(yes, I’m a few
letters behind, but life got crazy and…well, you know)
Women of the
Bible from A to Z series
“…When he
knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to
answer….”Acts 12:13
This is not
Rhoda Morgenstern from the Mary Tyler Moore show I’m talking about, but I do
find this biblical Rhoda as a great scene in the sitcom.
Chapter 12 of Acts opens with Herod the king having James,
the brother of John (Matthew 4:21) killed. He arrested Peter and threw into
prison. (This isn’t
the humorous part.)
While Peter sat in jail, the people of the local house
church prayed fervently through the night. An angel of the Lord appeared to Peter and released his
chains and led the apostle to freedom. Peter wasn’t sure if the angel was real
or dream, but he followed the heavenly being through the gate and out into the
city. The angel disappeared. The grateful man hurried to the home where the
pray-ers met. (This is exciting and
praiseworthy, but not the amusing scene.)
As the opening scripture tells us, Peter knocked on the
door. When Rhoda, the servant-girl, answered the door, a familiar voice
announced who he was. Instead of opening the door, Rhoda was so overjoyed she
left the very man they were praying for outside. She ran to tell the others. I’m
sure she shouted, “It’s Peter. Peter is at the door. God heard our prayers!” In
the meantime, the man who walked on water for a moment with Jesus continued to
knock on the door. (Now, to me, that is a
funny scene.)
Rhoda, which means rose, makes me smile. I picture her as a
beautiful young woman, easily excited, and probably quite embarrassed for
living Peter out on the doorstep. It is also a snapshot of God’s sense of humor…because
this piece of information is not inspiring or important to the greatness of how
God released Peter.
[If you’re not familiar with the whole story, I encourage you
to read Acts 12:3-19]
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I just read this scene the other day and had the same thoughts about her forgetting to open the door! But hey, if God answers payers of unthinkable magnitude, a little extra time of having to knock won't make us frown, now, will it?
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