How the Church Handles Politics <Acts 12:1-25> - by Dr. Leith Anderson
Introduction
- Leading up to the 2004 presidential election there were heated political opinions on the campus of the University of North Carolina. A debate was sponsored between two students—one arguing for George Bush and the other arguing for John Kerry. The title for the debate was “Who would Jesus vote for?”
As far as I know Jesus never announced his vote but a fight broke out at the debate where one of the debaters hit the other who fell on a concrete patio suffering a head injury.[1]
- It is a sad commentary that Christians can become so inflamed over politics that they no longer behave like Christians. I have been amazed how impassioned some Christians can get over political issues.
Some American churches have been accused of crossing a legal line by endorsing candidates from the pulpit. Others have denounced partisan politics in the church and seen hundreds of people walk out because they want their church to support their politics.
- Christians and politics are not new. From the very beginning of Christianity politics were an issue. That’s because it is virtually impossible to escape politics in everyday life.
- That’s the way it was for a Lutheran pastor named Dietrich Bonhoffer in Germany during the early 1940s. (VIDEO: 2’ 21”)
- Back in 1st century Jerusalem the church of Jesus Christ was on a roll. Thousands of new believers. Answers to prayer. Miracles. And politics. And trouble!
1st Century Politics
- The church got caught up in the local politics of King Herod Agrippa I. If you remember Bible stories you know the name of Herod. But, it really gets confusing because there were several kings named Herod.
King Herod the Great was the monarch when Jesus was born. He was a grand builder of cities. He sponsored the construction of the Jerusalem temple. He also had ten wives and murdered most of his own family.
King Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great. His ancestry was mixed—only part Jewish. He was educated in Rome. The reason he was a king was because Caesar said so. The Jews certainly didn’t recognize him as a descendant in the royal line. Without Rome he had no throne.
But, he was a shrewd politician who kissed up to the orthodox Jewish leadership. He kept the Jewish law in careful detail. He used his power to please the Jewish religious establishment. All this was to keep both the Jews and the Romans as happy as possible.
- The Jewish leaders were threatened by the growth of the Christian church and lobbied King Herod. Herod ordered the arrest of church leaders and had them tried and executed to keep the powerful people happy. After all, the followers of Jesus were a minority and those in power often attack those who are few and weak.
- First on Herod’s list was James the brother of John. He was beheaded because he was a follower of Jesus. The religious leaders of Jerusalem were thrilled. So, Herod ordered the arrest of Peter to gain more political points.
Usually trials were fast and execution quick—all in one day. But there was an annual Jewish festival called the Feast of Unleavened Bread when orthodox Jews didn’t allow trials or executions. Herod knew it was politically smart to follow the traditions so he had Peter held in jail until the Feast was finished.
- To make sure that Peter didn’t escape the king ordered four teams of four guards each. They worked in six hour shifts. Peter was handcuffed to a guard on each side. Two more guards were stationed at the prison door. And the remaining twelve guards assigned to Peter weren’t far away.
- So, what’s the church supposed to do when up against the Roman Empire, an evil king and a belligerent religious establishment? Vote? They didn’t have a democracy. Picket? They would have been thrown in jail and executed themselves. Sue? They didn’t have standing in court against a king. Quite frankly, they were politically powerless. So, they prayed.
- The church of Jerusalem headed to a big house owned by a woman named Mary. They locked the doors and prayed for Peter. It worked.
- It was the night before Peter’s trial and probable execution. He was in jail asleep—he must have had a supernatural peace to snooze under such great stress.
- God sent an angel to Peter’s prison. A bright light filled Peter’s cell. He kept sleeping. Apparently he was one of these people who sleep through alarm clocks, flashing lights and messengers from God. What does an angel do when sent to rescue a guy who won’t wake up? The angel whacked Peter on the side of the head and shouted in his ear to wake up. Peter’s handcuffs fell off.
Peter was one of these people who awaken slowly. The angel had to give him step-by-step instructions:
① “Peter, put your clothes on.”
② “Peter, put your sandals on.”
③ “Peter, put your coat on.”
④ “Peter, follow me.”
Peter got up, got dressed, walked out of jail and was still so sleepy that he wasn’t sure if this was real or a dream. Even when he passed all the guards and had the prison doors swing open to let him pass, he thought it was his imagination.
- Once Peter was outside he fully awakened and talked to himself. “Duh, wow, God sent an angel and broke me out of Herod’s prison! Um, I’d better get out of here before they realize what happened. I think I’ll go check in at church headquarters over at Mary’s house.”
- Peter showed up at the locked gate and knocked. The Christians inside may have feared it was the secret police coming to get them. So, they sent a servant girl named Rhoda to answer the knock. She asked who it was and recognized the voice of Peter who wanted in.
- Rhoda was over-the-top thrilled to hear Peter. She was so happy that she left the gate locked, left Peter outside and ran back to the praying Christians to tell them Peter was at the gate.
- “You are crazy!” they told Rhoda. I have to laugh that these disciples, apostles, first century super blessed praying Christians wouldn’t believe their prayers for Peter were answered even when he was banging at the door and shouting to come in.
They accused Rhoda of insanity. When she insisted she was sane they spiritualized and concluded that it must be Peter’s guardian angel because it couldn’t possibly be Peter because he was in jail getting ready to have his head chopped off.
- Peter kept knocking and knocking and knocking. When they finally got around to opening the door they were astonished that Peter was really there. “Wow, God answered our prayers.” Total shock! They all started chattering until Peter raised his hand to quiet them before some neighbor called the cops. He told them what happened and asked that James, the President of the Jerusalem Church, be officially notified that God had set him free.
- Meanwhile back at the prison, the guards were in serious trouble. The guards looked everywhere for Peter. King Herod didn’t buy the angel story and ordered that all sixteen guards be executed. The Roman rule was that guards who let their prisoners escape were forced to suffer whatever was the prisoner’s sentence.
Back to Herod the politician. He had more things to do than chase down escaped apostles so he went on a business trip to the regional capital in Caesarea. He had a political dispute going with the citizens of the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. They were totally provoked by King Herod. He cut off their food supply from Galilee and now they were anxious to sign a truce. The people bullied, bribed or otherwise convinced one of the king’s servants named Blastus to get them an appointment with Herod.
When the citizens came in to see the king they kissed-up big time and told him that he sounded just like a god. Herod liked being thought of as a god and soaked up the praise. But, the real God wasn’t about to let Herod get away with his arrogance and zapped him with a terminal illness. He had major intestinal problems that resulted in an agonizing death (modern physicians think it may have been intestinal worms that got bunched up in a ball, blocked him up and killed him off).[2]
- The story ends with an amazing statement: “The word of God continued to increase and spread.” The weak little church triumphed over the corrupt government. The king was dead and the gospel of Jesus went booming forward.
- And, do you remember Barnabas and Saul who were visiting Jerusalem to deliver some money from the Christians up north in Antioch? Well, they were in town long enough to witness all this first hand. And then they headed home to Antioch—all the more convinced that God was bigger and stronger than any empire, any king or any enemy.
- Here’s the way the story is written by Luke in Acts 12:
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the brothers about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
But the word of God continued to increase and spread.
When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.
21st Century Politics
- There could be a long list of lessons for Christians who engage in 21st century politics.
˙ Politics are inevitable. No one is exempt. Political engagement is necessary and good.
˙ Respect government leaders. Not one disrespectful word is recorded about Herod. That’s the way Christians behave even toward leaders we don’t like.
However, there are a few biblical principles that grab my attention more than most:
- Pray. The first century Christians believed that prayer was the most potent force in politics. Even when their faith was minimal. Even when they couldn’t bring themselves to believe in a miracle. They prayed. May we be like them—may our #1 political activity be prayer.
- Focus on the advance of Christ’s cause. They were not primarily Roman or Jewish, liberal or conservative, public or private in their politics. Of course they had their private opinions. But, most of all they were concerned about advancing the gospel, growing the church and representing God.
This is a recurring theme in the New Testament. Whether the political issue was taxes, slavery, false imprisonment, court jurisdiction or military occupation—the Christians primarily focused on what would bring more people to faith in Jesus, what was right and what would help the gospel to spread across the empire.
As Christians today our primary call is not to be consistently liberal or conservative, consistently Republican or Democratic, consistently for labor or management—our call is to be consistently Christian.
When discussing the war in Iraq, let us pray for the thousands of Christians who have been caught in the middle in Baghdad. When discussing the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, let us not forget the thousands of Christians living on the West Bank. When discussing immigration to the United States let us think it terms of how many will come to personal faith in Jesus Christ.
- The goal of our politics should always be the words of Acts 12:24, “The word of God continued to increase and spread.” The ultimate issue for believers is not whether our taxes are higher or lower, whether our party wins or loses, or even whether we live or die (James was executed; Peter was set free)—the ultimate issue is whether the word of God continues to increase and spread.
Conclusion
- Do I believe that Christians should be politically engaged? I do! Run for office. Read the newspaper. Debate the issues. Support candidates. The more Christians in politics the better. But our ultimate goal is always Jesus.
- Herod is dead. The Roman Empire is long gone. The politics of Caesarea, Tyre, Sidon and Jerusalem are all forgotten. But the church of Jesus Christ is thriving 2000 years later. The gospel of Jesus Christ continues to advance.
February 10-11, 2007 Wooddale Church
© 2007 Leith Anderson