Knocking at the Door (Acts 12:11-14)

confirmation and celebration of God’s work

11 When Peter came to himself, he said,
“Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel
and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.”
12 As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary,
the mother of John who was called Mark,
where many had assembled and were praying.
13 He knocked at the door of the outer gate,
and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.
14 She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy,
she did not open the gate but ran in
and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.

Application Point:

joyfully celebrate God’s deliverance.

Explain:

Peter’s first inclination was not to run away
but to join friends who were praying for him.

Key Person

Mary

The name Mary is common among women in the Bible.
Along with Jesus’s mother (Luke 1:26-38),
Gospel writers referred to Mary Magdalene (Mark 15:47);
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42);
and Mary, the mother of James and Salome (Matt. 27:56-28:1).
Paul also mentioned a woman named Mary in his letter to the Romans (Rom. 16:6).

This Mary was the mother of John Mark, who would later travel with Paul and Barnabas and write the Gospel of Mark.
Many scholars believe she was Barnabas’s sister,
and she may have owned the room where Jesus and His disciples celebrated the last supper.

While little else is known about her, Luke did share that she hosted the church in her home.
This house was probably a regular meeting place for the early church,
but, on this occasion, it was the site of an ongoing prayer meeting for Peter.

Rhoda’s role in the story.

Did not open the gate:
When Peter knocked on the outer door, a servant named Rhoda answered.
While Rhoda recognized Peter’s voice, she failed to let him in.

Rhoda joyfully announced that Peter was standing at the front gate, where she had left him standing.
Believers should celebrate God’s deliverance with joy as Rhoda did,
but we should also seize the opportunities to act as God gives us the chance.

Ask:

• When have you ever been so excited that you dropped what you were doing and found someone to tell?
• Suggest that this is what motivated Rhoda to leave Peter standing at the door.

State:

Sometimes, we talk a lot about prayer, but we don’t really get excited or express gratitude when we see a response. While the image of Peter left standing outside the gate is sort of funny, we can learn a lot about prayer from Rhoda’s reaction.

Ask:

• For whom in your church do you need to be praying for God’s help and intervention? (PSG, p. 123)