AT the time of the second persecution, the Churches, as
they were called, had in the sight of all their adversaries
firmly planted themselves throughout all Judea, and Galilee,
and Samaria (ix. 13) ; nay, more, the Gentiles had been
gathered into a considerable church at Antioch (xi. 22-27),
the apostles, however, still having their head-quarters at
Jerusalem. About this time (compare xii. 1 with xi. 27-30)
the emperor Claudius at length gave back Judea and
Samaria to Herod Agrippa (the elder), so that he now once
more possessed all the power and authority of his grandfather,
including the power of life and death. This prince,
not inherently of a cruel disposition, had no higher aim
than to make himself popular both with the Romans and
the Jews (compare ver. 3 with 22, 23), and the favour
with which the populace had at first regarded the Christians
(v. 13, 26), having now turned to a fanatical hatred,
the 'unhappy king thought he could do nothing so politic as
to become the minister and executor of the popular feeling.
Accordingly, he " stretched forth his hands to vex certain
of the Church," and naturally chose the more prominent
characters in it, going so far as to pass sentence of death
without even the formality of a trial ! With what impressive
brevity Luke announces the first martyrdom among
the apostles: James, the brother of John, Herod killed with
the sword ! for James was one of the leading three among
the twelve, and was, doubtless, not unknown to the people
at large. The more retiring character of John, perhaps,
excited less enmity, while the powerful preacher and miracle-
worker, Peter (whose very shadow healed the sick),
may have inspired a salutary awe. Thus, then, James
became the mark for popular hatred, was the one of the
sons of thunder destined first to share the Lord's cup and
baptism, as predicted by the same Lord (Matt. xx. 23) ;
while John, on the other hand, agreeably to other words of
his Master (John xxi. 22), lived longer than any of the
apostles.
The pleasure shown by the Jews at the bloody deed so
encouraged the king to proceed in his course that Peter
was next taken ; but according to the newly-established
custom among the Jews, his execution was to be delayed till
after Easter, was not to be hurried on as that of his Lord
had been. Another opportunity was now granted to him
of making good his promise (Luke xxii. 38). As he had
once slipped away from prison in a miraculous manner, the
Jews required that this time he should be kept safe indeed ;
and, accordingly, the customary watch of four men was
quadrupled, one party of four probably relieving the other
at stated times (ver. 6), two being always inside with the
prisoner, and two before the door keeping the prison.
James was put to death, as we have seen, suddenly.
Peter, on the contrary, was imprisoned during the days of
unleavened bread, that his execution might afford the excitement
of a public spectacle to the people. This is reason
enough why we should read only in his case, and not
in that of James, of instant and earnest prayer being made
without ceasing of the Church unto God for him. We do
not need to suppose, like the Catholics, by way of further
explanation, that Peter was of higher value, as being now
the acknowledged head of the Church. We read merely
that prayer was madefor him, which implies, no doubt, petitions
for the preservation of his life and further witnessing
for the truth. (Kefer to the prayer in chap. iv. 24-30.)
But prayer was made ; a little, yet here, significant word,
implying that the murderous counsel of men had to come
into collision with this strong obstacle. And yet we would
not lay, as do some commentators, a quite exclusive stress
upon this prayer as the turning-point in the case, for we
must not overlook the fact that it was God's pre-determining
counsel which excited this fervent prayer for what He
intended to grant, and who ordered the whole course of
events according to his will. It was just when James had
succumbed to the tyrant that God's power was to be
effectually displayed, as if to say,' Hitherto shalt thou
come, and not further. Peter shall not be thy victim as
well !' And this was the very moment for a fresh angelic
interference.
We for our part are almost convinced, from the tone of
the whole narrative, that the apostle was kept in prison
during all the days of unleavened bread. So long, up even
to the eve of the execution perhaps, did the Lord keep
silence and hold his hand. The next day Herod's sentence
would have been passed and executed ; but in the night
the miraculous deliverance occurred. The doomed prisoner,
to whom very probably the hour of his death had been
announced, had no positive reason to expect a different fate
from that of James; did not indeed in any way anticipate the
Divine interposition on his behalf, as we may gather from
his sound sleep, and from his supposing the whole transaction
to have been a dream. He slept calmly and courageously
in the near prospect of martyrdom ; did not watch
the night through in vague and anxious suspense ; but, as
it would appear, quietly, perhaps joyfully, resigned himself
to God's will. According to the custom of the Roman
Custodia, with even more than the usual precautions, we
find that the prisoner was bound with two chains fastened
to the arms of two soldiers, one on each side of him,
besides the watch set before the door," the first and the
second ward" (ver. 10). And thus he slept between his
keepers, while a large portion of the Church was assembled
in the house of Mary the mother of Mark, praying
for him (ver. 12). But behold an angel of the Lord
suddenly flashed into sight, and a light shined in the
prison, as Peter saw in waking, and afterwards related.
Very sound must his sleep have been since this light did
not disturb him ; so sound, indeed, that the angel had to
smite him upon his side.
And now follow three separate sentences spoken by the
angel, plain and natural sentences, relating only to what
had to be done at once as it is the manner of these
exalted beings to speak, in the course of their faithful
services rendered to man, but yet, as we generally find
the case, these sentences have a deeper meaning latent in
them. God's messengers to men deal in no pious prolixity,
such as we often hear from each other ; use no
strong language regarding what is in no way extraordinary
or miraculous to them. The angel does not even say,'
Behold, the Lord will not have thee die ; the prayer of the
Church is heard ; I am sent to save thee or anything of
the kind. Neither is Peter to be wakened up on this
occasion by the naming of his name ; but by a stroke on
his side, accompanied by the most simple, and yet, in the
mouth of the shining angel, the most lofty, the most encouraging
command," Rise up quickly." And at the
very same moment the words exert a miraculous power,
the chains fall from the prisoner's hands, so that he can
move without waking his sleeping keepers. To this succeeds
another command, which middle clause of the Divine
message is the most significant of all," Gird thyself, and
bind on thy sandals." Thus we not only see how that
Peter, expecting no extraordinary interposition in his
favour, had calmly and comfortably prepared himself for
his night's rest; but also that now that he was free, and
risen up from slumber, he was to prepare for his departure
in the same leisurely way. If the first words," Rise up,"
contained a promise of deliverance from prison and from
bonds, this was still more strongly expressed in this second
command. We do not wonder to find here interpolated
by the Evangelist, and so he did. Possibly at the moment
Peter's mind took in little more than the immediate
fact, that he was to arise and go out of the prison. But
on looking back and reflecting upon the whole circumstances,
he must have been struck by what he then saw to
be an unmistakable reference to those prophetic words of
his Lord by the Lake of Gennesareth, regarding his being
girded and carried by others, previous to his appointed
death by crucifixion (John xxi. 18, 19). The angel knew
of that speech, and now by his allusion to it gives the
apostle to understand that the time was not yet come
when he was to glorify God by his martyrdom, that he
was now free to gird himself for a return to the duties
of his apostolic office. It is true that Peter was no
longer required to remain and preach in Jerusalem,
as on the occasion of his former deliverance (ver. 20),
but rather to depart and go into another place, as we learn
from verse 17. Therefore, he is not to leave half apparelled,
as one escaping for his life might be expected to do.
No, his departure in the power of the Lord is to be calm,
dignified, and orderly. He is not only to put on his sandals,
but to take his cloak with him that the night air may not
chill him, suddenly waked out of sleep as he has been.
What a gracious condescension we have here to human
infirmity ; what a significant attention to the ordinary in
the midst of the extraordinary ; what a sense of perfect
deliverance, in short, there is in this third direction,
simple as the words are :" Cast thy garment about thee,
and follow me." Peter might well have thought, Let
my garment lie there, so only I escape with life and limb.
But in spite of the rapid succession of the three concise
commands, the angel allows him time enough to put on
all his apparel. Finally, the words "follow me," though
immediately referring to their present passage through
guards, and bolts and bars, and doors and gates, seem to
us to have a latent reference to that "follow me," spoken
by the Lord to his servant on the occasion before referred
to (John xxi. 22). The messenger says so here, in the
name of the Lord, who has commissioned him, not merely
to lead the apostle out into the street, and to the house
where the Church was praying for him, but to send him
back with fresh zeal and energy to tread in the footsteps
of his Master.
Meanwhile, the four keepers have heard and seen nothing,
as verse 18 proves. This, indeed, does not surprise
us ; but we find that Peter himself does not at first know
that his deliverance is actually accomplished by angelic
intervention ; ar.d how are we to interpret this ? We cannot
thinfc the observation made by some commentators,
that every celestial apparition leaves men beside themselves,
is applicable to a case like this, where so much
positive activity was required. But that, instead of a vision
seeming real, we meet here with a reality appearing to
be a mere vision of sleep to Peter, is, we think, easily
explicable. We find in this very fact of its seeming unreality
the strongest proof that the apostle, although once
before delivered by an angel out of prison, had not, on this
occasion, the slightest expectation of divine aid, but had
laid himself down in perfect resignation to the doom that
awaited him, since otherwise he would have kept awake to
see whether the Lord would send his angel once more.
Indeed, we think that Luke details the mood of the apostle
with so much distinctness, in order to lead us to this
conclusion. At all events, it was like one that dreams
(Ps. cxxvi.), one who can only believe in the reality of his
rescue when it is fairly accomplished, that the newlywaked
apostle followed his heavenly guide (perhaps, like
him, invisibly to other eyes) through the first and second
doubled watch, till they reached the iron gate that led out
of the prison into the city. This heavy gate opened before
them of its own accord ;it was not burst by an earthquake,
like the gates at Philippi ;it was not even visibly touched
by the angel's hand ; God's own liberating might being
most clearly revealed at this last juncture. After the
heavenly leader, and the apostle in his train, had traversed
one street, silent amidst the darkness of the night (the
light no longer streaming from the angel's form), his
celestial guide vanishes from before Peter's eyes. Then,
for the first time, the apostle is thoroughly conscious of
the nature of the whole transaction, and at once bursts out
into a joyous exclamation," Now I know that the Lord
has sent an angel," not merely that it was an angel, but
that he had been sent ; for how can Peter help looking upward
from the servant to the Master? Indeed, in verse 17,
we see that he overlooks the angelic instrumentality altogether.
The Lord, he said, had brought him out of prison !
The hand, or the might, of Herod is the next thought that
DCCUTS to his mind ; from that he is delivered ; but the
saddest reflection to his faithful apostolic spirit, is on
the expectation of the people of the Jews ; their glad expectation
of his death ! Thus we discern, through this
spontaneous burst of Peter, as soon as he is fully come to
himself, the state of his inward feelings ; and see that he,
like his Master, mourns over the sins of his enemies more
than over his own misfortunes.
We will not follow the narrative any further, but merely
glance, in conclusion, at the expression used by those
gathered together praying in Mary's house, when they
heard the voice of Peter at the door :" It is his angel,"
said they ;it cannot be the living man, it is his spirit ;
this must have been the meaning of this remarkable and
isolated expression, which shows that the word angel was
used amongst the community of believers in more than
one sense; and there is reason to suppose that Rev. i. 1,
xxii. 6, 16, affords an illustration of this.
