The Impotent Rage of Tyrants: Acts 12:1-17
Introduction: Two Kingdoms in Conflict
We come this morning to a passage that reads like a political thriller, but it is far more than that. It is a stark and glorious illustration of the central conflict of all history: the collision of two kingdoms. On the one side, we have the kingdom of man, embodied in the strutting, preening figure of Herod Agrippa I. This is the kingdom of raw power, of political calculation, of swords and soldiers and prisons. It is the kingdom that believes it can stamp out the church of Jesus Christ with a bit of well-timed violence. On the other side, we have the kingdom of God. This kingdom appears weak, defenseless. Its king has been crucified, one of its chief apostles has just been executed, and another is in a maximum-security prison, slated to be next. Its only weapon appears to be a group of people gathered in a house, praying. To the worldly eye, this is no contest at all.
But the central lesson of Acts 12, and indeed of all Scripture, is that the world is governed by unseen realities. The real power is not in Herod's palace but in Mary's house. The decisive forces are not the four squads of soldiers but the fervent prayers of the saints. This chapter is a divine comedy, a story in which God mocks the pretensions of proud men and demonstrates, with a touch of divine irony, that the gates of hell, and certainly the gates of Herod's prison, cannot prevail against His church.
We live in an age of Herods. We have our own set of rulers who believe that by legislation, by intimidation, and by the raw exercise of power, they can marginalize and ultimately silence the voice of the church. They think they are in charge. But this passage is here to remind us that God sits in the heavens and laughs. He holds the Herods of this world in derision. And He has given His church a weapon that makes their swords and prisons look like children's toys. That weapon is prayer, offered in faith to a sovereign God who delights in showing up at the last possible moment to vindicate His people and glorify His name.
The Text
Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to harm them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
Now on the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Rise up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your garment around yourself and follow me.” And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but was thinking he was seeing a vision. And when they had passed the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now truly I know that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. And when she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate. But she ran in and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate. And they said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.” But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door, they saw him and were astounded. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he recounted to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.
(Acts 12:1-17 LSB)
The Tyrant's Calculus (vv. 1-4)
We begin with the political machinations of a petty king.
"Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to harm them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also." (Acts 12:1-3)
Herod Agrippa I was a man who understood politics. He was a grandson of Herod the Great, and he knew that his power depended on keeping the local populace happy, particularly the religious establishment in Jerusalem. So, he "laid hands on some who belonged to the church." This was a calculated move. The church was growing, and it was unpopular with the Jewish leaders. Persecuting Christians was a surefire way to score political points.
He begins by executing James, the brother of John. This is a significant blow. James was part of the inner circle, one of the sons of thunder. His martyrdom is reported with brutal brevity: "put to death with a sword." This is to show us the cold, hard reality of what the church was up against. But notice Herod's motivation. He saw that it "pleased the Jews." This is not about justice or righteousness; it is about public relations. Tyrants are always insecure, and their actions are driven by the fickle winds of public opinion. He is a man-pleaser, which is the first step to becoming a monster.
Emboldened by his success, he arrests Peter, the headliner. The timing is deliberate, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover season. Herod intends to make a public spectacle of Peter's execution after the festival, maximizing his political capital. He puts Peter in prison and assigns him a heavy guard: "four squads of soldiers." That's sixteen soldiers to guard one fisherman. This is the state flexing its muscles. It is an overwhelming display of force, designed to communicate one thing: we are in control. This is what the kingdom of man always does. It trusts in its own strength, its own systems, its own prisons. But it is all a bluff.
The Church's Weapon (v. 5)
In stark contrast to Herod's display of power, we see the church's response.
"So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God." (Acts 12:5 LSB)
This "but" is one of the great hinges of Scripture. On one side, you have the entire apparatus of the Roman state: a king, soldiers, chains, and a prison. On the other side, you have this conjunction: "but prayer." The world sees the prison and trembles. The church sees the prison and prays. The prayer is described as "fervently," which means stretched-out, earnest, persistent. This was not a polite, "Lord, be with Peter, amen." This was a desperate, all-night, wrestling kind of prayer. They had just lost James. They knew what was at stake. They were throwing all their weakness and desperation upon the only one who could do anything about it.
This is the great secret of the church's power. It is not in political maneuvering or cultural influence. It is in our utter dependency on God, expressed through prayer. When the church is at its weakest, when it is cornered and persecuted, that is when it is at its most powerful, because that is when it is driven to its knees. Herod thought he was fighting a fisherman. He was actually picking a fight with the God who answers prayer.
The Divine Jailbreak (vv. 6-11)
Now the scene shifts from the prayer meeting to the prison cell, and God's answer arrives in spectacular fashion.
"Now on the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains... And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared..." (Acts 12:6-7 LSB)
First, notice Peter. It is the night before his execution, and what is he doing? Sleeping. He is sleeping so soundly that the angel has to strike him on the side to wake him up. This is the peace that passes all understanding. Peter had been told by the Lord Jesus that he would die an old man (John 21:18). He believed the promise of God more than the threats of Herod. He was at peace, resting in the sovereignty of God. Christian, can you sleep the night before your trial?
Then the angel appears. A light shines in the cell, the chains fall off, and the angel gives a series of brisk commands: "Rise up quickly... Gird yourself... put on your sandals... Wrap your garment around yourself and follow me." Peter is so disoriented he thinks he's having a vision. This is not some ethereal, floaty experience. This is a military-style extraction. They walk past the first and second guard posts. They come to the main iron gate, which opens for them "by itself." God's power is not hindered by human security measures. Locks, chains, guards, gates, they are all irrelevant when God decides to act.
Only when he is out on the street and the angel has vanished does Peter come to his senses. "Now truly I know that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod." God's deliverance was so beyond Peter's expectation that he could scarcely believe it was real. God's answers to our prayers are often more literal and more stunning than we dare to imagine.
The Folly of Unbelieving Prayer (vv. 12-17)
The final scene is filled with a wonderful, sanctified humor. Peter, fresh from his miraculous escape, goes to the very house where the church is praying for his miraculous escape.
"And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer... when she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate. But she ran in and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate. And they said to her, 'You are out of your mind!'" (Acts 12:13-15 LSB)
This is a picture of the church in all its glorious imperfection. They are praying fervently for Peter's release, but when the answer to their prayer is standing at the door, they don't believe it. First, there is Rhoda. She is a servant girl, a nobody in the world's eyes, but she is the first to receive the good news. In her joy, she completely forgets to let Peter in, leaving the answered prayer banging on the gate. Her testimony is immediately dismissed by the "serious" people praying inside. "You are out of your mind!"
When she insists, they offer a pious, spiritual-sounding alternative: "It is his angel." They would rather believe in a ghost than in a God who actually, literally answers the prayers they are in the middle of praying. How often are we like this? We pray for revival, and when it comes, we call it emotionalism. We pray for God to act, and when He does, we are the most surprised people in the room. God, in His mercy, is often more faithful to our prayers than we are.
But Peter keeps knocking. Reality keeps knocking. God's answer will not be ignored. Finally, they open the door and are "astounded." Peter has to silence them, quickly tells the story, and then, understanding the political reality, he leaves for a safer place. The contrast is complete. Herod's power is a noisy, clanging, impotent failure. God's power is quiet, efficient, and utterly effective, even when His own people can barely believe it.
Conclusion: Pray and Sleep
So what do we take from this? First, the world is run by Herods. Do not be surprised when the civil magistrate oversteps his bounds and decides to persecute the church. This is what the kingdom of man does. It is insecure, it is arrogant, and it is ultimately destined for the ash heap of history. Herod's story ends a few verses later with him being eaten by worms for accepting worship. That is the end of all who defy God.
Second, the church's response to tyranny is not panic, but prayer. Fervent, persistent, expectant prayer. We are not to put our trust in princes, or political parties, or legal strategies. Our trust is in the Lord who made heaven and earth, the one who opens prison doors.
And third, we are to cultivate the peace of Peter. We are to learn to sleep in the storm. How? By being so thoroughly convinced of the sovereignty of God and the reliability of His promises that the threats of mortal men seem like the buzzing of flies. God has a plan for your life, and no Herod in the world can thwart it. He will keep you safe until your work is done. And when it is done, whether you are delivered by an angel or, like James, delivered by the sword into glory, you are still safe. You are still in His hand.
Therefore, let us be a people who are not rattled by the headlines. Let us be a people who pray with fervent desperation. And let us be a people who rest with the quiet confidence of Peter. The kingdom we serve is an unshakeable one. The gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The Herods will come and go, their kingdoms will rise and fall, but the church of Jesus Christ, fueled by prayer and resting in the sovereign hand of God, will continue its triumphant march until the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.