Prayer in the Apostolic Church: Acts 12

Luke tells us in Acts 12 that some members of the church in Jerusalem were arrested, and that James, the brother of John, was put to death by Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great and nephew of Herod Antipas (who had ordered the beheading of John the Baptist, as recorded in Matthew 14). In v. 3, Luke says that when Agrippa saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he also put Peter in jail with the intention to kill him once the Passover festival was over. 

Such were the plans of this descendant of murderers. His intention was to gain the support of the Jews. After killing Peter, he would likely go after the rest of the apostles. These were perilous times for the Lord’s church—times that put its faith to the test. Verse 5 states: “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

Luke sharply contrasts Agrippa’s intentions with the prayers offered by the saints on behalf of the apostle Peter. This contrast of actions would hold the same force even if the Greek conjunction used in this verse were translated “and” as some commentators suggest—rather than “but.” Agrippa’s desire was to kill Peter; the church’s desire was for God to set him free. One of these desires was bound to prevail, and it was the church’s desire that did so (vv. 6–10):

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

The life of the apostle Peter was preserved against all odds, and once again the church witnessed the power found in prayer. The importance of prayer in the lives of believers is a theme that permeates the book of Acts (1:14, 24ff.; 2:42; 4:23-31; 6:4, 6; 7:59ff.; 8:15, 22, 24; 9:11, 40; 10:2, 9; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 14:23; 16:25; 20:36; 21:5; 22:17; 27:35; 28:8).

Jesus taught His disciples through His own example to “always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1ff.). In Mark 1:35, we read: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” The Lord Jesus accompanied every significant event in His life with prayer: before choosing the twelve apostles, he spent the night in prayer (Luke 6:13-16); before multiplying the loaves and fish to feed a crowd of over 5,000 people (Luke 9:16-17); prior to His transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29); before raising Lazarus of Bethany from the dead (John 11:41-42); and before going to the crucifixion (Luke 22:41ff.).

James, the brother of Jesus, taught that “the effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much” (James 5:16). The early church overcame the obstacles it faced because it moved forward on its knees.

Amidst the account of Peter’s deliverance, Luke describes a certain disbelief among the disciples. When the angel left Peter, he made his way to the home of Mary—the mother of John Mark—where the church was gathered in prayer. Upon arriving at the door, Rhoda, a servant in the household, recognized Peter’s voice. Filled with excitement, she left him waiting and ran to share the news with the disciples. Yet at first, they did not believe her, telling Rhoda she was “crazy,” while others thought it was “his angel” (his guardian angel?)—an interesting conclusion, to say the least. In any case, a lesson regarding human frailty is established here with subtle irony.