The Way Home
HOW AN IRON GATE WAS OPENED
Story 8 - Acts 12:1-24
Mom paused a moment, then asked, “Do you remember from the life of Christ, while Jesus was teaching, how that Jerusalem was ruled by the Roman governor, Pilate?” Judy responded, “Didn’t he send Jesus to the cross?” Nodding yes, mom continued the story:
After some years, the emperor at Rome, who ruled all the lands around the Great Sea, gave all the country of the Jews to a man named Herod Agrippa and made him king of Judea. He was the nephew of the Herod who killed John the Baptist and the grandson of the other Herod who killed the little children in Bethlehem, while trying to destroy the baby Jesus. Herod Agrippa was the king of Judea when Peter, in our last story, saw the vision on the housetop and preached to the Gentiles.
Wanting to please the Jews in Jerusalem, Herod seized one of the apostles, named James. He was the brother of John, one of the three disciples who had been nearest to Jesus. Herod had his guards kill James with a sword, just as John the Baptist had been killed by Herod’s uncle, Herod Antipas. Seeing how much this pleased the chief priests and rulers, Herod captured Simon Peter and put him in prison, too, intending to kill him at the next feast of the Passover.
Peter, therefore, was kept locked up, with sixteen soldiers around the prison guarding him. There were four soldiers watching him all the time. The church prayed earnestly to God for Peter. On the night before the day when Peter was to be brought out to die, he was sleeping in the prison. Peter was bound with two chains, and guards were at the prison door watching him. Suddenly a bright light shone in Peter’s jail cell and an angel from the Lord stood by him. The angel struck him on the side and awoke him and said, “Quick, get up.” And as Peter awoke and stood up, his chains fell from his hands. And the angel said to him: “Put on your clothes and sandals.”
And Peter did as he was told, scarcely knowing what he was doing. Then the angel said: “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
So Peter followed the angel, thinking that he was dreaming. They passed the first guard of the soldiers and the second; but no one stirred to hinder them. Then they came to the great iron gate on the outside of the prison; and this opened for them, as if unseen hands were turning it. They went out of the prison into the city and passed through one street. Then the angel left Peter as suddenly as he had come to him. By this time Peter was fully awake and said: “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and has set me free from the power of King Herod.”
Peter thought of what he should do and where he should go; and he turned toward the house of a woman named Mary, who was kin to Barnabas; and who had a young son named John Mark, who years later would write “The Gospel According to Mark.” At Mary’s house many had gathered together to pray for Peter.
Peter came to the house and knocked on the outside door and called to those who were within. A young woman named Rhoda came to the door. She listened and at once knew the voice of Peter. She was so glad that she forgot to open the door. Instead she ran into the house and told everyone that Peter was standing at the door. They said to her, “You’re crazy!”
But she said that she was sure that Peter was there, because she knew his voice. And then they said: “It must be an angel who has taken Peter’s form!”
But Peter kept on knocking; and when at last they opened the door and saw him, they were filled with wonder. With his hand he beckoned to them to listen; and he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And Peter said to them: “Tell these things to James and to the other apostles.”
And then he went away to a place where Herod and his men could not find him. The morning came, and there was a great stir among the soldiers regarding what had become of Peter. Herod the king searched for Peter, but could not find him. In his anger Herod ordered that the guards in the prison should be put to death. And not long after this Herod himself died so suddenly that many believed his death came from the wrath of God on him. So Herod perished; but Peter, whom he tried to kill, lived many years, working for Christ.
The James of whom Peter spoke when he said, “Tell these things to James,” was not James the apostle, the brother of John, because that James had been put to death by Herod. Peter was speaking of another James, a son of Joseph and Mary, a younger brother of Jesus, one who was always called “the Lord’s brother.” This James was a very holy man and a leader of the church in Jerusalem, where he lived many years. Some time after this, James wrote the book of the New Testament called “The Epistle of James.”
