. Then the angel said, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9Peter followed him, though he didn’t realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real. He thought it was a dream.
10They passed by the first and second guard and came to the iron gate that led into the city. It opened for them all by itself, and they left the prison and walked along a lane, and suddenly the angel left him. 11Then Peter was aware that it was all real, and said, “Now I know the Lord sent his angel to free me from Herod’s grip and from all that the Jews wanted to do.”
12He hurried to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. Many were gathered there, praying. 13He knocked at the outer gate, and a girl named Rhoda came out. 14When she recognized Peter’s voice she was so happy that she forgot to open the gate and ran back inside to tell them Peter was there. 15They said, “You’re crazy!” But she insisted. They said, “It must be his ghost!”
16Peter kept knocking, though, and when they finally opened the gate they saw that it was indeed him, and they were amazed. 17He motioned for them to be quiet, and told them how the Lord had set him free from the prison. He said, “Be sure to tell James and the others,” and then he left.
18The next morning there was a huge commotion among the soldiers over how Peter had escaped. 19Herod had them search for him, but they couldn’t find him. He questioned the guards and sentenced them to death. Then he left Judea and went to Caesarea, and stayed there.
20Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, so a group of them came to him. They won over his personal attendant, Blastus, and asked for consideration because they depended on the king’s country for food. 21They were appointed a day to gather, and Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his platform, and addressed them publicly. 22They praised him, shouting, “The voice of a god, not a mortal man!” 23Then, since he refused to give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down and he died and was eaten by worms.
24But the word of God continued to spread and draw people in. 25So, after completing their purpose there, Barnabas and Saul took John Mark with them from Jerusalem.
Commentary
1-5: Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem old Herod Antipas begins a persecution of the leaders of the church. He arrests James, son of Zebedee and brother of John, and has him summarily executed. Then he arrests Peter and puts him in prison, intending to throw him to the mobs after the Passover celebration ended.
6-11: Peter’s guards stay with him around the clock, but during the night an “angel of the LORD” awakens him and says, “Get up and get dressed and let’s get out of here.” They leave the prison, the gates opening for them as they go. Peter thinks he’s having another vision until the angel takes off.
12-17: He goes to Mary’s house, who is the mother of John Mark. We are told that others had gathered there to pray for him. He knocks. A young servant named Rhonda hears him at the door and goes to tell the others. They come to investigate and are surprised that he is out of jail. He tells them how it happened, asks them to inform James, then leaves. This James, by the way, cannot be James the brother of John (he’s dead — see verse 2), and most scholars believe it is James the brother of Jesus, whom, as we shall see, becomes the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
18-19: The soldiers are at a loss to tell Herod how Peter got away. Herod is not happy with the way they have performed their duties and has them killed, then heads to his summer palace at Caesarea.
20-23: Herod dies what sounds like a horrible death.
24-25: The church spreads. Barnabas and Saul return from Jerusalem (some texts say they return to Jerusalem) after completing an unspecified mission, bringing John Mark with them — the same John Mark in whose mother’s home they had gathered to pray for the Passover.
Takeaway
We owe our faith, indeed our world, to those who willingly offered their lives to proclaim the salvation that is ours through Jesus. Of course, the whole world has not been converted to the faith. Even in our own neighborhoods there are some who do not accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. We have work to do.