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Peter Is Jailed and Rescued (Acts 12:1-11)

August 26, 2018 Speaker: Bob DeWaay Series: Acts of the Apostles

Scripture: Acts 12:1-11

As we examine Luke/Acts we see that Jesus predicted in Luke 21:12 that His disciples would be persecuted and put in prisons for the sake of the Name. Here in Acts 12 this happens to Peter under Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great. The political motive for Herod in Acts 12 was to gain favor with the Jews who rejected the Christian claims and persecuted those who preached Christ. Because Herod’s territory of political responsibility included Judea, keeping the Jews on his side would help bring favor with the Romans. Jailing Peter with the implied idea of bringing him out to be executed would further Herod’s political ambitions. The setting of Unleavened Bread reminds us of Jesus’ arrest in Luke and also provides echoes of the Exodus Passover. Luke masterfully weaves allusions to the Exodus into Luke/Acts including here. While the church was at prayer for Peter, an angel comes into his secure prison to rescue Peter. We point out that the light shining in the prison cell and the chains falling off are analogous to conversion. 

Class handout and slides can be found under the Downloads tab