Acts 12

12:1King Herod Agrippa I was the son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great. His sister was Herodias, who had been responsible for the death of John the Baptist (see Mark 6:17-28). Herod Agrippa I was part Jewish. The Romans had appointed him to rule over most of Palestine, including the territories of Galilee, Perea, Judea, and Samaria. He persecuted the Christians in order to please the Jewish leaders who opposed them, hoping that would solidify his position. Agrippa I died suddenly in A.D. 44 (see 12:20-23). His death was also recorded by the historian Josephus.

12:2James and John were two of Jesus’ original 12 disciples. They had asked Jesus for special recognition in his Kingdom (Mark 10:35-40). Jesus had said that to be a part of his Kingdom would mean suffering with him (drink from the same cup—Mark 10:38, 39). James and John did indeed suffer—Herod executed James, and later John was exiled (see Revelation 1:9).

12:2-11Why did God allow James to die and yet miraculously save Peter? Life is full of difficult questions like this. Why is one child physically disabled and another child athletically gifted? Why do people die before realizing their potential? Questions like these we cannot possibly answer in this life because we do not see all that God sees. He has chosen to allow evil in this world for a time. But we can trust God’s leading because he has promised to destroy all evil eventually. In the meantime, we know that God will help us use our suffering to strengthen us and glorify him. For more on this question, see the notes on Job 1:1ff; 2:10; 3:23-26.

12:3-5Herod had Peter arrested during the Passover celebration. This was a strategic move, since more Jews were in the city than usual, and Herod could impress the most people. Herod's plan undoubtedly was to execute Peter, but the believers were praying for Peter's safety. The earnest prayer of the church significantly affected the outcome of these events. Prayer changes things, so pray often and with confidence.

12:7God sent an angel to rescue Peter. Angels are God’s messengers. They are divinely created beings with supernatural power, and they sometimes take on human appearance in order to talk to people. Angels should not be worshiped because they are not divine. They are God’s servants, just as we are.

12:12John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark. His mother’s house was large enough to accommodate a meeting of many believers. An upstairs room in this house may have been the location of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples (Luke 22:8ff).

12:13-15The prayers of the group of believers were answered, even as they prayed. But when the answer arrived at the door, they didn’t believe it. We should be people of faith who believe that God answers the prayers of those who seek his will. When you pray, believe you'll get an answer. And when the answer comes, don’t be surprised; be thankful!

12:17This James was Jesus’ brother, who became a leader in the Jerusalem church (15:13; Galatians 1:19). The James who was killed (12:2) was John's brother and one of the original 12 disciples.

12:19Under Roman law, guards who allowed a prisoner to escape were Subject to the same punishment the prisoner was to receive. Thus, these 16 guards were sentenced to death.

12:19The Jews considered Jerusalem their capital, but the Romans made Caesarea their headquarters in Palestine. That is where Herod Agrippa I lived.

12:20These coastal cities, Tyre and Sidon, were free and self-governing but economically dependent on Judea (see the map in the introduction to Acts for their location). We don’t know why Herod had quarreled with them, but now representatives from those cities were trying to appease him through his personal assistant.

12:23Herod died a horrible death accompanied by intense pain; he was literally eaten alive, from the inside out, by worms. Pride is a serious sin, and in this case, God chose to punish it immediately. God does not immediately punish all sin, but he wil! judge everyone (Hebrews 9:27). Accept Christ's offer of forgiveness today. No one can afford to wait.

12:25John Mark was Barnabas’s cousin (Colossians 4:10). His mother, Mary, often would open her home to the apostles (12:12), so John Mark would have been exposed to most of the great men and teachings of the early church. Later, John Mark joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but for unknown reasons, he left them in the middle of the trip. John Mark was criticized by Paul for abandoning the mission (15:37-39), but he wrote the Gospel of Mark and was later acclaimed by Paul as a vital help in the growth of the early church (2 Timothy 4:11).