He was in prison . . . he was on death row. His right hand was chained to a soldier on one side . . . his left hand, chained to another soldier on the other side. No escape . . . no doubt as to what awaited him in just a few hours . . . and . . . no fear. Peter was sleeping.

I’m reading Acts 12. Herod the crazy has decided to tear up the church. He’s already taken one of their leaders, James, and had him run through with the sword. And when he sees that it “pleased the Jews”, he goes and grabs Peter and plans to do the same to him. But . . . not until after the Passover. After all, devout men of God observe the Passover before executing innocent men . . . before killing followers of Messiah. And what hit me this morning is that on the night before his execution, Peter slept (Acts 12:1-6).

And I think it jumped out at me because of the contrast it provided to my other reading this morning in Matthew 8. There, Peter and the other disciples are with Jesus in a boat. A great storm arises on the sea. The boat is being swamped by the waves. And, though Jesus is sleeping, Peter and the others are freaking out, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing” (Matt. 8:23-25). And Jesus response?

“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”   (Matthew 8:26 ESV)

Peter in a boat going under for the third time . . . panic! Flash forward a couple of years. Peter in prison, about to be skewered in a few hours . . . sleeping like a baby. How come . . . what’s changed? Answer that comes to mind . . . a resurrected Savior.

In the Matthew account, Peter’s still trying to figure out who Jesus is . . . “And the men marveled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?” (Matt. 8:27). In Acts . . . Peter knows what kind of man Jesus is. The kind of man who is the Son of God . . . the kind of man who, after dying on the cross for the sins of the world, rises from the grave on the third day, conquering sin and death . . . the kind of man who is taken up to heaven with the promise that He would return in the same way . . . the kind of man who continues to abide with His children through “Another just like Him”, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God.

And so, the same Peter who flipped out in the boat, is the Peter who, awaiting certain death in the morning, sleeps the sleep of the redeemed in a prison cell.

Because Jesus lives . . . and because Peter believes he will too . . . he is not afraid . . . and he sleeps.

Isn’t this the peace that passes understanding? Isn’t this the practical outworking of the hope that is the Christian’s? Isn’t this great?!?!

Got a few more minutes?  Click here and enjoy David Crowder singing some Billy G . . . .