283
See also: The Calling of the Disciples 200–03 ■ The Crucifixion 258–65 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71 ■
The Great Commission 274–77ACTS, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION
drunk. At this point, Peter, the
leader of the disciples, stands
up and addresses the crowd.
The strange phenomena they
are witnessing, he announces, are
not the result of drunkenness, but
they are the work of God—as
foretold by the Prophet Joel in the
Hebrew scriptures. He reminds his
listeners of Jesus, who was God’s
prophet and Messiah and whom
the people of Jerusalem have
recently killed. This same Jesus,
God has now raised from the dead.
Peter’s speech has an
electrifying effect on the crowd,
many of whom are “cut to the
heart” and beg to know what they
can do in an attempt to make things
right. Peter exhorts them to repent
and become baptized. According
to the Book of Acts, some 3,000
pilgrims follow his command,
creating a massive increase in
the number of believers.The Pentecost event
Acts presents Peter’s speech as
a work of the Holy Spirit. At His
ascension, Jesus promises that the
Spirit would empower His disciplesto be witnesses to His resurrection,
beginning in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8).
At Pentecost, God gives His Spirit—
dramatically and emphatically—
to the disciples. Just as the Spirit
enabled the disciples to speak in
other languages, so He inspires
Peter’s speech to the people of
Jerusalem. Some scholars, however,
think that Luke—the author of
Acts—employed a literary device,
common among ancient Greek
historians, in which speeches areput into the mouths of leading
figures in order to comment upon
the events they describe.
Peter’s speech begins with
the words of the Prophet Joel, who
said the Spirit would be poured out
on God’s people at a critical point
in history: “Even on my servants,
both men and women, I will pour
out my Spirit in those days, and
they will prophesy. ... And everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved” (Joel 2:18–32). Peter
goes on to argue that God had
empowered Jesus’s life and ministry,
leading to His crucifixion. He quotes
David’s words that God would not
abandon His holy one to death
(Psalm 16:8–11), noting that while
David’s body was still in its tomb,
God had raised Jesus and poured
out His Spirit as promised. Jesus
had then risen into heaven in
fulfillment of God’s command that
the Messiah sit at His right hand
until God defeated all the Messiah’s
enemies (Psalm 110:1). Luke reports
that 3,000 of the assembled people
of Jerusalem, convinced by Peter’s
words, repent their sins and receive
forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. ■The early Christian
communityLuke’s account of the events of
Pentecost concludes with a brief
description of the community
that emerged in Jerusalem as a
result of that day’s conversions.
This is marked, says Acts, by
four elements: teaching by the
Apostles; fellowship; the
breaking of bread; and prayer.
The fellowship is radical: the
believers are said to have
owned everything in common,
selling their possessions anddistributing the money that
they raised according to people’s
needs—all in a spirit of gladness
and generosity.
All four elements were no
doubt present in the early
Christian community of
Jerusalem, but later in Acts,
Luke reveals tensions among
them as well. Attempting to
win unwarranted regard, some
lie about their generosity and
are judged by the Holy Spirit
(Acts 5:3–5). For Christians
since, it has remained an
inspiration and a challenge.The Apostles Going Forth to
Preach, a 15th-century miniature
by the Limbourg brothers, shows
the Christian community at work.All of them were
filled with the Holy
Spirit and began
to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit
enabled them.
Acts 2:4US_282-283_The_day_of_Pentecost.indd 283 28/09/17 1:04 pm