Knock,knock, knock, Rhoda. Knock, knock, knock, Rhoda

Rapid knock, knock, knock. Followed by a character saying, Penny. Rapid knock, knock, knock. Penny. Rapid knock, knock, knock. Penny. There’s a commercial for a tv show called the Big Bang Theory, and I have to tell you when I read Acts 12:13-17, I immediately thought of that commercial. You see, Peter has just been led past soldiers at the prison in which he was being held. The gate to the city had opened ON-ITS-OWN! The angel led him out of the inner city and then disappeared. Basically, Peter is on the lam. He is running from the law. It’s the time when you want to stay on the low down. Peter comes to his senses and realizes what the Lord has done, and he goes to the home where they were praying for him. He’s standing at the gate knocking and calling to be let in when the servant girl Rhoda goes to the courtyard, hears Peter’s voice and loses all common sense. Instead of letting him in, she runs back into the house to tell the others that Peter was at the gate. When I blogged on this story before I see Gone with the Wind and the young African American crying, I don’t know nothing about birthin’ no babies. I hear Rhoda telling the others, Brother Peter is here! Brother Peter is here! No one believes her. Verse 16 starts out, But Peter kept knocking…hence the introduction sentence of this paragraph. Finally the believers get up and go to the gate to hush Rhoda up. You see, they thought it was Peter’s ghost which meant they probably thought he was dead. However, when they finally let him in, can you imagine the excitement!? But once again, Peter is on the low down. He doesn’t need a big ruckus nor does he want a big ruckus.

Peter leaves a message for Jesus' half brother James who heads the church in Jerusalem. He wants this group of believers to tell his brother everything that has happened. Do you think the word spread like wildfire about what God had done for Peter? What an amazing story! When you read this story, did you put yourself in Peter’s sandals? The life of a believer is not a dull life in the least.

Those guards that have been shackled to Peter were put to death. I sure do hope they listened to Peter’s message of repenting when they had the opportunity. Those who had inflicted pain and stress upon Peter got theirs in the end. Herod put the guards to death, and Herod got struck by an angel of the Lord and got worms. The worms ate him up right there, and he died. Sometimes when we take matter into our own hands, we take it out of God’s hands. As you can see, God is quite creative and can inflict more pain than you ever can. It may not be immediately, but I promise we will all be judged and get what’s coming to us. Praise the Lord, I can claim the blood of Christ to cover my sins. This doesn’t give me free reign to go do anything and everything though. How abusive would that be!

Every time I study this story I discover something more. That is one of the reason I love the Word of God. What have you unearthed in your study of Acts? It is a diamond-rich, gold-packed book in the Bible. I suggest you start diggin’.