The politics of persecution gives insight into the story of an angel releasing Peter from prison. Herod Agrippa I was the ruler who arrested Peter after killing the Apostle James.
Acts 12:1 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.) 4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.[1]
Who Was Herod Agrippa I?
This Herod was part of an evil family who ruled Palestine during the first century. He was the grandson of Herod the Great, who had ordered the murder of the babies in Bethlehem after Jesus was born, and was the nephew of Herod Antipas, who ordered the beheading of John the Baptist.
The Herods were not Jewish but were descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau. Herod the Great had married a Jewess, so the Jewish population begrudgingly accepted them. Herod Agrippa, I learned that he had to cultivate favor with the Jews to solidify his leadership. He would do what it took to maintain his power base.
The Jews had tolerated Christians as a sect of Judaism until they began to accept Gentiles into their group. The rapid growth of believers and the inclusion of Gentiles turned the Jews against the Christians. Herod saw a way to gain favor with the Jews by persecuting the Christians.
Herod first tried killing a lesser-known apostle, James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John. When that was successful, Herod upped the ante. He arrested Peter at Passover. During the Festival of Passover, Jerusalem was full of Jewish pilgrims who were coming to celebrate. All these people would know that he had arrested Peter, making him even more powerful.
God Knows About Persecution
Satan will use anyone and any reason to destroy believers. The same thing that happened with Herod and Peter continues to occur in our world. Don’t let this surprise you, and don’t forget that God knows what is happening. God released Peter supernaturally with an angel. Acts 12: 11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” [2]
Judgment came to Herod shortly after. Acts 12: 23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died. [3]
We can trust that God sees the politics of persecution. He is well aware of Satan’s tricks and the needs of His followers. We can always turn to Him in prayer for help.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/an-angel-rescues-peter
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.