Acts 11:19-12:25
(taught on July 13,
2008)
(Acts 11:19) Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
· Phoenicia was centered in the north of Canaan, with its heartland extending 75 miles along the coastal regions of modern day Lebanon, Syria and Israel.
· Cyprus is the island about 100 miles off the coast of Israel, to the north. It had a strong Greek influence, and was the birthplace of Barnabas.
· Antioch was the third largest city of the Roman empire. It was a city about 20 miles from the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea, just off the east shores. Today in the location of Antioch is Antakya, Turkey.
(Acts 11:20) But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.
· See vs 19 for info on Cyprus and Antioch. See Acts 6:1 for notes on Hellenists.
· Cyrene is on the shore in north Africa, where modern day Libya is located.
(Acts 11:21) And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
(Acts 11:22) Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.
· This was the same Barnabas that sold the land, and gave all the proceeds from the sale to the apostles to distribute to the needy (Acts 4:36-37). This was in contrast to what Ananias and Sapphira did (5:1-5). And this was the same Barnabas that received Paul when Paul first came to Jerusalem as a new convert, and Barnabas trusted him and brought him to the apostles.
· See vs 19 for info on Antioch. It is about 300 miles from Antioch to Jerusalem. Barnabas is being sent on a long mission trip. The travel time to Antioch is probably about 2 weeks.
· What was the news that the church in Jerusalem was hearing? It was good news, that many were being converted in remote cities. They probably sent Barnabas to disciple them (see vs 23).
(Acts 11:23) When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.
· Barnabas become know as a strong encourager. In facts, in Acts 4:36, it says his name meant "Son of Encouragement".
· See separate “Encouraging Others” web page.
(Acts 11:24) For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
· "full of the Holy Spirit and grace" - the same words used to describe Stephen in Acts 6:5.
· Many people had become Christians before Barnabas had arrived (vs 21), and now many have become Christians after his arrival.
(Acts 11:25) Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.
· Tarsus was around the inlet from Antioch, both in modern day Turkey.
· Paul had been sent by the Christian leaders to Tarsus to avoid persecution (9:29-30).
(Acts 11:26) And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
· Paul had come to Jerusalem, and Barnabas had welcomed him there. Now Barnabas goes to Paul's town, and Paul welcomed him there. They travelled down to the church in Antioch, as Paul was probably in Tarsus because that was his home town, but they probably did not have a church there. They travelled down to the church in Antioch, not far from Tarsus. Barnabas may have recognized Paul's potential, so he wanted him involved in the church at Antioch. It became a thriving church, probably in part due to the time Paul and Barnabas put into it. They discipled the people in the Antioch church.
· Note that in addition to "the church" and "believers", they are now also called Christians.
(Acts 11:27) And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.
(Acts 11:28) Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
· Agabus was a prophet, and we see 2 instances of him being prophetic, here and in Acts 21:10, about Paul's capture.
· Claudius Caesar was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from AD 41 to his death in AD 54. He was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy.
· Claudius was a rather unlikely man to become emperor. He was afflicted with some type of disability. This infirmity may have saved him from the fate of many other Roman nobles during the purges of Tiberius' and Caligula's reigns. His very survival led to his being declared emperor after Caligula's assassination, at which point he was the last adult male of his family.
· Despite his lack of political experience, Claudius proved to be an able administrator and a great builder of public works. His reign saw an expansion of the empire, including the conquest of Britain. Claudius was constantly forced to shore up his position, resulting in the deaths of many senators.
· Claudius' knees were weak and gave way under him and his head shook. He stammered and his speech was confused. He slobbered and his nose ran when he was excited. When calm and seated he was a tall, well-built figure of dignity. When angered or stressed, his symptoms became worse.
· The most recent theories suggest his illness was cerebral palsy, but Tourette syndrome is also a likely cause for his symptoms.
· Claudius was generous and lowbrow, a man who cracked lame jokes, laughed uncontrollably, and lunched with the plebeians. He was also bloodthirsty and cruel, overly fond of both gladiatorial combat and executions, and very quick to anger. But he was also overly trusting, and easily manipulated by his wives and freedmen. He was intelligent, scholarly, well-read, and conscientious administrator with an eye to detail and justice. Thus, Claudius was an enigma.
· On January 24, AD 41, Caligula was assassinated. There is no evidence that Claudius had a direct hand in the assassination. After the deaths of Caligula's wife and daughter, it became apparent that Cassius intended to wipe out the imperial family. In the chaos following the murder, Claudius witnessed the death of several uninvolved noblemen, including friends of his. Concerned for his survival, he fled to the palace to hide himself. According to tradition, a Praetorian named Gratus found him hiding behind a curtain and suddenly declared him imperator. The Senate quickly met and began debating a change of government. When they heard of the Praetorians' claim, they demanded that Claudius be delivered to them for approval, but he refused, rightly sensing the danger that would come with complying. Eventually the Senate was forced to give in and, in return, Claudius pardoned nearly all the assassins.
(Acts 11:29) Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
(Acts 11:30) This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
(Acts 12:1) Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.
· Herod the Great (not the Herod in this chapter) was a "client king", assigned to rule the area of modern day Israel and Syria. He was the Herod who killed the male infants at the time of Jesus' birth (Matt 2:16). He was known for his brutality, even killing some of his sons and a wife. He died shortly after Jesus' birth. Judea was then divided amongst his sons.
· Archelaus (Matt 2:22), a son of Herod the Great, ruled the southern region of Judea, which included Bethlehem and Jerusalem. He died a few years after the birth of Jesus, in 6 AD.
· Herod Antipas (not the Herod in this chapter), another son of Herod the Great, was the tetrarch of Galilee and Persia during most of Jesus' life on earth (Luke 23:7). He was a frivolous and vain prince, and was known for many infamous crimes (Mark 8:15, Luke 3:19, 13:31-32). He beheaded John the Baptist (Matt 14:1-12) at the instigation of his wife Herodias, who was the wife of his half-brother Herod-Philip. Pilate sent Christ to him when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover (Luke 23:7). He asked some idle questions of Him, and after caused Him to be mocked, then sent Him back to Pilate.
· Herod Agrippa I (this Herod), was from the tribe of Edom, originating from Esau, the estranged brother and enemy of Jacob. He was the son of Aristobulus and Bernice, and grandson of Herod the Great.
· He seems to have been a proselyte of the Jewish religion, for Josephus says he was zealous for the Mosaic rites, and a bigot for the ceremonies.
· He was a tetrarch of Galilee (as Herod Antipas was), but later possessed the entire Judean kingdom of his grandfather, Herod the Great, with the title of king, granted to him by emperor Claudius (see notes on 11:28).
· On the second day of a festival held in the honor of emperor Claudius, he appeared in the great theatre of Caesarea. "The king came in clothed in magnificent robes, of which silver was the costly brilliant material. It was early in the day, and the sun's rays fell on the king, so that the eyes of the beholder were dazzled with the brightness which surrounded him. Voices here and there from the crowd exclaimed that it was the apparition of something divine. And when he spoke and made an oration to them, they gave a shout, saying 'It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.' But in the midst of this idolatrous ostentation an angel of God suddenly smote him. He was carried out of the theater a dying man." He died (AD 44) of the same loathsome malady which slew his grandfather (Acts 12:21-23), at 54 years old, having reigned for 4 years as tetrarch, and 3 as king over the whole of Palestine. After his death his kingdom came under the control of the prefect of Syria, and Palestine was now fully incorporated with the empire.
(Acts 12:2) Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
· This was James the apostle (Matt 10:2), as compared to James the brother of Jesus (Mark 6:3, Acts 12:17).
· James was one of the apostles at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2).
· Jesus called James one of the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17), which may have indicated he was a fiery preacher. This may have led to his execution.
· This fulfilled Jesus' prediction that he would be baptized with the same baptism with which Jesus was baptized (Matthew 20:23).
· He was one of the 12 designated to disciple the nations, and his killing here was like when Abel was killed, ready to populate the world, but faced an early death. Yet, the blood of the saints is precious in His sight, so surely his blood was not shed without valuable consideration. See later in this chapter (vss 7-17) how God did intervene to likely save Peter's life. God always has the power to intervene and rescue or heal, but sometime chooses not to.
· His death obviously was in God's perfect plan, possibly to disperse the disciples to other areas besides Jerusalem, possibly to show and prepare them what they may be facing.
· He was probably killed in private, in prison, as was John the Baptist. James was slain as were many of God's saints before the time of Christ (Heb 11:37-39).
· The first preachers of the gospel were so assured of the truth that they sealed it with their blood, which tells us that if we are called to do the same, we should react in the same way.
· Persecution
* In the late 1990s an average of 160,000 Christians were killed because of their faith each year.
* "Martyr" literally means "witness", meaning one who bears witness by his death, or one who suffers death rather than renounce his religion. See Rev 2:13, 17:6.
1. They realize that God has a specific purpose for their life.
2. Their ultimate goal is to fulfill that purpose
3. Everything else pales in comparison to that goal
4. Therefore, anything that happens to them as a result of performing that work is acceptable because they are doing the most important thing that they could possibly be doing in their life.
(Acts 12:3) And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.
· The Passover is followed immediately by the 7 Days of Unleavened Bread, from Sabbath to Sabbath. This happened during that time after Passover. The Jews would come to Jerusalem at that time, and probably were more stirred up than usual, as they were at the time of Jesus' death.
· The Jews were pleased by the death of James. Their reaction to James death encouraged Herod to continue the persecution, which included the imprisonment of Peter. By agreement James blood was on their hands, too, even though they did not cause it to happen.
(Acts 12:4) So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
· Herod would wait until the crowds died down from Passover, to possibly have less resistance to condemn and execute Peter.
(Acts 12:5) Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
· The prayer here is constant, fervent, earnest prayer. They were praying for Peter with passion without stopping (like the song, "He's My Son" by Mark Schultz), for they feared for His life. For, the effective fervent prayer of righteous men accomplishes much (James 5:16). Do you have enough faith in God and passion in your soul to pray for others this way?
· Did the prayer make a difference for Peter? It did, and it always does. It bends the ear of God, who loves to meet the godly desires of His children (Psalm 20:4, 37:4). We make our request, which God over and over again has asked us to do, so He can respond to it and show Himself to us. The implication in this verse by mentioning it is that prayer affected Peter's situation.
· The death of James probably heightened the fervency of their prayers for Peter.
· Does prayer move the hand of God? See Isaiah 38:1-6 about King Hezekiah.
· Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had a clear understanding that God is able to save us[1] even if He does not (Dan 3:17-18).
· Prayer is the church's arms to go where they cannot go. Here they went into prison with Paul. We can go anywhere around the world!
(Acts 12:6) And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
· Herod was preparing to have Peter brought out after the Passover (verses 3-4).
· Note that Peter was sleeping (Prov 3:21-24). What peace - only the peace that is beyond human understanding (Phil 4:6-7).
· Herod made sure there was no doubt that Peter was securely fastened, for he had 2 chains, between 2 soldiers, in the inner prison (see verse 10), guarded outside by more guards, behind locked prison doors. The skill of man can hardly have made a prisoner more secure. So, from man's point-of-view, how did Peter's situation look? Pretty grim. How about from God's point-of-view? How does your situation look from your viewpoint? Pretty grim? See it from God's. Then you can have the same peace Peter has. Watch expectantly, with anticipation, what God will do for you.
(Acts 12:7) Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.
· Gates and guards can keep out people, but not God and His angels. There is never any place or position that can keep God away, for He is always present (Matthew 28:20).
· Christians can be assured that our ultimately destiny lies with God, not man. Examples: John 7:30, John 19:10-11.
· Even though Peter has been in prison for days, is it on his imminent trial and execution that God intervenes, as He did when Abraham was about to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. Yet, God did not intervene when David prayed fervently for his child to live (2 Sam 12:16-18). All throughout life God makes choices about our lives to teach us and to draw us to Him. Therefore, we should not view events as "good" vs. "bad", but realize they are all part of God's perfect plan to draw us to Him - as at times he was patient over and again with Israel, and then at time he brought judgment - all to draw Israel to Him. (Unfortunately all for naught, since Israel refused to listen.) What does it take for God to draw you to Him? Has He been patient with you a number of times, and because of the hardness of your heart He must now choose judgment and discipline? Yet, it is all to draw you to Him.
(Acts 12:8) Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."
· God did not lift Peter out of prison. He gave him a way of escape, but Peter had to decide to listen (are you listening?) and obey (are you doing what God asked, even though it may not make sense?). See 1 Cor 10:13.
(Acts 12:9) So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
· I imagine it was hard to believe what was happening.
(Acts 12:10) When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
· It is probable that some of the guards were not sleeping, as they knew sleeping on the job would mean death (vs 19). Peter was able to walk past them without them seeing him.
· God did not depart, but the angel did. God was still very present and working with Peter.
(Acts 12:11) And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."
· Again, the Jewish people were condemning Peter as much as Herod was.
(Acts 12:12) So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
· John Mark was in Antioch (vs 25), but his mother was here in Jerusalem.
· Wow, they were still praying, late into the night (vs 6), for Peter. In vs 5 it says "constant prayer", and it sure seems like this was true! May we have the passion for others.
(Acts 12:13) And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.
(Acts 12:14) When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.
· (verses 13-14) There is nothing in this world like answered prayer, especially when God give us the desires of our heart from fervent prayer.
(Acts 12:15) But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."
· When you pray, watch to see what God will do. They were praying fervently, but did not expect such a dramatic answer. Expect great things from God! Think about it - if you are praying, you are expecting God to intervene, instead of just letting the circumstances play out. Well, if God is intervening, to Him there is little difference between little and big answers, since both truly are God intervening, and thus miracles.
(Acts 12:16) Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
· It's okay to be surprised when God answers our prayers. Even astonished!
(Acts 12:17) But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place.
· It was probably the middle of the night. In their excitement, they were probably being loud and creating quite a commotion. Peter tried to keep them quiet.
· This James is Jesus' brother (Mark 6:3)., not the apostle, who was killed (vs 2).
· In the middle of night, Peter left there to go somewhere else. I wonder where he went. But he must have stopped there first, since he knew of their fervent prayer for them, so they could see it answered. Peter knew his release was an answer to their prayers.
(Acts 12:18) Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.
· When the ones who had been beside Peter (vs 6) awoke, they must have raised the alarm. They surely marveled at his escape, despite the extreme precautions they had put in place to prevent it. Knowing who Peter was, I wonder if some of the guards secretly wondered if God had provided the escape.
(Acts 12:19) But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.
· Peter travelled to the coast to Caesarea, the capital of Judea.
(Acts 12:20) Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country.
· Tyre and Sidon were 2 cities on the coast, just north of Caesarea.
(Acts 12:21) So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.
(Acts 12:22) And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!"
(Acts 12:23) Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.
(Acts 12:24) But the word of God grew and multiplied.
· Ah, may this be said of our body of believers!
(Acts 12:25) And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.
· Their ministry had been in Antioch for a year (vs 11:26).
· John Mark was the reason for the division that caused Paul and Barnabas to travel in separate directions (Acts 15:37-39).