Acts 12:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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!"

NIV: "You’re out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."

NASB: They said to her, 'You are out of your mind!' But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, 'It is his angel.'

CSB: "You’re out of your mind!" they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, "It’s his angel."

NLT: You’re out of your mind!' they said. When she insisted, they decided, 'It must be his angel.'

KJV: And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

NKJV: But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

A group of Christians in Jerusalem have been fervently praying for Peter in the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark. They had no chance but to stand by and watch as Herod Agrippa I ordered the arrest and beheading of the apostle James—the first apostle to die and only one whose death is explicitly recorded in Scripture. When Agrippa realized the execution pleased the members of the Sanhedrin, he made plans to arrest and kill Peter, as well. On the night after the last day of the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread, Agrippa scheduled Peter's death. But God sent an angel who released Peter from his chains and led him out of the prison (Acts 12:1–11).

Peter is now at the home of Mary, the probable owner of the upper room where Jesus held the Last Supper and/or the place the first members of the church stayed and received the Holy Spirit. Actually, Peter's on the threshold of Mary's gate. Her servant girl, Rhoda, answered Peter's knock and became so excited she ran to tell the others before letting Peter in (Acts 12:12–14). The group doesn't believe her, however. They think she's out of her mind and it's Peter's "angel" at the gate. Jews believed one's guardian angel looked like their charge. It's unclear why they wouldn't be eager to go and speak with the angel.

Acts 12:12–19 records Peter quickly telling the story of his escape from a Roman prison before fleeing. Herod Agrippa I had arrested and beheaded James and found the Sanhedrin greatly impressed. He arrested Peter, as well, and planned to execute him after the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:1–5), but an angel arrived first and led Peter out of prison (Acts 12:6–11). Once Peter realized he wasn't dreaming he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12–19). Peter will reappear briefly in Acts 15:6–11, but this is the last significant mention of any of the apostles in the book of Acts.

Acts 12 starts with the first death of an apostle and ends with the death of a king. Herod Agrippa I beheads James and imprisons Peter. An angel rescues Peter and he quickly lets the church in Jerusalem know before he goes into hiding. Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great and friend to the Pharisees, accepts glory due only to God and dies, likely a few days later, of internal worms. Meanwhile, the church continues to grow, and Barnabas and Saul return to Syrian Antioch. The scene is set for Paul's extensive ministry to the Gentiles.

When Acts 12 opens, at least some of the apostles are in Jerusalem, and Barnabas and Saul are in Syrian Antioch, collecting support so the church in Jerusalem can survive the coming famine (Acts 11:27–30). The church is established in Jerusalem and growing in the regions on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. When the chapter closes, Barnabas and Saul are poised for their missionary trip in modern-day Asia Minor. Saul will take on the Greek version of his name, Paul, and the story of Jesus will spread to Rome and beyond.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.