Getting Out of Jail

            In Acts 12 King Herod starts making trouble for the Christians. Herod is a puppet King in the area of Judea for the Romans. The Romans selected Herod to do their bidding. This is not the same Herod when Jesus was born. That was the first Herod this his grandson. Yet, he is just a problematic for the followers of Jesus. Herod is seeking to get power and maintain power by making sure that the Jews like him. Herod notices that there was this one small group that was going around claiming that Jesus was the King of the Jews. Herod picked up on the fact this small group created a lot of conflict among the Jews. Perhaps Herod figured that if he picked off one of the minor leaders of the small group then maybe that might go over well with the larger Jewish population and their leaders. Herod could be calculating that that this action might gain him the trust and loyalty of the Jewish leaders.

          Herod picks James, to test this theory, who is not a major leader in the Christian movement but a lower level leader. Turns out that having James killed was liked by the larger group of Jews. Herod realizes that this was a good move for him politically so he decides that he is going to go after Peter which is more of a major leader in the early church. That is where we pick up the story in Acts 12:3-17.

Herod arrests Peter during Passover or the Festival of Unleavened Bread. During this time it would not have been lawful for Herod to hold a trial or put someone to death.  Herod would have to wait for Passover to end. So Herod puts Peter in prison to wait to put him on trial. In Acts 12:3-17 we notice that Peter is put under some serious maximum security.

There are 4 squadrons of soldiers with each squadron having 4 guards. If my math is right that is about 48 guards. Peter also has one set of chains for his hands and another set for his feet. There are two guards inside Peter’s cell and two guards just outside the cell door. Herod wants to make sure Peter is not going anywhere. Why all this security for Peter? Well it turns out that Peter had developed a kind of Houdini act with the help from an angel of the Lord in Acts 5. In Acts 5 Peter is put in prison and an angel of the Lord helps him escape. Herod is not going to take any chances. He places Peter under lock and key. It is not long until an angel appears to Peter in prison and before anyone knows what is happening he is standing outside the prison.

            Eventually Peter makes his way to house where fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are praying for him. He tells everyone what has happened to him. After this amazing story we simply told that Peter left for another place. We will not see Peter again in the book of Acts until chapter 15. We are not told where Peter went just that he is gone.  

            This is all very interesting. As much as this story operates in history it also functions as an archetype or pattern. The details might change but the pattern stays the same. Throughout the Bible, like here in the book of Acts, people are imprisoned and then they are miraculously released from prison. People are bound and then they are freed. This is a pattern or an archetype. An archetype tends to be more interested in making a point then detailed history. The history is useful and helpful however what I more interested here is how this story can function as a pattern of archetype.

What I am interested in is the way in which all of us have experienced a kind of prison. The prison of mind and heart. The prison of life circumstances. We all know what it is to feel constrained, limited, bound. We know that experience. Some of us are victims of prisons that have been created by other people or intuitions.  Yet what I am more interested in is the prison that we create for ourselves. I am far more interested in the fact that often we like to become the interior decorator of our own cell. This cell-wall-grey is just not grey enough I would like it more grey. This window is letting in too much light. Could we shorten the window a bit and make it a little smaller. These cell bars are so far apart. I could probably get through them so I would like to tighten them up a bit. This bed is way too soft. If the bed were a bit more stone like then it would help me sleep less.

We create our own prisons. That sounds absurd yet we do. Here is an obvious example if you have ever known or have suffered through an addiction – alcohol, drugs, whatever, if you have suffered through or know somebody who has then that feels like a prison. That feels like some kind of slavery to some master that is bigger and more powerful than you.  The most interesting thing about every addiction is this – it began with a choice.  Every addiction began with a choice. Even if you want to say that you were genetically predisposed to some addiction – it still began with a choice. Then another choice. And still another choice. Eventually enough choices get made that it no longer feels like your own choice. We begin to assume that it is something more powerful than us imprisoning us, oppressing us. We long for freedom. We long for the angel to come and break our chains. But it was a prison of our own making.

We all have addictions. Some of our addictions are just more socially acceptable.  Some of our addictions are even socially encouraged. It does not have to be an illegal substance. How many of us are addicted to things like anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety or sadness? Maybe we are addicted to our kids approval. Maybe we are addicted to our spouses’ approval. Maybe we are addicted to our work. We get addicted to these things. These are habits that are in us. We sometimes feel like we don’t have any control over these experiences. It is who we are. It is our personality. It is how we are made. We can’t seem to break free from the anxiety, anger, approval of others and it feels like a kind of prison. It feels like a prison yet every single one of these began with a choice. And we make that choice again and again and again and it creates a habit and then it becomes something bigger than us.

Here are a couple of things that are important about this passage.  Not only was it a choice to get in and create our own prison, the really good news is all it takes is a choice to get out of the prison. If you are sitting there waiting for the angel to save you . . . I have such good news for you! The angel is already here! Jesus at this very moment is extending an outstretched hand of compassion and grace. He can break you out of your cell. Guess what it requires to get out of jail?  A choice.

The angel tells Peter to quickly get up and Peter gets up. The angel tells Peter to put on your clothes and Peter puts on his clothes. The angel tells Peter to put on your cloak and Peter puts on his cloak. The angel says follow me and Peter follows him. At every one of those moments Peter had a choice to make. Peter could have said something like “I think this is a dream. I am not sure I can trust this is real. I don’t think I am going to get up. I am kind of tired. It is the middle of the night I am going to sleep because I might get killed in the morning.” Peter could have said “I don’t want to put on my clothes! Why don’t you put on my clothes.” The angel could have said follow me and Peter could have said “No thanks I think I am going to take my chances on my own. I am going to go over the wall because that door looks too heavy. I don’t know if I can trust you because I am not sure who you are.” Peter had choices to make at every turn about getting out of that prison. For those of us who live in an imprisoned state to something. We all have a choice to make. It starts by responding to the outstretched hand. If you are going to say yes to Jesus and his outstretched hand then it will mean letting go of something else.

Some might protest . . . if my kids would just . . . If my wife would just stop . . . If my husband would finally . . .  If my boss would just . . . It is just that if the economy . . . How many of us blame the prison on all the things out there? How much time and energy do we spend trying to effectively change that? How much of our lives are devoted to the fixing of our problems? And here is the more incredible, remarkable truth of all. It is the most obvious thing. Every one of those things mentioned by their nature do not stay the same. Every single problem that you, after years of working on it, get it fixed . . . amazingly another one shows up. And when you address that one then this one gets all messed up again. Life lived this way is one big game of whack-a- mole. It is not a very fun game when it is your life. But it is how we play.

We are so consumed with trying to fix all of this stuff on the outside that we ignore the fundamental reality that this is not how we will fix the thing that is wrong. That is not how we will get out of prison. Are you having problems in your business? I can tell you why you are having problems in your business. Ready? You have a business! Are you having problems in your marriage? Want to know why you are having problems in your marriage? You have a marriage! Does that mean you should get rid of your marriage? Perhaps you should close your business. If you want to fix the problems on the outside then you have to start by fixing the problems on the inside. The addictions we have to certain patterns and habits. You must become addicted to peace and joy. It is what we most want yet we are not addicted to it. We put the problem out there when it is in here.

Have you ever seen a small stream that had some large rocks in it? The stream seems to be directed by the rocks. Which is stronger the water or the rocks? It seems that water is a slave to the rocks. The water obeys wherever the rock tells it to go. The rock seems stronger. Yet if you give the water enough time you get the Grand Canyon. In truth the water is much stronger then the rock. In fact the rock is no match for the water. The power of water is found in its gentle, peaceful persistence. Each time you make a choice for Jesus it is one tiny drop that breaks up your prison. Jesus said – In this life you will have trouble (John 16:33). Jesus promised us that your river of life will have rocks. Yet, Jesus says I have overcome the world. If you hold fast to that then like Peter there is no prison that can hold you.