Acts 12: 1-18 Peter’s escape from prison.  It seems that I missed a very important New Testament Passover.  Herod was trying to please the Jews and decided to kill the Apostles.  This took place during the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Passover).

Imagine Peter seating in jail waiting to be killed.  All of the thoughts that must have been going through his mind: The Last Supper, the Garden, the rooster, and the morning on the Lake when Jesus questioned his love three times.  No wonder he thought the angel was just a dream!

This story brings in John Mark (writer of the Gospel and Peter’s nephew) as a witness to many things in story of the New Church.  It does not say that Mark left with Peter just that Peter very wisely got out of town. The James (Book of James)  in verse 17 is Jesus’ brother who must have already been very important in leading the new church.

Rhoda and those praying are frequently the stars of this story for all the wrong reasons.  The group was praying (supposedly for Peter), Jesus released him and they could not believe the miracle had happened as they had prayed for.

There is no time stamp to tell us how many years since Pentecost this story took place.  So, if I was doing a movie of this I would put the sixteen soldiers who were executed because of the disappearance as the ones who beat Jesus and gambled for His clothes and arrested the Apostles the first time.

http://clipart.christiansunite.com/1526899261/Bible_Characters_Clipart/Peter_Clipart/Peter019.jpg