Chapter 12

This chapter starts with Herod escalating persecution of the church.  We read earlier where there was a time of peace following the stoning of Stephen and the scattering of the Christians, but now it begins to heat up again.  MSB note says this is Herod Agrippa I who reigned from 34-44 AD, the grandson of Herod the Great, who had remodeled the Temple, and had killed all the males under two years old.  As part of this wave of violent persecution, James the brother of John is killed.  He was one of the first four called, a fisherman from Galilee.  Killed so Herod could curry favor with the Jews.  Then Peter is also arrested, likely with the same plan.

The night before Peter is to be brought before the people, which most likely would have resulted in a death sentence, an angel shows up and leads him out of the prison and into town.  We get a lot of details about how this was done, even including a gate that opens by itself.  Luke very likely got these details from Peter himself since they spent so much time together.  A rare insight.  We even know the name of the servant girl who answered Peter's knock.  Those praying are gathered at the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, who will figure prominently later on.  This is the "Mark" that wrote the gospel of that name, as recounted to him by Peter as they traveled together.  Also this verse:

17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place. [Act 12:17 ESV]

This "James" must be the brother of Jesus who is prominent in the Jerusalem church.  We surmise this because Luke just told us in vs 2 that Herod had killed James the brother of John - making James the first apostle martyred.  Peter knew that.  So he is not referring to his fellow apostle, but the head of the Jerusalem church.

Herod had all the soldiers who were guarding Peter killed.  This is an evil man.  What did he suppose they'd done, helped Peter escape?  But that's what Herod did.  Peter goes to Caesarea for a while.  Probably a really good idea to get out of Jerusalem just then.

Herod is praised by the people of Tyre and Sidon and a god.  Because of his pride - his belief that they are right - an angel strikes him, and he is eaten by worms and dies.  Implication is that this was a sudden thing, perhaps even while he was receiving the praises of these people.  I found a brief of this event in Wikipedia..yes, I know, but it fits very well:

After Passover in 44, Agrippa went to Caesarea, where he had games performed in honor of Claudius. In the midst of his speech to the public a cry went out that he was a god, and Agrippa did not publicly react. At this time he saw an owl perched over his head. During his imprisonment by Tiberius a similar omen had been interpreted as portending his speedy release and future kingship, with the warning that should he behold the same sight again, he would die.[5] He was immediately smitten with violent pains, scolded his friends for flattering him and accepted his imminent death. He experienced heart pains and a pain in his abdomen, and died after five days. [11] Josephus then relates how Agrippa's brother, Herod of Chalcis, and Helcias sent Aristo to kill Silas.[12]

In this last verse of the chapter, we see John Mark associated with Saul and Barnabas:

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. [Act 12:25 ESV]

2021 - Some manuscripts say "to Jerusalem".  So we don't know if this is written from the point of view of someone in Antioch (which I believe is where Luke is from, and so would make sense) or from the point of view of Jerusalem.  We don't know what this "service" is.  It would seem the work in Antioch would be service and they'd be returning "to" Jerusalem.  But Paul didn't go to Antioch from Jerusalem in the first place.  Barnabas did!  So maybe Barnabas left Antioch to report to the Jerusalem church and Paul went along with them.  After their report, perhaps they returned to Antioch.

Mark is pretty important, though Luke, at this point at least, just kind of mentions him in passing.  MSB notes on Mark, including a discussion of "The Synoptic Problem".

Mark was a close companion of Peter, and is often mentioned in Acts as "John, who was also called Mark".  Mark was Barnabas' cousin.

The early church fathers attributed this gospel to Mark.  Hieropolis in  about 140 AD, talked specifically about the book.  He says that Mark was  not with Jesus, but was ever with Peter.  He says Mark undertook to  write down the things Peter told him, but as he was recording what someone  else said, the book is not necessarily chronological. 

In AD 150, Justin Martyr, referred to the Gospel of Mark as the memoirs of Peter, committed to writing by Mark while in Italy.

It is interesting that if this is so, we have canonized as scripture the writings of one who didn't "stick it out" on the first missionary journey.  Such things carry extra weight with me as to the divine nature of scripture in that it says "Yes, this guy had some problems, but God in his sovereignty breathed His Words onto paper by his hand.  Imperfect men wrote the Bible, but imperfect men were not writing independently.  In that book I'm reading, it says the writers were not inspired, the words they wrote were inspired.