MDB 7: Acts 12

Acts 12: 2-3
"He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also."

A startling chapter taken in its entirety. Herod arrests and executes the Apostle James (the brother of John, not to be confused with the author of the Epistle of James and half-brother of Jesus). Seeing that his base is pleased by his actions, he lays hands on Peter with similar intentions. A couple of thoughts this morning.

First, from the perspective of the principalities of this earth, Herod is pulling the strings. He is a ruthless king and thoughtful politician, but even as he goes about his work, he is doing nothing less than propelling the very Gospel he opposes. Jesus had told his disciples to spread the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1: 8), and it will be especially through the early persecution of Stephen and now James that Christians flee Jerusalem, carrying with them the words of life. Herod is a pawn in God's hand, but that does not leave him guiltless. Luke reminds us that Herod had his sights on the very throne of heaven, and his defiance of the living God will render him nothing more than the food of worms (Acts 12: 23). God is seated on His throne.

Second, there is also a mystery to God's providence. James the brother of John is killed, while Peter is rescued from a similar fate. Both disciples. Both part of the "inner circle." Both had seen the risen Savior, both were poised to be leaders of the early church. But one would enter his rest at the hands of a tyrant while the other would live on to serve his Master on earth. Do you think you understand the ways of God? No you do not (Romans 11: 33-35).