Acts 12
April Memory Verse: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 NIV
Read: Acts 12
In the last few chapters, we’ve seen Gentiles come to faith in Jesus Christ. This was a big deal and not something that the Jewish religious elite appreciated. This sparked a great deal of debate and contention that we see in the rest of the New Testament. The question became, “Does a person have to become Jewish to become Christian?” By that they meant, what part of the Law does a person need to observe to follow Christ—Do they need to get circumcised? Do they need to follow the Jewish dietary restrictions? Do they need to go to the Temple or do sacrifices? All of these questions and more had to get resolved.
In Acts 12, these questions were just beginning to get asked when the Jewish leaders had had enough with this little scrappy sectarian band of Christ-followers. They were gaining some momentum, and that was dangerous to the powerful. James was executed for his faith, which was soon followed by Peter’s arrest.
In one of the most humorous stories in all of Scripture, God delivered Peter from captivity without Peter even realizing it. Then when he came to his senses, he ran to Mary’s house only for Rhoda to get so excited that she never let him inside.
Quickly we jump to Herod’s death. This account was actually corroborated by the ancient historian Josephus. While Luke basically just mentions that Herod accepted worship, Josephus’ description went further. Herod dressed in a shiny silver outfit, then came out in the morning when the sun would reflect its rays. Josephus describes that the people couldn’t stand to look at him, as they said, “Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.” Herod accepted their worship and paid the price.
How many times do we stand back in a day, a week, a month and think, “My God is unstoppable? Literally nothing can stand in His way.” When I hear the news, when I think about national crisis after crisis, when I consider all the frustration at leaders and so-called “influencers,” I sometimes just want to give up and hang out with the Amish. When we’re tempted to question whether or not our efforts are making a difference, we have only to look back at Acts 12.
Herod “the king” was Herod Agrippa I. He was the grandson of Herod the Great, which was the Herod of the Jesus birth narrative. The Herodians were like a daytime TV soap opera—this was a messed up family. Eventually, the Roman Caesar Gaius, known as Caligula, established Herod Agrippa as king and later further expanded his territory. The next Roman Emperor Claudius gave him even more territory to nearly that of Herod the Great. Adding to that, Agrippa was highly regarded by the Jews because of relations on his mother’s side. He also worked hard to curry that favor as well.
To put it simply—the Romans loved Agrippa, the Jews loved Agrippa, and when he moved against the Christians, everybody applauded. Every power player at every level was ready to crush this new movement of Christ followers—but they couldn’t. Herod died a shiny reflection of the sun, killed by the One who placed it in the sky. If God can do that to let the Church flourish, then what is He doing now?
By: Tyler Short
Read: Acts 12
In the last few chapters, we’ve seen Gentiles come to faith in Jesus Christ. This was a big deal and not something that the Jewish religious elite appreciated. This sparked a great deal of debate and contention that we see in the rest of the New Testament. The question became, “Does a person have to become Jewish to become Christian?” By that they meant, what part of the Law does a person need to observe to follow Christ—Do they need to get circumcised? Do they need to follow the Jewish dietary restrictions? Do they need to go to the Temple or do sacrifices? All of these questions and more had to get resolved.
In Acts 12, these questions were just beginning to get asked when the Jewish leaders had had enough with this little scrappy sectarian band of Christ-followers. They were gaining some momentum, and that was dangerous to the powerful. James was executed for his faith, which was soon followed by Peter’s arrest.
In one of the most humorous stories in all of Scripture, God delivered Peter from captivity without Peter even realizing it. Then when he came to his senses, he ran to Mary’s house only for Rhoda to get so excited that she never let him inside.
Quickly we jump to Herod’s death. This account was actually corroborated by the ancient historian Josephus. While Luke basically just mentions that Herod accepted worship, Josephus’ description went further. Herod dressed in a shiny silver outfit, then came out in the morning when the sun would reflect its rays. Josephus describes that the people couldn’t stand to look at him, as they said, “Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.” Herod accepted their worship and paid the price.
How many times do we stand back in a day, a week, a month and think, “My God is unstoppable? Literally nothing can stand in His way.” When I hear the news, when I think about national crisis after crisis, when I consider all the frustration at leaders and so-called “influencers,” I sometimes just want to give up and hang out with the Amish. When we’re tempted to question whether or not our efforts are making a difference, we have only to look back at Acts 12.
Herod “the king” was Herod Agrippa I. He was the grandson of Herod the Great, which was the Herod of the Jesus birth narrative. The Herodians were like a daytime TV soap opera—this was a messed up family. Eventually, the Roman Caesar Gaius, known as Caligula, established Herod Agrippa as king and later further expanded his territory. The next Roman Emperor Claudius gave him even more territory to nearly that of Herod the Great. Adding to that, Agrippa was highly regarded by the Jews because of relations on his mother’s side. He also worked hard to curry that favor as well.
To put it simply—the Romans loved Agrippa, the Jews loved Agrippa, and when he moved against the Christians, everybody applauded. Every power player at every level was ready to crush this new movement of Christ followers—but they couldn’t. Herod died a shiny reflection of the sun, killed by the One who placed it in the sky. If God can do that to let the Church flourish, then what is He doing now?
By: Tyler Short
4 Comments
This devotion brought peace to my heart today Tyler. What a wonderful frame of mind before we leave out of our homes to all that the world throws at us. I believe as you that we don’t acknowledge the power and authority of God. That we sit and stew over the things that media and other outlets bring to our attention that are negative and totally forget about all the good the Lord allows in the lives of so many over the course of any given day!
Thank you for this perspective. When things look hopelessly bad, God can turn them around. When Peter lies sleeping in his cell awaiting martyrdom, God miraculously sets him free. When the Church huddles together in desperate & fearful prayer, God comes through in an astonishing way. When things look untouchably good, God can turn them around. When King Herod sits & basks in the sun’s glory & the people’s praises, God strikes a fatal blow to his conceited creation. No matter how things might look, God is bigger - so “set your mind on things above.”
Really great Tyler, thank you!
God is always at work! And it’s amazing the power we have in prayer