Acts 12:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.

NIV: When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, 'Peter is at the door!'

NASB: When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

CSB: She recognized Peter's voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.

NLT: When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, 'Peter is standing at the door!'

KJV: And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

NKJV: When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.

Peter has escaped execution by the skin of his teeth. An angel came to his prison cell, woke Peter, released his chains, blinded his guards, and opened the gate that stood between him and freedom (Acts 12:1–11). Now, Peter is outside the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark and possibly the host of the first home church. But Peter can't get in. The gate is locked and Rhoda, the servant girl who answered his knock, has run off. In an endearingly powerful moment of joy, she has run to tell others that Peter is there without thinking to open the gate!

This isn't the first time Peter has had a problem with servant girls who recognize him. When temple guards came to arrest Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane Peter tried to defend Him by slicing the ear off the high priest's servant. Jesus healed the man's wound and told Peter to stand down (Luke 22:49–51; John 18:10–11). Peter followed Jesus to Annas' house. While the priests interrogated Jesus and the guards beat Him, Peter came face to face with a servant girl who recognized him (John 18:15–18). Peter realized the relative of his victim was standing beside him; if the girl persisted, Peter's life would be in danger (John 18:25–27). Peter denied knowing Jesus, the cock crowed, and Peter ran into the night, horrified he could not stand for his teacher (Mark 14:66–72).

Although Peter is once again in danger, this time he has done nothing wrong. He waits for Rhoda to return, knowing that if God sent an angel to rescue him from prison, he's unlikely to die at Mary's doorstep.

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.