Acts 2:14a, 22-32 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say ... "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, "I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' "Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, "He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.' This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.
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The Lectionary is not particularly concerned with chronological order (what happened when) as much as theological order (how can we know God through what happened) so that our sequencing is often perplexing and can create challenges to us in our study. As we take our theological journey through the book of Acts we find the power of God through the Spirit as the early church is born and grows.
As the book of Acts begins and after Jesus has ascended to the Father, we find the disciples casting lots to replace Judas. God chooses Matthias, one who has been a follower since the beginning and who was a witness to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Now there are twelve apostles once again but they are not the only ones waiting ... There are also 120 believers in their small but growing community. (Acts 1:15)
Suddenly as we move into the second chapter of Acts, the Holy Spirit (pneuma) falls upon the disciples and perhaps the believers as well. The Spirit makes a violent entrance, loud enough for many people to coming running in an effort to find out what is happening. Much to their amazement, they hear the disciples and believers speaking in their own native languages, which must have shocked them to the core of their being, to the place where there are no explanations. Faced with the mystery of God’s breaking into present reality, some are bewildered and some make up wild accusations. Things haven’t changed very much!
Making Connections: Have you ever experienced the "mystery" of God? Can you describe your experience with God?
Going Deeper: Spirit-filled, Peter speaks his witness to the people about Jesus Christ. He is speaking to “Israelites.” These are people of Judea, people of the Jewish community. Take a moment to read the passage once more as you seek to understand how Peter speaks of Jesus. Peter begins with the ministry of Jesus and he appeals to common knowledge of the miraculous signs and wonders that Jesus performed.
In the course of his sermonic witness, Peter suddenly takes a shocking turn as he blatantly accuses the people in attendance of being agents of the crucifixion. He basically says, “You killed Jesus.” A shallow reading of this passage has people rushing to judge people today for something that happened almost 2000 years ago. It has been said that this kind of prejudicial bias caused the Holocaust. And this accusation comes from the man who had abandoned and betrayed Jesus himself on more than one occasion. Yet perhaps he softens the blow as he considers the crucifixion to be a part of God’s plan so that resurrection may follow. For the power of God was revealed as God raised Jesus up from death! And, he says, “all of us are witnesses.”
Pondering:
Without the cross, there is no resurrection.
Without the resurrection, there is no Spirit.
Without the Spirit, there is no Church.
Without the Church …
How would you finish this sentence? How has the Church been a witness to you of this journey from Easter resurrection to the Spirit at Pentecost? How have you been a witness to others?
When Peter talks of God’s plan we see that the early faith community saw Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises to King David of Israel and as a calling to become a holy people, sanctified by the Spirit to be a communal witness to the world. Remember the words of the Samaritan woman, “One day I know the Messiah will come and he will tell us everything.” (John 4:25) Peter wants the hearers of his message to know that Messiah has come! Through this faith community who were followers of Jesus the Christ, the world will extend the love of God to everyone as the Kingdom of God is embodied through the Spirit of Christ who lives within each believer.
Has the Messiah come in your life? How do your experience the power of God’s Spirit to help you embody the Kingdom of God? Do you believe God has a “plan?” What does that mean to you and how does what you believe about “God’s Plan” impact the way you live in the world?
Praying: Let this prayer of St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430) become your daily Prayer of Eastertide
Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy. Amen.
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy. Amen.
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