Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
Acts 12:1-19
The church was being persecuted by King Herod. He had James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, put to death with the sword. James was the first apostle to be martyred. Peter was seized during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The King James Version of the Bible calls it “Easter.” Peter was put in prison and handed over to 16 guards. Herod intended to have a public trial after the Passover. Because no one could be killed so close to a religious holiday, Peter was kept in prison. The church was earnestly praying to God for him.
There are several Herods in the Bible. The Herod who persecuted the church in this chapter is NOT the same King Herod who had all boy babies killed when Jesus was born in Matthew 2. That Herod was known as “Herod the Great.” The son of Herod the Great is Herod Antipas (Matthew 14:1 and Luke 3:1). This is the Herod who had John the Baptist murdered (Matthew 14). Jesus was sent to this Herod for His trial (Luke 23).
The Herod in Acts 12 is Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great. The line of the Herods comes to an end in Acts 25 and 26. Remember that when you get to those two chapters later on in the Book of Acts.
The night before Herod was to bring Peter to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and soldiers stood guard at the entry. During the night, an angel on the Lord woke Peter up and told him to participate in his own blessing by putting on his clothes and sandals. Peter thought he was part of a vision because he didn’t understand what was going on. However, he followed the angel of the Lord out of the prison. They walked right past the guards without them seeing them. When they came to the city gate, it opened and they walked through it. When Peter was far enough into the city, the angel suddenly left him.
Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people were praying. When Peter knocked on the door, a servant door named Rhoda went to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it. She told those who were praying that Peter was at the door. When Rhoda kept insisting, she was told she was out of her mind. In the meantime, Peter kept on knocking until the door was opened. He explained to them how he had gotten out of prison. Then he left for another place.
People often criticize Rhoda for not opening the door for Peter, but she was within her rights not to open the door. She was the servant, and she did the right thing by notifying the owner of the house that someone was knocking on the door. Also, remember it was the middle of the night. Therefore, Rhoda was being cautious. Give her credit for recognizing Peter’s voice and ran to let the adults know he was there.
The men who were sleeping with Peter and those who were guarding the gate could not explain how Peter had escaped. Herod ordered the guards to be put to death because they couldn’t explain Peter’s escape.
Questions
1. Make sure you know the genealogy about the different Herods.
2. Describe Peter’s imprisonment and escape.
3. Why was Rhoda within her duties not to open the door for Peter?
Herod’s Death
Acts 12:20-25
In this short passage, Herod had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They wanted peace in the land so they asked to meet with Herod. Herod was dressed in his royal clothes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. Because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. After Herod’s death, the word of God continued to increase and spread.
Questions
1. Why did people of Tyre and Sidon want to meet with Herod?
2. How and why did Herod die?
3. What effect did Herod's death have on the word of God?
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