The Book of Acts: Lesson 23

Session 23: Acts 12:1-19

I. Seven Themes

God the Father orchestrates (Acts 5:38-39)

Through Christ, who lives and rules

Through the empowering Spirit

Causing the word to multiply

Bringing salvation to all

Forming the church which

Witnesses to the ends of the earth

II. Forming the Church

The People of God

The First Mover

God’s Plan

Through His Son

By the power of the Spirit

Church is built upon God’s will and his word, the message of salvation

God acts in and through his people.

Stage 1: Restoring Israel (1-7)

Stage 2: Assembling Outcasts (8-12)

Stage 3: Welcoming Gentiles (13-28)

Welcome Gentiles (13-28)

Cyprus (13:4-12): island

Isaiah 49:1 “Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.”

The island dwellers are welcome: the high and low society/ the educated and uneducated

Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7 “He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.” )

governing authority / a man of high status

man of intelligence

Lystra: Rustic Town

Rustic town / mountain dwellers

Lame man: Acts 14:8–10 “Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.”

Response of the Crowd: Acts 14:11 “And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!””

True identity of Paul and Barnabas and Jesus: Acts 14:15 ““Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”

Philippi: Roman Colony

Roman Colony: Acts 16:12 “and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.”

Magistrates: Acts 16:20 “And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city.”

Police: Acts 16:35 “But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.””

Lydia

Jailer

Athens: Intellectual Elite

Philosophic Crowd

Paul quotes their own poets and alludes to their traditions.

Christian movement is the superior philosophy.

Challenging them according to the resurrection of Jesus: Acts 17:31–32 “because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.””

A church is birthed: Acts 17:32–34 “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”

Ephesus: Center of Idolatry

Magical practices and the Artemis cult

Aprons used in healing: Acts 19:11–12 “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”

Evil Spirits: Acts 19:13-20

Acts 19:13–20 (ESV) Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Defeat of Magic by the name of Jesus: “magic has become obsolete … the books are emblems of a defeated regime.” (Susan Garrett)

Acts 19:20 “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”

Rome: The Heart of the Empire

Seat of Power

Testifies to kings and governors

The message of Jesus is available to all.

III. Acts 12:1-19

The Rescue Rangers

Matt 2:13-23, Acts 5:18-20, 16:23-29, Acts 27

A. HEROD’S PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH (Acts 12:1–2)

Acts 12:1–2 “About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword,”

Herod Agrippa I’s Action

Initiates persecution against the early church

Herod’s reign from AD 41-44. He was the grandson of Herod the Great.

Supported Claudius

Caligula gave him his grandfather’s former realm.

Given Judea and Samaria in AD 41, which was added to his Transjordan, Decapolis, Galilee and Perea.

Martyrdom of James

James, the brother of John, is executed by the sword.

Shift from Jerusalem to Antioch

The early church was not associated with the Jewish power structure.

The Seed of the Serpent / The Seed of the Woman

Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””

Revelation 12:17 “Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.”

B. ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT OF PETER (Acts 12:3–5)

Acts 12:3–5 “and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 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. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

The Jews were pleased.

Peter’s Arrest

Herod arrests Peter during the Passover period

allusions to the Passover and exodus from Egypt

Precautions and Purpose

Peter is guarded by four squads of soldiers as Herod intends to present him after Passover

Public Trial and Execution

The Church’s Response

The community prays fervently for Peter’s deliverance.

C. PETER’S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE (Acts 12:6–11)

Acts 12:6–11 (ESV)

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. 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. 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.” 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. 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. 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.”

Divine Intervention

An angel of the Lord appears to Peter in his prison cell.

Shekinah glory of God

Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Strong blow to wake Peter up.

Release from Bonds

Peter’s chains fall off

The angel leads him past the guards and through unlocked doors.

Realization and Journey

Peter, initially uncertain, comes to understand that he has been miraculously freed.

Christians lost the admiration of the crowds in Jerusalem.

D. PETER’S RETURN AND THE REACTION OF THE BELIEVERS (Acts 12:12–17)

Acts 12:12–17 “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. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 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. 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!” But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 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.”

Arrival at Mary’s House

Peter visits the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many are gathered in prayer.

Mary may have been a woman of means.

Rhoda, a servant girl

Initial Disbelief

The assembled believers are astonished and doubt that it is truly Peter.

May have believed his release was unexpected and eventually lead to his death.

Confirmation and Rejoicing

Peter explains the miraculous escape, confirming divine intervention; the believers rejoice.

E. HEROD’S SEARCH PARTY (Acts 12:18–19)

Acts 12:18–19 “Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 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.”

Herod fails to find Peter.

He executes the soldiers.

This was normal Roman practice—a guard who permitted a prisoner to escape was to bear the same penalty as the escapee was to suffer.

Administrative capital in Caesarea Maritima

V. Application Questions

Divine Intervention vs. Human Plans: How does Peter’s miraculous escape in Acts 12 illustrate the tension between God’s sovereign intervention and human efforts to control circumstances, and what implications does this have for our understanding of divine power in the midst of persecution?

The Power of Prayer: Considering that the church prayed fervently for Peter’s release, what role does communal prayer play in this narrative, and how might this model encourage modern believers to respond in times of crisis?