Acts 12:12-17 12And when he realized, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14Recognizing Peter’s voice, because of joy, she did not open the gate but running in, she reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15But they said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, but they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he retold to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, and he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” And after departing, he went to another place.
The next scene of this story takes place at the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. Mark had a significant ministry in the early church, with the second Gospel attributed to him. After this story, Mark joined Paul and Barnabas in their first outreach mission. While on this journey in Pamphylia, he decided to return to Jerusalem, which upset Paul so much that he and Barnabas later parted ways. At this point in the story, John Mark was at home and part of the gathering of the believers. His mother’s home much has been large enough to accommodate the group of believers gathered there. The family must have had some wealth due to having a servant girl. Why Mark’s father is not mentioned in a mystery, but widowhood was common because of the low life expectancy. It is also possible that Mark’s mother had become a believer and not his father. There are too many mysteries to speculate, but enough evidence shows the family had faith in Jesus and hosted a prayer meeting for Peter in their home.
After Peter arrived at Mary’s house, he knocked so he could be let in. He was a wanted man, though no one knew he was gone yet. By the morning, it would be obvious, and he would become public enemy number one in Jerusalem. Going to this house also suggests that it was a well-known gathering place among the Christians of Jerusalem. A servant girl named Rhoda knew Peter’s voice. Generally, when a person’s name is included, that person became famous in some way. Rhoda’s name, which mean “rose,” became associated with Peter’s miraculous escape. A servant girl of low social status was instrumental in a significant miraculous event. In her excitement , she forgot to let Peter in but rushed in to tell everyone who had been praying, probably all night, for Peter. The surprise of the story is how the praying believers responded by thinking Rhoda was crazy (possibly because she was just a servant girl) or a bit superstitious in thinking Peter’s angel had appeared, implying that he had died. Jews believed that each person had a guardian angel who might appear after a person died. They were praying but were not ready for God’s miraculous answer to their prayer.
Peter may have been getting desperate or even discouraged at this point. It would be similar to calling someone on a phone, knowing the person is at home, but that person does not answer. The scene had turned chaotic once everyone realized it was the real Peter in the flesh. After Peter told his amazing experience, he left, probably to get to a place of safety lest he be re-arrested. It is one thing to be rescued by God, but it is another to tempt God’s plan by exposing oneself to danger again. Where Peter went is unknown, but at some point, he arrived in Rome where he was eventually martyred. He instructed the group to tell James of these things. The James mentioned here was Jesus’ oldest brother, who would become a leader of the church in Jerusalem and would write the book by his name in the New Testament. The story shows sincere prayer but surprise when God answers. God had a special plan for Peter, which makes this story unique, but God still does surprising miracles in response to our prayer.
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