12 1During this same time, King Heroda began to do harm to some of those who were part of the churchb. 2He ordered James, the brother of John, to be killed with a sword. 3Herod saw that many of the Jews liked this, so he decided to arrest Peter too. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Breadc. 4He arrested Peter and put him in jail, where he was guarded by a group of 16 soldiers. Herod planned to bring Peter before the people, but he wanted to wait until after the Passover festival. 5So Peter was kept in jail, but the church was constantly praying to God for him.9So the angel went out and Peter followed. He did not know if the angel was really doing this. He thought he might be seeing a visiond. 10Peter and the angel went past the first guard and the second guard. Then they came to the iron gate that separated them from the city. The gate opened for them by itself. After they went through the gate and walked about a block, the angel suddenly left. 11Peter realized then what had happened. He thought, "Now I know that the Lord really sent his angel to me. He rescued me from Herod and from everything those Jews thought would happen to me." 12When Peter realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John, who was also called Mark. Many people were gathered there and were praying. 13Peter knocked on the outside door. A servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. 14She recognized Peter's voice, and she was very happy. She even forgot to open the door. She ran inside and told the group, "Peter is at the door!" 15The believers said to her, "You are crazy!" But she continued to say that it was true. So they said, "It must be Peter's angel." 16But Peter continued to knock. When the believers opened the door, they saw him. They were amazed. 17Peter made a sign with his hand to tell them to be quiet. He explained to them how the Lord led him out of the jail. He said, "Tell James and the other brothers what happened." Then he left and went to another place. 18The next day the soldiers were very upset. They wondered what happened to Peter. 19Herod looked everywhere for him but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and then ordered that they be killed. 21Herod decided on a day to meet with them. On that day he was wearing a beautiful royal robe. He sat on his throne and made a speech to the people. 22The people shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not a man!" 23Herod did not give the glorye to God. So an angel of the Lord caused him to get sick. He was eaten by worms inside him, and he died. 24The messagef of God was spreading, reaching more and more people. 25After Barnabas and Saul finished their work in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch, taking John Mark with them. aHerod (1) Herod I (the Great), king of Judea and all of Palestine (40-4 b.c.), Mt. 2:1-22; Lk. 1:5; Acts 23:35. (2) Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, tetrarch (ruler) of Galilee and Perea (4 b.c.-39 a.d.), Mt. 14:1-6; Mk. 6:14-22; 8:15; Lk. 3:1, 19; 8:3; 9:7, 9; 13:31; 23:7-15; Acts 4:27; 13:1. (3) Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great, king of Palestine (37-44 a.d.), Acts 12:1, 6-21. bchurch Literally, ¡°assembly¡± or ¡°community,¡± the people who have been brought together as God¡¯s family through their common faith in Jesus Christ. The word often refers to a group of believers who meet together or who live in the same area, but it is also used to mean the worldwide community of all believers in Christ. cFestival of Unleavened Bread An important and holy week for the people of Israel and their descendants. In the time of the Old Testament it began the day after Passover, but by New Testament times the two festivals had become one. To prepare for it, the people threw out all their yeast and ate only bread without yeast for seven days.¡± dvision Something like a dream used by God to speak to people. eglory A word that refers to the special qualities of God. Often it means brightness, referring to the way he appears to people. Sometimes it means majesty or power, referring to a kind of greatness that cannot be compared to anything in human experience. It can also include the ideas of wealth, honor, fame, or respect, especially in expressions of praise. fmessage See ¡°Good News.¡± |