Acts 11 – 12
Verse 11:2 kind of reminds me of today:
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Guess the term “circumcision party” reminded me of today’s political parties. I have gotten questions like this before when talking about friends who are atheist or pro-choice. It’s almost like I shouldn’t associate with people who are outside my core beliefs. Well God made the Gospel not for the Jews alone and we are not to huddle in our close knit churches. We are to shine the light on a hill.
I believe it is scriptural not to get too close alone, or you may slip into these beliefs. I know I had a “season” where I did not release my beliefs but rather put them on a shelf. I am sure his friends had this concern and Peter explains his vision and what God is doing outside the Jewish community. We need to keep to our core but share with those who do not know.
Verse 12:7 Peter had an amazing event happen to him:
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
So often I dream of this happening to me! An angel will come down and say “you are free” and the shackles of debt will be off me. The big difference here is Peter was falsely imprisoned and I put these shackles on myself. Imagine sitting in jail and having the doors fly open and be able to walk free without a struggle, would you do it? Or like Paul would you remain and show the jailers your intentions are pure and not deserving of bondage? If I had an angel of the Lord telling me to do something, I would most likely do what they asked and assume they also took care of any record of the incarceration!
One thing that gets confusing in this chapter James is martyred in chapter 12 leaving one to wonder who wrote the book of James since this appears to have happened before the writings happened. Also, verse 12:12 mentions a John whose mother was Mary and was also named Mark. I assume this is a different John than the brother of the martyr James, but it’s not clear.
Verse 12:23 ends these chapters with the death of Herod:
Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
It almost implies the worms started on him before he breathed his last breath. How icky is that? Herod’s death was punishment for his role in Jesus’ death. Although Pilate actually had him crucified, Herod returned him when he could have had him freed. If you study the “apocrypha” or the books that did not make it into our current Bible, you’ll find blame was placed on Herod. The Gospels are written to place the blame of the Jewish leadership of the time, this often was considered to appease the Romans since they still occupied the lands. In the end, Jesus dies for our sins and Herod dies because of his acts.