Today’s sermon touched on the story of Peter in prison, in Acts 12. Herod began to persecute the Christians, and had the apostle James killed. Since that made the Jews happy, he arrested Peter during the Feast of unleavened bread and put him in prison, under the guard of 4 squads of soldiers, planning to kill him after Passover.
Acts 12:6-10 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered. 9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn't realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
Peter was about to go on trial. This would not be a long trial. He would stand before Herod who would find him guilty and sentence him to death, with the sentence being carried out immediately. Peter has no reason to believe that the outcome would be anything else. Herod had killed James already. Peter would be the next martyr. So, the last night that Peter would live, while he is chained between two soldiers, he lays down and goes to sleep. This is pretty remarkable. How does someone lay down and go to sleep the night before he is going to be killed? Maybe he had the same attitude that Paul had.
Phil 1:21-23 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
Maybe Peter laid down, thinking, “Tomorrow may be the day that I get to be face to face with Jesus”, and he just fell asleep. That’s peace.
2 comments:
Jeannette. The subject of peace seems to be following me around today. In Sunday School this morning, we read the verses in Colossians and in Philippians about peace, the kind we are called to have; the same stuff that transcends all understanding. I adore that kind of peace and He who makes it possible. I tend to fight it sometimes, though. He makes peace available to me, but I often lay in my own prison and worry about tomorrow. There is a line in a song by Rich Mullins that says, "I'd rather fight you for something I don't really want than to take what you give that I need." I find those words too true too often!
I like the fact that the word says the angel struck him to get him awake. So, he wasn't in just a light sleep, he was in a comfortable, deep, peaceful, sleep, in a prison, chained between two guards, with death looming over him in the morning.
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