vs 1
Why? Doesn't say. Just because, apparently. Probably runs in the family to be a bastard.
vs 2
First apostle to die. So it's not like the 12 were somehow invincible just because they'd hung with Jesus. It's not also like they were indispensable, or else God would have kept them around.
Anyone who says that persecution of Christians didn't exist till under Nero can read this verse and suck it.
vs 3
Peter seems to be a bit of a kingpin at the moment, so of course he's the one you'd go for. It's not as if they were in hiding, either - they were out in the temple courts preaching.
vs 4
Afraid that the group of Christian widows might come and raid the prison to get him out? At least we get an idea of why Herod continued to persecute Christians, if not for why he started - political capital.
vs 5
They'll pray him out! Beat that, Herod!
vs 6
Wow, I mean, it's as if he's Hannibal Lecter or something. Remember, though, that these Christians have the rap as mighty prison breakers after they were arrested by the temple earlier in the story.
vs 7
Whack. Ow! Get up you moron, this is a spiritual prison break! Hard to imagine an angel kicking you awake.
vs 8
So you're guessing that the guards were not awakened by this whole cafuffle. Which again is totally weird. While we're talking about weirdness, let's consider this - God let James get killed without more than a verse of mention. Peter gets threatened, and not there's a breakout. That must have been totally humbling to be a disciple.
vs 9
So Peter was used to visions looking and feeling as though it were the real thing - or as surreal as being prison-breaked by angel gets anyway. That tells us something about visions. Peter's visions anyway.
vs 10
And Peter was left alone, a fugitive from the law, standing in the street, wondering what had just happened. Totally awesome.
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3 comments:
God does not encourage laziness: what we can do, we should do. But the things and works of God belong to the spiritual world where human abilities are powerless. That is why we pray for what is impossible, outside our strengths: it is there that divine help is necessary. When God confronts us with something that exceeds us, such as the conversion of others, their deliverance and blessing, we are in effect faced with what God alone can do. It is good to understand this, as all glory goes back to him.
The Church that prayed under the pressure of those adverse circumstances were addressing them to the right place. But they didn't trust in their own prayers, even though their answer was right there and they didn't know it. In this case, the answer was someone, Peter, who had followed his liberator out of prison. So often, like these disciples in Jerusalem, we lack perseverence in prayer, or we pray without expecting any answer. When we pray and after we have prayed, God unleashes his power and sets his answer in motion. Has he not said "Anything that you ask for in prayer through faith you will receive (Matt 22.22) and "If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14.14)?
Let us receive a spiritual perspective that follows the Lord in his plans, his actions and his answers to prayer. May God grant us simplicity in believing and perseverence of faith so that we may obtain what we have asked of Him in conformity to his will. Who knows, maybe the answer to our prayer is, like Peter, already out of prison and on its way.
Is this your own work?
No, I wish. Perhaps I should provide footnotes next time. I just thought it might be of interest to you.
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