James' Martyrdom & Peter's Imprisonment (Acts 12:1-24)

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 12

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 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.

Peter Is Rescued

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.

The Death of Herod

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 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.

Well, in our last time, we considered the church’s expansion into the regions of Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. And more specifically, we spent most of our time considering the church in Antioch, because this was the first mass conversion of Gentiles following Cornelius and his household back in chapter 10. As a result, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to investigate. While he was there he was filled with joy at what he saw, and we’re told that a great many people were added to the church while he was there. Barnabas quickly realized that he needed help discipling the Gentile believers there in Antioch, and so he traveled to Tarsus to solicit Saul’s help. We’re told near the end of chapter 11 that they spent a whole year together teaching the people there.

And while they were there, we’re told that they received word of a famine, and so they made a collection among the saints in Antioch to send relief to the churches in Judea. So, at the end of chapter 11, Luke records that the relief was sent to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. Then, before telling us of their return, he inserts this account of Herod’s violent opposition to the church here in chapter 12.

Herod Agrippa

And so we pickup there in verse 1,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

12 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.

Now, before we consider the details of these events I think it would be helpful to understand who Luke’s referring to here when he says Herod the king, because this isn’t the same Herod who killed all those infants at the time of Jesus’s birth, that was Herod the Great. Instead, Luke is referring here to the grandson of Herod the Great, or Herod Agrippa.

You see, many years earlier, Herod the Great ruled over the nation of Israel at the behest of the Roman Empire, but when he died in 4 BC his kingdom was split up into four parts, each with it’s own ruler. These rulers were often called tetrarchs, which means “ruler of a fourth”. This is why Matthew and Luke often employed the title Herod the Tetrarch when referring to certain decedents of Herod the Great who ruled over those particular regions.

Now, during Herod the Great’s rule, one of his son’s, Aristobulus, was killed. As a result, the family felt that Aristobulus’s son, Agrippa might be in danger as well, so for his safety they sent Agrippa (Herod’s grandson) to Rome. There he was raised by the royal family, and not surprisingly was treated almost as a member of the family, becoming very close to the Caesars. As time passed, in AD 37 Caesar appointed Agrippa king over Israel, and it was at this time that the four regions in Israel were reunited under his rule, no longer would each region be ruled by individual tetrarchs. Even Jerusalem, which had historically been ruled by a Roman prefect like Pontius Pilate was put under Agrippa’s control.

Currying favor with the Jews

Now, it’s important to understand that Agrippa was a puppet king. He was an extension of Romes rule and authority in Israel, and it was his job to keep the peace in Israel. And one of the primary methods employed by Herod Agrippa to this end was to keep the religious authorities happy. He knew that if he could keep them happy that it would go a long way to keeping Israel from rising up and rebelling against the empire. And Agrippa did this in various ways.

Descendent of the Hasmonaean Dynasty

First, he was an inherently a good candidate for the job because he was descended from the Hasmonaean Dynasty. And what’s the Hasmonaean Dynast you might ask? Well, this simply meant that he was a direct descendent of the Maccabees. And if you’re at all familiar with the Maccabees you’ll know that they were the Jewish priestly family that had previously led a revolt against the Greeks in 160 BC. In other words, Herod Agrippa was descended from a family who was credited with restoring Jewish independence, therefore anyone who could claim they were descended from the Hasmonaean Dynasty inherently had a good shot at currying favor with the Jews. Now, the reason Agrippa could claim to be a descendent of the Maccabees was because his grandfather, Herod the Great, had married a Hasmonaean princess. And as you can imagine, he had done this for the sake of gaining favor with the Jews at that time. Therefore, his grandson, Herod Agrippa, had an inherit advantage.

Played an observant Jew

Secondly, we know from history, that Herod Agrippa played the role well. Apparently, he even made an effort to live, at least in part, as an observant Jew. And not much has changed has it? How many politicians attempt to placate Christians and garner their support by claiming to be a Christian? They want what’s called the evangelical vote. And yet, sadly, how so many of them don’t live lives or advocate for policies grounded in God’s law? Nearly every president in our nation since I’ve been alive has made sure to keep up appearances by attending church services, at least from time to time. This was Herod Agrippa’s tactic as well.

Targeting the leaders of the church

And thirdly, we find out here in Acts chapter 12 that Herod Agrippa even went so far as to target the Apostles to garner favor with the Jews. You see, when Herod traveled to Jerusalem he would have become immediately aware that a certain sect of Jewish Christians were upsetting the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, and so he apparently set out to please them by targeting the leaders of the church. In this case, James the brother of John and Peter, so we read there again there in verses 1-3,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

12 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

In other words, after he had James beheaded with the sword, it was clear that it pleased the Jews, so he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. I mean the Jewish authorities had been looking for a way to get rid of the Apostles all a long and hadn’t been able to do it, at least not until now. You see, if Herod thought that the Christians were disturbing the peace and stability of the city, then maybe he would intervene and put a stop to them, which is precisely what he tried to do by arresting the leaders of the church.

However, when he arrested Peter it was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread which meant that he had to hold off having him executed until the festival was over. You see, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long festival that started immediately after Passover, together they spanned a total of 8 days. And apparently Herod had arrested Peter during that time and had to put Peter’s execution on hold until after the celebration lest he risk offending the Jews.

Prominent Apostles

Now, I also want to point out that James and Peter were two of the three most prominent Apostles. James was one of the sons of Zebedee, and his brother was John, who would go on to write the Gospel of John, the Book of Revelation, and three other NT letters. James and John were known as the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17), probably for their fiery temperament. For example, when Jesus was traveling with them through Samaria in Luke 9:54 Luke wrote that the Samaritans would not receive Jesus, and that “when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?””

And we’re all familiar with Peter and his big mouth, who’s not only featured prominently in the Gospels, but also here in the first half of Luke’s Book of Acts. And these three men formed what most call Jesus’s inner circle and who were present at key moments in his ministry. For example, they were the only disciples who went up with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. So, there was a reason Herod targeted James and Peter.

Apostles forewarned and prepared

Now, I also want you to remember that Jesus had warned James and the rest of the disciples that this day would come. In other words, Jesus had prepared them for this. Not that this was going to be easy, but that he had prepared them beforehand, because he loved them. Just as a parent does everything they can to prepare their children for adulthood. Now, we’ve seen this before, but I want you to see it again, turn with me to Matthew chapter 10, and let’s start in verse 16,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

My point here is simply that this was all a part of the plan, and Jesus had always been upfront about what following him would cost them. To put it another way, he was giving them a heads up. And not just them, but us as well, to all who choose to follow Christ. You will be persecuted for his namesake, you will be persecuted for righteousness sake, and we must follow Jesus with our eyes wide open, recognizing that persecution comes with the territory, and that Jesus has not hidden this from us. This is why the Apostle Peter would later remind the church in 1 Peter 4:12, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” You see, he tells them not to be surprised, because we’re prone to be surprised by trials, as if something strange were happening to us.

Promise of vindication

Jesus goes on there in chapter 10 to tell his disciples to “have no fear of them.” Why? Because the wickedness of their persecutors will not remain hidden or go unnoticed; that God will vindicate his saints. In other words, one of the reasons you should not fear persecution and one of the reasons you will be able to endure persecution is by knowing that God will vindicate you. That God will come to your defense. That God will hold your persecutors accountable. Knowing this is meant to embolden you and to give you a reason not to fear. That we must not fear men, but only to fear God.

More valuable than many sparrows

Jesus also goes on there in chapter 10 to tell his disciples to “have no fear of them”, because he cares for them. That not even one sparrow falls to the ground apart from his Father’s will, and that they are obviously far more valuable than many sparrows. You see, if even the most insignificant of details are ordered by God, then how much more are the details of your life ordered by him? In other words, you have no reason to fear, because your life is not left to chance. Every detail is ordered by your heavenly Father, who values you far more than many sparrows.

Facing any form of persecution

So, when you realize that persecution was always a part of the plan, that God will vindicate you, and that he cares deeply for you, you will find yourself prepared to face any form of persecution that may come. In fact, the early Christian historian, Eusebius, quotes an early church father, Clement of Alexandria in Egypt, from the second century, writing this about James’s death by the sword,

“And concerning this James, Clement, in [his seventh book], relates a story which is worthy of mention; telling it as he received it from those who had lived before him. He says that the one who led James to the judgment-seat, when he saw him bearing his testimony, was moved, and confessed that he was himself also a Christian. They were both therefore, he says, led away together; and on the way he begged James to forgive him. And he, after considering a little, said, ‘Peace be with you,’ and kissed him. And thus they were both beheaded at the same time.” (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 2, Chapter 9)

Peter under heavy guard

And Peter was on track to suffer the same fate, but the Feast of Unleavened Bread had delayed his execution. For now he was in prison, and Luke makes it clear that Herod had gone to great lengths to ensure Peter would not escape. Luke says there in verse 4 that Peter was delivered over to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Altogether, Peter was overseen by 16 soldiers while he was in prison. A squadron of soldiers was made up four men, two of them were chained to Peter in his cell, while two others stood outside to watch the gate to the prison like sentries. There were four night watches, one from 6-9, one from 9-midnight, one from midnight-3, and another from 3-6. Each of the squadrons would take a different watch in order to ensure the soldiers remained alert throughout the night. All of this to ensure Peter didn’t escape.

Earnest prayer

Then we read there in verse 5, “but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” In other words, despite Herod’s attacks, the church did not panic or lose heart—instead, earnest prayer for Peter was made to God. They knew how to respond, they knew what to do, and they knew who could deliver Peter from prison and from certain death. They knew that God was sovereign and that the threat posed by earthly rulers were ultimately subject to him.

Prayer a reflection of faith and dependence upon God

And note the kind of prayer they offered, they offered earnest prayer. Not routine or casual prayers, but earnest prayers. When Herod attacked the church they were responded with prayer. This was their knee-jerk reaction. You see, prayer is a reflection of your faith and dependence upon God. We’re intended to seek refuge in God through prayer. We’re intended to run to God for help through prayer. We’re intended to find solace in God through prayer. It’s how we cast all of our cares upon him. It’s through prayer that we offer our desires to God. Prayer is therefore a major indicator of your spiritual health. Prayer is an exercise of your faith. Whether we pray or not reveals whether we’re depending upon God or ourselves.

Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Paul says in Philippians 4:6 not to “be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” This is what the church in Jerusalem did, they turned to God in earnest prayer, they cast all of their cares upon him, they poured out their hearts before him, and they let their requests be made known to him.”

Prayer a submission to God’s will

Prayer is also intended to reflect our submission to God’s will. So often prayer is treated as simply a means to get what we want, or as some groups teach, that we must name it and claim it. As though prayer plus faith were merely a formula to get what we want, treating prayer as if it were a form of magic, but prayer is not magic. Prayer is communion with God, and prayer is intended to shape you. Prayer is intended to conform your will to God’s will. This is why Jesus taught us to pray “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. We don’t change God’s mind, he changes ours. We don’t command God, he commands us. We don’t made demands of him, he makes demands of us. This is why we always seek to pray according to his will.

Jesus modeled this in the Garden of Gethsemane just before he was betrayed and delivered over to be crucified. While laying prostrate on the ground he prayed, “My Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:39) And as we know it was his Father’s will for him to drink that cup, and so he did. On one hand, Jesus desired to have the cup removed from him, yet he said, “your will be done.” This is how we ought to pray. While it’s certainly not inappropriate to seek deliverance from our circumstances, as seen in Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane, prayer is intended to result in our submission to God’s will, and not our own.

According to God’s will

Now this typically plays out in two distinct ways, 1) we learn to submit to God’s will by praying according to his will. What I mean is that we’re commanded to ask for things that accord with God’s will revealed in Scripture. 1 John 5:14 says “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” This means, for instance, that if you ask for something out of selfish ambition or for something that violates his commandments he will not hear you. James 4:2 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” However, when you pray according to his will your will is conformed to his over time.

Ready to accept his answer

The second way this typically plays out is that we learn to submit to God’s will by accepting the outcome or what he gives us. While we’re encouraged to bring our requests before the Lord, we must also be ready to accept his answer, even if that answer is different from what we asked.

We usually only say that God answered our prayers when he answers them according to our desires, and then act as if we didn’t get an answer when we don’t get what we asked for. Sometimes God says “yes,” sometimes He says “no,” and sometimes He says to “wait.” Submission means trusting that His decisions are wiser and better than your own, just as Jesus did when He prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

I want you to consider for a moment whether the church in Jerusalem probably prayed for James and his deliverance just as they did for Peter’s. It’s hard to imagine that they didn’t - right? This doesn’t mean God didn’t hear their prayers, but simply that his answer was different. On one hand it pleased God to allow James to be martyred, but on the other hand it also please God to rescue Peter from prison and certain death. The question is whether we’re willing to submit to his will or not? The question is whether we trust him or not?

You see, it’s the highest expression of faith to submit our wills to God’s will. And we don’t pray because God is some kind of eternal bellhop in the sky, we pray because we’re completely dependent upon him, because he’s sovereign over everything, and because we trust him.

Dress for action

And as the church prayed, little did they know that on the very night Herod had planned to bring Peter out for execution an angel of the Lord appeared inside Peter’s cell, which is where we pickup there in verse 6,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

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.

Now, men wore what we might call a dress today, all the way down to their ankles. And you can probably imagine how hard it might be to run in a dress. This is why a woman who’s wearing a long dress might pull it up a bit in order run. In fact, the Greek word translated dress yourself there in verse 8 literally means to gird yourself. So, the idea here is that the angel instructed Peter to gather up his long outer garment and tightening his girdle or belt around his waist to hold it in place so that he was ready for action, and able to move quickly. Then Luke says that,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

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.”

At first Peter thinks he’s a part of a vision, his chains fall off, he walks out his cell, he walks right passed the two guards at the prison gate, and then the gate sudden opens on its own, and it’s not until the angel left him standing along the street that he realized it wasn’t a vision. Then Luke says that,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

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.

Mary’s house

Now, Peter knew precisely where to go. Luke says that we went to Mary’s house, who was the mother of John, whose other name was Mark. Now, if you’ve ever wondered who wrote the Gospel of Mark this is your guy, John Mark. John was his Hebrew name while Mark was his Roman name, in the same way Saul had both a Hebrew and Roman name. And we’re going to meet John Mark shortly, but for now Luke uses him as a frame of reference for his readers to know whose house Peter had gone to.

Now, when Peter knocks on the door of the gate we’re told that a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer, but after she recognized Peter’s voice she became so overwhelmed with joy that she ran to tell everyone without letting him in. Now, despite the fact that they had been praying earnestly for Peter, when Rhoda told them that Peter was standing at the gate they didn’t believe her, saying, “Ah, you’re out of your mind!” But Peter kept knocking until they finally opened the door, and they were shocked.

Conclusion

And after they let him in he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And you know what I find interesting about this encounter is these people were just like us, their faith was not perfect, their prayers were feeble like ours, I mean they didn’t even believe that it was Peter at the door after praying for his deliverance for hours, if not days. Yet the Lord answered their pleas, despite their prayers being mixed with doubt and surprise. Which gives me hope that my prayers are not finally contingent upon my ability to conjure up great faith, but a little faith in a great savior is enough.

Prayer