3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
This is one of the early political polls take by a ruler. Herod the political leader of that area of the world has just killed one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. The Jews like it and he wants to please the Jews, because his main job is to keep the Jews quiet. What keeps the Jews happy keeps him in a job. And he likes the perks that come with the power. He is above the law. He can do pretty much whatever he wants to do. He doesn’t have to live by the rules he imposes on others. He just uses his power for selfish reasons and he gets away with it. Sounds familiar doesn’t it! Green activists flying in private jets to promote public transportation! But I digress. Herod finds out that the Jews like it when he kills Jesus-followers, so he decides, if one killing helps, lots of killings will help even more. He is on a roll. He grabs Peter, one of the churches outspoken leaders, and throws him in prison. He thinks this will score him political points. And I am sure it does at this religiously important feast. I doubt it was by accident that he chose to do this when there would be an influx of thousands of Jews into the city. This gave his act maximum exposure. His ratings probably shot through the roof. Remember, this is long before CNN & Fox News. The only way word got out was word of mouth. He does this when there are thousands of extra mouths from all over the known world present to see his actions. He was no dummy. He knew exactly what he was doing. Or at least his political advisors knew exactly what to do. But his actions will soon backfire. Exactly the opposite result happens when Peter is sprung from jail by the angel. Peter now has a captive audience. The person imprisoned to gain political points now becomes the prime time show carrying a message that transforms lives and political systems. We must be careful when we take polls, basing our decisions on the results of the opinions of others. Do what is right in God’s eyes the way God would do it, and then the results will be the best for everyone.
The Arnold Journey 