Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (CL)

Acts 12:1-19

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ² He killed James the brother of John with the sword, ³ and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ 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. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. ¹¹ When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. ¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

The sentries were put to death, because there was no reasonable excuse for Peter's escape. It would be reasonable to think Peter might have been able to over power the two soldiers sleeping with him, or possibly removing the chains in the night. The sentries had an iron gate to protect their position, and Peter would have needed help to get past that blockade. The punishment for military disobedience or insubordination is simply death.

It is easy for any of us to get overcome by our emotions. Some people are over come with emotion and can not speak. Other people in a time of pure-ilation will simply forget where they are or what they are supposed to do. So is the case for both Peter and Rhoda. Peter is over come by the experience of seeing an Angel, and being led out of prison. Rhoda is over come by the experience of Peter knocking at the door when thought to be in prison.

There are many people that offer praise to religious experiences. I see them as times of illation, when we simply do not understand what is really happening. Therefore, to take a time when we are out of our mind, or no longer reasonable or sensible as a mark of your religion will cause you to falter and fall.

Instead, we wait until our mind is about us. We return to those who have supported us in the Word. We return to the people whom we love. We care for them make sure they are safe. Then we make sure we are safe. We gather together around Christ's words of promise, hope and forgiveness. It is in the word of truth, that we can finally make sense of the world around us. God truly does set prisoners free!