Guards held accountable

In the previous passage, Peter was supernaturally rescued from prison. Now, let’s see what happened to Herod Agrippa afterward. The spiritual principle that “you reap what you sow” also applies to him. (1) In the morning, during the soldier’s shift change. (a) Four squads of soldiers, each with four soldiers, were assigned to guard Peter. (b) They took turns guarding him in six-hour shifts. (c) At the shift change, it was discovered that Peter had disappeared from the prison in the Antonia Fortress. This was a major crisis. (2) Let’s compare translations: “There was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter” (NASB2020). “There was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter” (ASV). “There was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter” (NIV). The Greek word translated as “disturbance”, “stir”, “commotion”, is “taraxos”, which means mental agitation. Here, Luke is intentionally using simple word to convey the magnitude of the soldiers’ distress. “When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.” (1) Herod likely organized a large-scale, systematic search for Peter, involving many soldiers. They probably closed the city gates and searched all over Jerusalem. However, Peter had already escaped the city before dawn. (2) Next, Herod interrogated the guards. (a) He assumed that without a conspiracy among the guards, it would be impossible for Peter to vanish from the prison. (b) The guards were likely tortured to force a confession. (c) However, no meaningful information was obtained. (3) Herod then ordered the execution of the guards. (a) This was a common punishment for soldiers who failed in their duties. (b) The execution served as a public statement that Peter’s escape was not due to divine intervention but rather a failure on the part of the guards. Herod was a ruthless figure who had no respect for human life. (4) Herod went down to Caesarea, where his palace was located, and where he needed to address diplomatic issues with neighboring regions. How should we view the execution of the guards? It is a tragic consequence of Herod’s sin—a prelude to the greater judgment that would soon come upon him. Sin brings not only personal consequences but also tragedy to those around us. Let us be vigilant and keep ourselves far from sin.