Rhoda's Story

A long time ago a little girl lived in Jerusalem. Her name was Rhoda. Now in those days people had servants of all ages. Some people became servants because they were poor and could not make enough money on their own. Some people gave their children in exchange for paying off deep debt. The children would live in the home of the masters and do what they were told, when they were told, no matter what they really wanted to do. If a man, woman or child was lucky enough they got placed into a good home. Some homes were horrible and the masters were cruel. But some masters were wonderful and the homes were good places to work.

Rhoda was lucky. She lived in a good and wonderful home. She heard stories in the market place from other servants who were mistreated in awful ways. Every time she heard one of those stories she was grateful for the masters she had. They seemed so different than most of the other masters she heard about. She always felt safe around them even as she worked very hard.

One of her masters was named Mary. Mary had a son named John Mark. They were such good and kind people. Sometimes Rhoda would daydream that they were her family. But she always remembered that they were not when she missed her own mother and father at night.

Although Rhoda was a servant she was treated with honor and respect. She got to meet many interesting and wonderful people. Mary and John Mark had many meetings in their homes. When Rhoda first came to work and live with them she watched from behind a curtain as people would come to the home. These were not parties like she had heard of in other homes. And although they laughed and had a good time together they did some other things that were very interesting to her.

As in most Jewish homes they would read Scriptures together. That wasn't so strange. And as in most Jewish homes they would pray together. That wasn't so strange. But they would always talk about a man named Jesus. Now that was kind of strange. She had never heard about this man before. The way they talked about him made Rhoda think that they thought he was a god. And even then it was different than the way people talked about the gods of the temples in town. Others talked about gods like they were very distant and you had to be afraid of them. But when these people talked about Jesus their faces would glow. Some of them would cry and talk about how much they loved Jesus and how thankful they were that he had taken away their sins. Then they would all sing, sometimes until all hours of the night. They were beautiful songs and everyone seemed so happy when they got together.

Rhoda did not understand all of the things they did—particularly in light of all the dishes she had to do every time they came over. But she was very impressed with how kind every one treated her—a little servant girl. Some of them would pat her on the head and thank her for her work. This was unheard of in some of the other homes where her friends worked! Sometimes they would be beaten and abused. But she had never been treated in a bad way in the home of Mary and John Mark.

Rhoda had some favorites among the guests that would come. One of her favorites was a man named Peter. He was kind of a loud man. When she first met him she was terrified of him because he seemed to blow in like a great storm. He was always joyful, funny and loving. His big voice would boom throughout the halls of the house and she looked forward to any time she could see him. When he saw her he would scoop her up in his arms, give her a big kiss on her check and ask how “his little Rhoda” was doing that day. Every once in a while he would sneak into the kitchen and help her do a few dishes while trying to make her laugh. He would tousle her hair on his way out and declare, "Jesus loves you, Rhoda." With a song in her heart Rhoda would finish her dishes. At night she would lay on her mat wanting to know more about this Jesus that Peter and Mary knew.

The Jews had many feast days throughout the year. And every time one of those came around Rhoda had to buckle down and work until she was nearly exhausted. Mary and John Mark would be bustling around getting more and more excited, making sure they had just the right kinds of foods and decorations. She would scurry here and there at their commands trying to keep up. Rhoda would look forward to seeing all those wonderful people again, hoping that Peter would come in and help her with the dishes at least for a couple of minutes.

One morning Rhoda was going to the kitchen and noticed that Mary was at the table with her hands covering her face. She was crying and she and John Mark were talking in very hushed tones. She was trying to figure out what was wrong. The words were muffled. Her little heart was greatly troubled because she had never seen Mary or John Mark so distressed. John Mark's face was white and his eyes burned with anger as tears rolled down his cheeks. Something terrible had happened. Rhoda just knew it.

This was an imaginative approach to a very real story. Rhoda was a very real girl. Her situation was not just something I made up—even though some of the details are. She did live in Jerusalem. She was a servant of Mary and John Mark and she did know Peter. Luke, the author of Acts, brings us Rhoda's story. Really it is God's story with Rhoda and Peter and Mary and John Mark in it. We find this story in Acts 12:1-4.

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.

Herod was a Jewish King working for the Roman government. But he behaved unlike a good Jewish king would. He loved praise. He loved power. He loved pleasing the people. He was perfectly aware that the Jews were a dominant force in his kingdom and he lived in constant fear of an uprising. So he made a guinea pig out of one of them named James. He had his head cut off in a very public display of ill-used power. Herod set out to prove to these people that he was not afraid of them and that he would do to the rest of them what he just had done to James.

Herod knew the recent history of this group called the Way, these people now called Christians, and he was afraid. So he took the awesome powers given to him by the Roman government and set upon persecuting the Christian church as he had heard many others had done.

Herod's fear is rather comical here, isn't it? He takes in one man and puts him under guard with sixteen highly trained and capable guards—the best that the military could offer. He was not about to lose this one. This Peter was a ringleader and he had plans to humiliate him in a public trial after the Passover feast had ended.

So, there sat Peter.

And there sat Mary and John Mark. I imagine that they sent Rhoda out with messages to all their friends, "Come quickly! We must pray together for Peter's release." I'm sure that death of their fellow Christian James and the sudden imprisonment of Peter sent waves of fear through everyone in the Christian circle. But their first reaction was the best reaction. Luke records it in verse 5: "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."

Did you know that it is part of God's plan to set prisoners free? Through one of God's great prophets we hear this truth. Isaiah had a holy and profound encounter with God and he came out saying this.

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

I would not doubt that that very Scripture was read by many Christians that night as they prayed for their brother Peter and grieved for their brother James. And perhaps it was that night that Rhoda first prayed to Jesus to protect her friend Peter.

Luke records what happened next in this riveting description found in verses 6-11.

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.

I think I know part of the reason Rhoda was would have liked Peter. He had unstoppable faith in God. Which one of us would be sleeping through the night in a prison when we were wrongfully accused? I think that every time I would turn over the sound of the chains would make me realize my dire situation. But not Peter! Even though he had a hateful king breathing down his neck, even though he had guards hovering over him and even though he could die very soon, he rested in the Lord. He was so sound asleep that the light in the cell didn't wake him! The angel had to strike him on his side. "Get up man, it's time to go!" He had been sleeping so soundly that he did not realize that he was not dreaming or seeing a vision. At least he was obedient in his vision!

When that fresh air filled his lungs Peter knew what had happened. The prayers of the people had been heard by Almighty God. And one of God's servants was released into the cold night air. Maybe Peter just stood there stunned by the silence and the stars. Dogs were barking and there was barely any movement in the streets. Then, being the man of action that he was, Peter made a decision.

Verse 12 reads: 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.

Where is Rhoda in all of this? Look what happens next in verses 12-16. I just love this part of the story.

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.

Do you remember this kind of excitement when you were young? You were so out of your mind with joy that you completely forgot what you should do! All night long Rhoda had watched people praying fervently for Peter. The house had been tense and sad. All night long they had prayed for Peter's release.

Do you remember the kind of astonishment when as an adult you heard that an urgent prayer request had been answered? The first reaction often is disbelief. You check in with your senses, making sure that you heard it right. You could hear the distant knock on the door, but you were so busy trying to connect your prayers and desires with reality that it took some time to register what was really happening. The knocking grew louder.

I imagine Peter started to get a little anxious. He did not want to be found in the street that night! Then everyone rushed to the door. Oh, the jubilation! Oh, the joy! They probably flung their arms around Peter weeping and crying out in relief. Indeed God had answered their prayers. That little servant girl Rhoda was not out of her mind!

In the still of the night perhaps the neighbors heard the commotion. Peter was quick to silence them and relay his message. Tell another James, this one the brother of Jesus, that he was alive and that the others should hear this great story of God's release of one of his own.

Peter quickly left the gathering, needing to find safety and shelter for the remainder of the night. I wonder if he saw little Rhoda in the comer by the door? I wonder if he didn't tousle her hair one more time and say to her, "Remember Rhoda, Jesus loves you." Then off into the night he went.

Perhaps it was Rhoda who added her information to Luke's record. I imagine Luke sat down with several of those people years later as he prepared to write this account. It is likely that he was seeking the most accurate information to tell the story of the power of God to release the captives and to answer the prayers of good and kind people who loved Jesus. Luke did not overlook the important place that a trusting and good child had in the story of the power of God.

Perhaps it was Rhoda who helped fill in the details of what happened to that wicked king as well. Luke writes about the sordid news in this way in verses 18-23.

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.

Rhoda and everyone in that Christian circle learned some powerful things about God.

1. He can set captives free.

2. Prayer is a vital part of God's great work.

3. God brings his vengeance upon the wicked.

4. And he will work through children to spread the Good News.

Luke wanted to be sure that we remembered number 4. In 12:24 he wrote: "But the word of God continued to increase and spread."

Aren't you thankful for Rhoda's story—which is really God's story?

What's your story of God's great work? Is it like Rhoda's? Is it different, but just as powerful? I want to challenge you to tell one person this week your story. See if they will come to know the love of God when you tell them what God has done for you.

Copyright M.R.HYDE 2011