Good Monday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I’m sure we’ve all had this very special experience: we’ve seen or heard something we don’t understand, and then someone has explained it to us and finally, maybe suddenly, we get it! It’s clear! What made no sense a few moments ago, suddenly makes all the sense in the world, and we believe it to be true! Can you remember some of those life illuminating experiences in your journey?
Come with me, back again, to Jerusalem 2000 years ago, during the Pentecost “Shavuot” weekend, when suddenly the Holy Spirit of God came in great power upon more than 100 followers and friends of Jesus and their lives were changed forever. This dramatic event is recorded for us in Acts 2:1-12 and yesterday we watched as the disciple Peter jumped up, in the middle of the fray. Peter called for everyone’s attention and then Peter began to explain the miracles of wind, fire and languages spoken by people who did not understand the languages they were speaking, but those who heard their mother tongue languages understood of course!
We’ve already discussed what I’ve called this ‘linguistic miracle’, so let’s rejoin the crowd and listen to Peter’s continuing explanation found in Acts 2:22-36. It’s historic, it’s among the most significant words ever spoken by anyone, anywhere, at any time!
Peter said, “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you know.” Oh my, let’s pause and catch our breath. Do you see Peter was calling Jews, his ‘fellow Israelites’, to pay close attention because Peter was about to prove to them that THIS Jesus is in fact their long awaited Messiah! The name Jesus was fairly common in those days so Peter makes sure everyone knows he’s talking about the famous ‘Jesus of Nazareth’.
And then Peter proclaims the REASON Jesus did the miracles, do you see it? God empowered Jesus to do the miracles as PROOF that this Jesus was a special, God accredited, God sent man. Jesus was not some sorcerer, nor some magician. He was a God affirmed, God empowered, God sent man and God expected the people to pay close attention to His life, His teachings, and understand His life mission! That begs the question: have you and I paid close attention to Jesus and do we understand His life purpose and teachings?
Peter took a deep breath and continued, plowing ahead into even deeper, Holy Spirit given truth: “This man Jesus was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Jesus to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him!” (Acts 2:23,24) Oh my, I’m confident Peter paused and let the penetrating power of these words sweep over the crowd. Could it be true?
If God sent Jesus to earth and empowered Him to do these great miracles, then why in the world could it be God’s plan and in God’s foreknowledge for Jesus to be crucified? Now that thought was exploding in every person’s brain who had just heard the words. They all believed God to be holy and good, so how in the world could Holy God conceive of such a terrible plan for such a good man as Jesus? It’s very probable that some of those listening to Peter had been in the crowd screaming “Crucify Him” (Matt. 27:22,23) and perhaps had even walked by the three crosses at Golgotha and watched Jesus dying! (Luke 23:32-46)
But Peter didn’t give the crowd too much time to wallow in that confusion, instead Peter challenged them with the mind blowing declaration that God, in all His holy power, had defeated death and actually raised Jesus back to life! Now wait a minute! If it was God’s plan that Jesus be crucified, then why would it be God’s plan to reverse His death and raise Jesus to life? Did God change His mind? But oh no, these Jews knew very well that the teaching of the Jewish Scriptures was that God is consistent at all times and does not change His mind! (1 Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6)
Again it’s very likely some in the crowd had heard this rumor of Jesus’ resurrection, perhaps they’d even seen the empty tomb and heard the ridiculous rumor that the disciples had come in the night and stolen the body while the guards slept? (Matt. 28:11-15) But now Peter was not only declaring Jesus’ resurrection to be truthful fact, but Peter was explaining it was God’s plan and accomplished by God’s powerful action, for God’s great glory, and to defeat death’s power once and for all! Can you grasp it, my friends?
Peter then quoted one of the most revered Jews of all time, King David and what David had written in Psalm 16:8-11, about 1000 years before. Peter then leaned into the revered history of King David speaking of the certainty of David’s death and the honor with which they held David’s tomb, even to this day, and God’s promise that the Jewish Messiah would one day rise up from David’s royal ancestral line.
And then Peter began to draw his impromptu speech to its very powerful conclusion by declaring that he, Peter, was an eyewitness to the truthfulness of the resurrection since he had seen the resurrected Jesus several times: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.” And then Peter proclaimed the two grand finale declarations about the resurrected, ascended Jesus:
“Exalted to the right hand of God, Jesus has received from God the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33) All Jews knew the right hand throne of any supreme leader was the place of honor and power. If resurrected Jesus was not only raised from the dead by God, but restored back to heaven and given the place of great honor and authority at God the Father’s right hand, oh my that would be very, very significant for all people everywhere, for that would mean the crucified Jesus now reigns in supreme authority over all other power in the universe!
And Peter wanted the people in this crowd to understand God the Father had given Jesus Christ the authority to send to earth God the Holy Spirit and these people were witnesses of the arrival, in Jerusalem, of God’s Holy Spirit; and it was God’s power that had been unleashed on Peter and these other followers of Jesus!
I have no doubt Peter paused one last time, allowing his Jewish listeners time to begin to process the incredible truths he was proclaiming. But Peter had one more bombshell statement, his final, explosive point. Drawing a big breath, I can see Peter almost shouting these final words: “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2:36)
Peter’s words reverberated and rumbled like thunder in the ears of this crowd. No person could make this claim without the risk of death! The people waited in expectation perhaps lightning would flash and strike Peter dead on the spot. Or maybe the ground would split open and swallow Peter alive, as God had done before, in Old Testament times, when leaders mocked Him. (Numbers 16:26-34) Minutes passed as the people held their breath, but nothing happened. As the seconds passed, the powerful conviction of the Holy Spirit came upon the crowd.
If Peter’s words were true, and if God did not strike Peter dead for blasphemy then every person in the crowd needed to give very careful consideration to what was happening around them and what it meant for them, for God had spoken!
Let’s pause and ponder with them, and tomorrow join me back here to learn what God did in that historic moment and what it means for you and me today, 2000 years later. And here’s a worship song to help us consider these very powerful truths, which Peter proclaimed:
Today’s Scripture: Acts 2:22-26.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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