IVP New Testament Commentary Series – The Lord Delivers (12:5-11)
The Lord Delivers (12:5-11)

Luke skillfully juxtaposes the power of the state—so Peter was kept in prison—and the power of the church, prayer—but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. In continuous (the verb construction indicates duration), fervent (Lk 22:44; 1 Pet 1:22; 4:8), united prayer, the church intercedes for Peter. Prayer is the only weapon it has, but it is more than enough. Luke presents prayer as "the natural atmosphere of God's people and the normal context for divine activity" (Longenecker 1981:409; Acts 1:14, 24; 2:42; 6:4; 13:2). If extended, fervent, united prayer is not a church's first resort in a time of crisis, the church reveals that it is ultimately depending on something or someone other than God.

As if to test the church's faith to the limit and emphasize his consummate power over his enemies, the Lord waits to act until the eve of Peter's show trial and probable summary execution. By his sleep Peter models a deep trust in God's sovereignty (Ps 3:5; Lk 8:23). Herod takes extra security measures, for normally one chain was enough (Seneca Epistles 5.7; compare Herod's own experience as recounted in Josephus Jewish Antiquities 18.195-96; Williams 1985:200 disagrees and sees the two chains as normal security precautions); thus he betrays his inherent insecurity in the face of this movement (Acts 5:19-26).

Suddenly (literally, "and behold," a phrase consistently used to introduce angelic appearances—1:10; 10:30) an angel of the Lord appeared. We should not take this simply as another way of referring to divine intervention (compare Longenecker 1981:409), for Peter himself clearly distinguishes between the Lord and the angel he sends (12:11). For Luke the angel of the Lord not only provides deliverance for God's witnesses (5:19) but also gives strength (Lk 22:43), brings judgment (Acts 12:23) and above all reveals God's will about the advance of his saving purposes (Lk 1:11; 2:9; Acts 8:26; 10:3). The angel comes to Peter with the same suddenness as the church's enemies do when arresting believers (same term here and at 4:1; 6:12; 17:5).

At the same time a light shone in the cell. We are not told its source—is it a case of chiaroscuro, with the light actually coming from the angel? And we are not told its effects—are the guards rendered unconscious by it? Peter's absence is a total mystery to them (12:18), and this leaves us even more in the dark. With either a kick in the ribs or a push in the side, the angel rouses Peter and orders him to get up quickly and prepare to leave. Freed from sleep by the angel's action and command, and freed from his jailers by the miraculous falling away of the manacles from his hands, Peter can obey the further orders to put his belt around his tunic (Bruce 1990:283; not Put on your clothes, as in NIV), tie on his sandals, throw his cloak around himself and follow the angel. These step-by-step commands, like those given to a child, show that Peter is drowsy and disoriented. They certainly underline the fact that this escape is all the Lord's doing.

Luke relates Peter's evaluation of his experience. Though awake enough to obey the orders, he does not think what he is experiencing is real. He thinks he is seeing a vision. Quite naturally his prior experience of a vision in which he was commanded to act may be coloring his judgment here (10:10-16). Verses 11 and 12 chronicle his progressive realization of what is happening. Luke describes the escape in the most matter-of-fact terms. Peter and the angel pass two guards (possibly each one is standing at an entryway [Marshall 1980:209], or maybe the two are patrolling one corridor [Haenchen 1971:384]), then come to the final barrier, an iron gate leading to the city.

A street away from the prison and alone, the angel having withdrawn, Peter comes to himself—that is, to a correct interpretation of what has just happened. He affirms the reality, the source, the result and, by inference, the purpose of the rescue (12:11). Christianity is indeed a space-time faith that confesses that its Lord can and will act in history on behalf of his saints. Peter knows that the escape has happened "in truth" (NIV without a doubt; compare 26:25; 12:9). The Lord has the same power to rescue now as he did when he delivered Israel from Egypt (7:10, 34/Ex 3:8).

The reason that Peter is rescued while James was executed may be found in the term rescued. Acts 26:17 uses the word to describe God's protecting hand on his witnesses to make sure they fulfill their responsibilities. As long as it is necessary that a particular servant of the Lord be actively deployed in accomplishing Christ's mission, he or she will be rescued. Any martyrdom is still a mark of God's sovereignty, not a sign of his weakness; his gracious purposes, not his sadistic pleasure, may be traced in it. Any rescue is a sign of the triumphant advance of God's mission and a mark that nothing can thwart the accomplishment of his purposes.

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