We’re going to start with a question:

How can the holidays be the best and worst at the same time?

What things make the holidays the best? What things make the holidays the worst? How can it often be both at the same time? 

Today we’re continuing in Acts, but as we approach Christmas, there is a part of the Christmas story I want to share before we move forward.

The wise men came from the far east, following the star, and found Jesus. It’s amazing and complex that these three men who knew very little of what Christianity would hold, who likely practiced things that went against scripture or at least Jewish customs, were the ones to come find Jesus.

But on their way they had come to King Herod and asked,  “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (vs.2)

This made King Herod incredibly jealous. He sent the wise men on their way but made plans to find and destroy this “King of the Jews.” The wise men found Jesus, but because of a warning in a dream, they did not return to King Herod.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:13-18)

Here comes a moment in Scripture that is repeated over and over: we see people escaping, whether by their own abilities, with the help of others, or with God’s supernatural provision.

But there are also some that don’t escape, in spite of their own efforts, even while others are helping, in spite of God’s love and compassion. This is so difficult.

Here are a few of the Old Testament escapes: Noah (Genesis 7). Moses (Exodus 2). Israel (Exodus 12, 14). David (I Samuel 18, 19, 20, 27). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). Daniel (Daniel 6).

And here are a few of the New Testament escapes: Mary and Joseph (Matthew 2). Jesus (John 10). Apostles (Acts 5). Saul (Acts 9). Peter (Acts 12). Paul and Silas (Acts 16). Paul (2 Corinthians 11).

Escaping. Deliverance. Not dying. This is so nice. But it’s also a struggle, because some didn’t escape. Some didn’t live. Some didn’t have a happily ever after.

Here are just a few: the children in Bethlehem after Jesus’ birth that were killed by Herod’s order (Matthew 2). John the Baptist (Matthew 14). Stephen (Acts 7). James (Acts 12).

And then there are the Apostles, almost all of whom, according to tradition, were martyred for their faith.

How do you process the tensions between God’s love, care and provision and life's pain, struggles and disasters?

You might have noticed that we’ve asked questions very similar to this one multiple times over the last few months. This is an important conversation to keep coming back to because of life’s, culture’s, humanity's gravitational pull to simple logic of good and bad, success and failure, blessed and cursed.

When life is good, you are blessed, God is with you, and you are on the right path. When life is not good, you are cursed, God has left you, and you are on the wrong path. But wait…

I know that is not true, but this is one of those things I can get and still truly not get at the same time. This tension was also happening in Acts.

Before we get into Acts 12, we are going to have two dialogue moments.

The first is about someone who has been a positive person in your life.

Who has been a positive influence or champion in your life?

Who has supported you?

Who has thought the best of you? Spoken highly of you?

Who has been a great encouragement to you?

With those warm feelings of love and support swirling in your heart and mind, we are going to run to the other end of the court:

How do you tend to respond internally and externally to someone speaking poorly of you? What influences those responses?

Now, let’s jump into Acts 12

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

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.

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. 

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. (Acts 12:1-25)

Think again about the context, about what else was happening in these moments, about the text in Acts that leads up to these moments:

Jesus going to heaven after commissioning his followers to spread the gospel and make disciples. The Holy Spirit filling the believers, and Peter stepping in as a leader. Unity among the believers, even when there are differences and people are at odds. Healings, miracles, sermons to lots of people. Persecution from the religious elite and Stephen’s death at their hands. Paul’s conversion to following Jesus after having persecuted His followers. Peter’s vision and the revelation that God was extending invitation into his kingdom to all people regardless of background or history.

Just like any other moment we process, we can’t take it out of context. The complexities that these people would have been dealing with were all in relation to what they had already been experiencing, and specifically dealing with this new way of living, as the followers of Jesus were now for the first time being called “Christians,” the Christ ones.

So much of scripture is not directives, but narrative. Narrative can shape us, but it takes effort and intentionality. This next question is a step into that.

What complexities would you be processing if you were Peter, the other believers, or Herod?

There is a moment in this chapter that I can actually hear being felt over and over throughout Acts:

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish. (Acts 12:24)

People didn’t get it. They twisted the truth. Human nature issues rose to the surface. Selfishness was prevalent.

 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

People didn’t understand, didn’t follow through. People were being excluded. Worldview was being challenged. It was uncomfortable. People were not being supportive.

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

There was confusion about Jesus being for everyone. There was still perspective that some were outside of God’s love. There was still focus on the Jews and dismissing of the Gentiles. There was persecution from the Jews and from the king. People were dying.

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

From the beginning of all scripture, people messed things up, took advantage of others, manipulated others, etc. But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

If there’s ever a point where the disciples thought Jesus’ plan for them was all happy/ easy/popular/health/wealth/prosperity/etc, Acts 12 blows it all up. 

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

In the mess, flourishing.

When we see the phrase “word of God,” we have to go back to John’s words:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

And then the phrase “to spread spread and flourish” speaks of growth and multiplication.

The growth pulls us into the picture that Jesus used in Matthew 13:

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

And the multiplying pulls us to what was being seen in Acts 6, 7, and 9, where the phrase is used repeatedly as the number of followers of Jesus grows. Their numbers were multiplying. They were growing. What an amazing season.

But remember also the pains, the confusions, the suffering, the persecution, the failings.

We are in a moment now where lots of challenges can be focused on and even seen as derailers: culture, confusion, tensions, politicizing, suffering, persecution, prejudices. But yet my hope is:

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish. (Acts 12:24)

Earlier we talked about the escapes and the tragedies that are so prevalent in scripture. One thing that is remarkable to me is that, while God is involved, most of the time, God is not just pushing people aside and doing things. Humanity has been a key ingredient.

And so we end with a fun conversation. We don’t have to be like the apostles or mirror their experiences–we are missing the point when we focus on that. But no matter the situation, my faith says that this can be:

But the word of God continues to spread and flourish.

The disciples faced pain, hardship, disappointment, loss, etc. And I’m willing to guess you have faced pain, hardship, disappointment, loss, etc. And without minimizing your experiences, just as in the case of the disciples, what does it look like for the word of God to continue to spread and flourish in and through you, even in the midst of negative experiences?

Throughout Biblical history, it seems to be a partnership between God and humanity in seeing this happen. God’s work thrives in less than ideal circumstances with less than perfect people. This is still happening.

What if you were an important part of the word of God continuing to spread and flourish in your local?

Biblical history. This moment in Acts. The Christmas narrative. All these things are pointing towards this ‘what if’:

What if you were an important part of the word of God continuing to spread and flourish in your local? How would this reality influence your view of yourself, others, and your current situation?

Take It Deeper Questions

• Read Acts 12.
• When have you been surprised by who showed up at your door?
• How would life be better or worse if there was no opposition in our world?
• How do you tend to respond to opposition?
• How can God’s will and opposition exist together?
• How are you challenged, focused, encouraged, and/or frustrated by this narrative?

Bible Reading Plan

• Deuteronomy 22
• Deuteronomy 23
• Deuteronomy 24
• Acts 28
• Acts 1
• Acts 2