Acts 12:1-11
Peter and more persecution for the church and Peter's escape from prison
With the killing of James, John's brother, King Herod saw that the Jews were pleased. He attempted to find favor with the Jews by seeking out church leaders to persecute.
If you look at the family ancestors of King Herod Agrippa, he is a direct descendant of the Macabees through his mother. He was educated in Rome and was sympathetic to the Jews. When he arrested Peter during passover, he did not attempt to carry our his sentence during the Passover.
Christians met together and continually prayed for Peter and God sent an angel to free him from the intense security put in place to ensure that he would not escape. They did not know how their prayers would be answered, so when Rhoda said that Peter was at the door, they did not believe her. She had to insist. Is our mind open to all ways God answers our prayers?
The greatest tragedy of this whole situation was that he was not persecuting the church because of who the church stood for and principles, but purely for the satisfaction of the Jews that he wanted to gain favor with. It was all political.
Acts 12:12-19
Earnest Prayer turned to Joy
Peter was being guarded by 16 soldiers. The greatest of precautions was being taken to ensure that Peter did not get away. When he did get away, the guards were taken and executed. Those who were praying for him were astonished that he was there. They reasoned that it must be a ghost. In fact, it was not. It was Peter and they rejoiced.
During Jesus' lifetime, his brothers did not believe in him. They thought he was mad. It was only after his death with a special appearance to James that James committed to serve Jesus all of his life (1 Corinthians 15:7).
Sometimes the seeds we plant are not realized during our work or even our lifetimes. This is true with James.
Be sure to check out Mark's lessons at http://www.putnamchurchofchrist.com .
Have a Great Week!
Brad
