Crucified Lord and Messiah

Acts 2:14-36

Welcome! Today we continue on in Acts chapter 2 to look in-depth at a very famous speech made by Peter, the same Peter who had only 50 days earlier denied Christ three times, the same Peter who had boasted of what he could do, the same Peter Jesus rebuked for trying to correct Jesus and tell Him what was best. Although Peter had always shown, despite his many weaknesses, signs of leadership, the Peter who gave this speech seems like a very different person than the one we read of in the gospels, and in a way that was quite true. The Peter who gives this speech is still bold, but it is now a boldness rooted in wisdom and maturity rather than in brashness and a lack of knowledge. Today we look at this speech; next week we look at its amazing impact. But in order to better understand the context of this speech, I want to back up to the beginning of Chapter 2 which Fred discussed so well last week and remind us of the setting.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. – Acts 2:1

Fred did a great job explaining that Pentecost was one of the big three Jewish holidays when people would gather together in Jerusalem. The word Pentecost means fiftieth, and it was celebrated 50 days after Passover. Jerusalem was filled with Jews who had come from close and far to participate in this holiday.

In Hebrew, the holiday is called Shavuot. This word is Hebrew for weeks, or more literally, sevens. The Hebrew word for seven is shiva. Leviticus 17:15 explains that one should count off seven full weeks, that is, seven sevens, and then on the fiftieth day present an offering of new grain to the Lord. It goes on:

From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. – Leviticus 17:17

The passage goes on to explain that animal sacrifices are also a part of this “firstfruit” offering. What is meant by “firstfruits”? Well, Passover is in March or April, depending on the year – the Jewish calendar is lunar-based, and some years have entire leap-months, so the dates between the two calendars vary year by year up to about a month. As an aside, I was born in a leap month, on the 29^th of Adar Bet in 5725 on the Hebrew calendar. This means that I am currently only 21 years old. So when I tell people I only hope to live until I am 75, they don’t realize that I will actually be over 200 at that time.

But back to “firstfruits”: Because Passover is in March or April, Shavuot, or as we call it, Pentecost, is in May or June. In Israel, this is the time for the first wheat harvest.

I believe the fact that Acts 2 takes place on this holiday is very significant. Not only is it important because it is a time that there are tons of Jews visiting Jerusalem, so that it is the perfect time for the church to grow explosively, it is also highly symbolic as it will forever be remembered as the time of the harvest of the firstfruits of faith, the time that, for the first time, many people repented and put their faith in Christ – the time that the first harvest of the church age took place.

And so, what happened? What was the “opening” act, so to speak, before the main event, the salvation of many souls? Let’s review the passage.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:2-4

The wind was a symbol of the Spirit, going back even to Genesis 1:1-2, where the spirit (or breath) of God hovers over the waters. Also, God breathes into Adam to bring him to life in Genesis 2:7, and in the prophecy of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37:9-10, God breathes into the dry bones of the deceased and they come back to life. And in John 20:22, the resurrected Jesus Himself breathes on the disciples, in an apparent prophecy of this moment, saying “Receive the Holy Spirit.” On a practical level, the wind was extremely loud, like a tornado, and it drew thousands of people to the disciples’ location.

What about the “what seemed to be” tongues of fire? Going back to Moses and the burning bush, fire has been a symbol of the holiness of God. Fire is a symbol of purity, as through fire you can burn away impurities. In Deuteronomy 4 and 9, God is described as a consuming fire, and Isaiah chapter 30, describes God’s judgment as a consuming fire.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” – Acts 2:5-13

And so the Spirit has turned the disciples into street preachers. They are declaring the wonders of God, and doing so in languages that they did not themselves know. I have many questions about what was exactly happening here: Were they controlling what they said? I believe so, based on Paul’s instructions about tongues and prophecy given later in I Corinthians 14, to make things orderly in worship. Were the praises they were speaking their own words or words given to them by God? I don’t know, but I suspect they were words from God, similar to how God has given the authors of the Bible His words to write down, and I believe similar to how Mary, and Zechariah prophesied and praised the Lord in Luke 1. This would also then be similar to how all the Old Testament prophets gave the words of God that God gave them. In any case, a great crowd has gathered, and while many are deeply engaged and amazed at what is happening, some are making jokes that the disciples must be drunk.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!” – Acts 2:14-15

I am struck by the difference here between Peter’s response and the response of James and John in Luke 9:51-55, when they were not well received at a Samaritan village, and they asked the Lord if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy them. Jesus, the passage says, rebuked them. Filled and led by the Spirit, Peter is very patient with his hecklers, even choosing to address them directly. And note that verse 15 is, in fact, a joke. It is a joke because it implies that if it were later in the day, they would be right to think that the disciples were drunk. It’s also a put down, because the word they use for wine is the word for “new” wine, slightly fermented grape juice. They are implying that not only are they unable to “hold” their liquor; they are not even able to hold their weak wine.

Of course, this is ridiculous, because drunk people don’t suddenly develop superpowers; they don’t perform miracles. But I understand the comparison with drunkenness, because these people, these disciples, are “unnaturally” happy, loud, speaking strangely, and so on. I have no doubt that they are very emotional. All of these behaviors are readily associated with drunkenness. But Peter, in his opening words, dismisses the mockers gracefully, refusing to be dragged down to their level. That might be a lesson for us in this Internet age.

But the majority of the people there were not mockers. They were genuinely affected by the situation, recognizing its miraculous nature, and they were “utterly amazed.” But Peter now has the attention of both groups. Here is what he says:

“No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” – Acts 2:16-21

This was the beginning of the “last days.” We are still in the “last days”. Many of the things in Joel’s prophecy have not yet come to pass. But it began on that day. God poured out His Spirit, and the disciples were prophesying, if we understand that term to include Spirit-led praise of God, which is one of the meanings we find in the Old Testament.

I would also argue that the miracle of speaking in these various languages was itself an acted-out prophecy. Think about it. What is the language of the Jewish people when it comes to religious matters? It was Hebrew. (Also Aramaic when the Jews were scattered, as portions of the books of Daniel and Ezra are in Aramaic.) But now, we see something unprecedented: prophesying/praising God in the languages of the Gentiles! This presages what is going to happen, as we will see later in Acts: The gospel “of the Jews” will go to and multiply like crazy among the Gentiles in many languages. The fact that God was doing this could also rightly be interpreted as God judging those Jews who refused to repent and come to faith in Him.

Note that Peter does not say that this entire passage has been fulfilled. He says that this is what Joel was talking about. In other words, he is saying that what they were witnessing was the beginning of the times that prophets spoke about and called the last days. He is saying, “Guys, you are now in the last days. What you are seeing now is proof of this.”

And the people knew about those times. They were the times of the Messiah. And so they would have understood already at this point that Peter was claiming that they were now in the times of the Messiah. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, and Joel all use this phrase to speak of the time of the Messiah.

Some of the darkest prophecies in the passage were yet to come. The listeners, who now understood that Peter was saying they were now living in the times of the Messiah, in the last days, would be quite concerned, because they knew that judgment was a key thing, if not the key thing that would happen. Here, before them, was a miracle that Peter had shown them was proof that they were actually now living in the last days. What would come of them? They would be judged! Would they be found righteous? They doubted it.

But the last verse Peter quotes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” applied to them now, just as it applies to us now. The listeners heard this and thought, “How? Oh, wait, this means that the Messiah must be here! Where? Who is he? And how do you call on the name of the Lord?” And Peter, guided the Holy Spirit, masterfully uses this line as a transition to answer their questions.

“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 yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him 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 2:22-24

This is so powerful. Peter brings them straight to Jesus. Many of them knew well who Jesus was, as He had raised no small stir in Israel. What does “accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs”? It means that the healings, the raising people from the dead, the feeding the thousands miraculously, turning water into wine, casting out demons, and all the rest were done so that they would know that Jesus was in fact the Messiah. These miracles proved who Jesus really was.

But Peter goes on to say that despite this mountain of evidence, they had rejected Him. God knew that this would happen, and not only this, God planned for it to happen, because for everyone to call on the name of the Lord and be saved, it was necessary that their sin be dealt with. God’s plan, which came to pass, was that Jesus would pay for our sin through the cross. And so, like how Joseph had so long ago said (in Genesis 50:20) “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives,” the same was now true of Jesus. Joseph’s life foreshadowed this event.

And so, yes, the Romans were the ones who actually nailed Jesus to the cross, but they, the Jews who were listening, were those who shouted “crucify, crucify” and they were guilty of the greatest sin imaginable: conspiring to murder God’s Son, who was Himself God. But Peter went on to explain that the impossible had happened: Death could not hold Him! God raised Him from the dead; Jesus arose from the tomb. He lives!

How would this have made them feel? Perhaps terrified. In normal life, if you are going to betray someone unto death, you better make sure he is actually dead, because otherwise he is likely going to come for you. Jesus was actually dead, but He didn’t stay that way. Peter goes on:

David said about Him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in Your presence.’ – Acts 2:25-28

This passage quotes Psalm 16. Psalm 16 is one of these wonderfully mysterious prophetic passages that are easy to miss entirely until you are pointed to what it is saying. Peter is doing this here. What does “You will not let Your Holy One see decay” mean? I am sure the rabbis argued about it, as they argue about many verses. But we know that no one is truly holy. So this passage does not refer to just a mere man. Interestingly, it is David who is saying this, David who was revered as the greatest king the Israelites had ever had. Note that David does not refer to himself as a holy one, so this “Holy One” must be greater than David.

Peter goes on to explain this cryptic passage:

“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.’ – Acts 2:29-32

So this passage begins with an archaeological fact known to the Israelites: David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. Does this mean they knew where David’s tomb was? Based on this passage alone, maybe, maybe not.

But if you will permit a brief archaeological digression, we can explore this a bit. (Sorry, I can’t help myself.)

We know in general terms where David was buried based on I Kings 2:10-11:

Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. – I Kings 2:10-11

It was not a normal Jewish custom to bury the dead inside towns or cities, but kings were an exception. Many later Israelite kings were also buried in Jerusalem, in the same location as David, but some of the most evil ones were buried elsewhere in Jerusalem. For example, we read of King Jehoram:

Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king. – 2 Chronicles 21:1

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. – 2 Chronicles 21:20

This location is known centuries later when Nehemiah is repairing the walls of Jerusalem:

Beyond him [Shallun], Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes. – Nehemiah 3:16.

Note that this is another Nehemiah, not the main leader of the work, the person for whom the book is named. Also, note that this passage, along with ones before and after it, truly pinpoint the location of the tombs, because Nehemiah (the main leader) has written this account to trace along the wall from section to section.

At the time of Jesus, we have every reason to believe that the location was still known, based on the following account of the ancient historian Josephus, who wrote this a few decades after the events of Acts 2. (This is from the Antiquities of the Jews, Book 16, Chapter 7, Section 1.)

As for Herod, he had spent vast sums about the cities, both without and within his own kingdom; and as he had before heard that Hyrcanus, who had been king before him, had opened David's sepulcher, and taken out of it three thousand talents of silver, and that there was a much greater number left behind, and indeed enough to suffice all his wants, he had a great while an intention to make the attempt; and at this time he opened that sepulcher by night, and went into it, and endeavored that it should not be at all known in the city, but took only his most faithful friends with him. As for any money, he found none, as Hyrcanus had done, but that furniture of gold, and those precious goods that were laid up there; all which he took away. However, he had a great desire to make a more diligent search, and to go farther in, even as far as the very bodies of David and Solomon; where two of his guards were slain, by a flame that burst out upon those that went in, as the report was. So he was terribly aftrighted, and went out, and built a propitiatory monument of that fright he had been in; and this of white stone, at the mouth of the sepulcher, and that at great expense also.

I don’t know what that flame was all about, but even if you were to grant that there might be embellishment in this account, there is no question that the location must have been known at the time of Josephus.

Additional, later writings tell us that the location had fallen into ruins at the time of Emperor Hadrian, who ruled from 117-138 AD.

Do we know where this location is today? Well, it is complicated. On Jerusalem’s western hill, on top of it, is a large structure claimed to be at the location of the tomb of King David. It is where all the tourists go. On Jerusalem’s eastern hill, in 1914, the archaeologist Raymond Weill discovered what he claimed to be the tomb of King David. His location is mostly ignored today, even though it is within the ancient site known to be the City of David and is consistent with the details of Nehemiah, and the other location is neither in the City of David nor congruent with the Nehemiah account.

Here's part of what is written on the sign at the Raymond Weill location today:

In the generations following the destruction of the Second Temple, the tombs were demolished and their location was forgotten. Medieval traditions assigned the site of David’s tomb to Mount Zion. In 1913, Baron Edmund de Rothschild purchased large tracts of land in the City of David and commissioned French-Jewish archaeologist Raymond Weill to conduct excavations here. Weill discovered several tunnels carved into the rock and identified them as the tombs of the House of David. Weill’s theory was accepted for many years, but subsequent discoveries of lavish tombs in Jerusalem from the First Temple period cast doubt on this.

The Medieval traditions are based on a time when it was believed that the City of David was the western hill. A later archaeologist, Katherine Kenyon, argued that the City of David location was cisterns. But this make absolutely no sense based on the shape of the caves – the openings are on the bottom!

Weill also found pieces of a fancy building nearby. It was found to be a synagogue dating to the first century BC.  It makes perfect sense that there was a synagogue next to the location of the tombs of David. What remains of the tombs are the floors and lower parts of walls; the upper sections have been mostly removed as material was taken for later building projects.

The alternative site is plainly in the wrong location. It also is based on a fanciful account from the Middle Ages. Yes, there are large caves there, but there is no reason to think these caves were the location of the tombs of David. It’s not in the City of David. But the Israel government has made the location into a tourist location, and they do not wish to change it, even though God-believing Jewish archaeologists now think that Weill’s location is, in fact, correct.

There is a deep irony in the fact that something that was plain to Peter’s listeners, the location of David’s tomb, and was used as a key piece in the argument that explained why Jesus is in fact the Messiah, is deeply contested today. Let’s go back to Peter’s argument:

“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.’ – Acts 2:29-32

This is a powerful argument. Up until this time, the Jews had passages about the Messiah that they could not reconcile. Some passages implied He was supposed to be a victorious ruler, a great king, with a kingdom that would never end. But other passages implied He also appeared to suffer, and even to die. This was one and the same Person! Jesus had indeed died, but He did not stay dead. He had risen, and Peter and the disciples knew this – they had seen Him, talked with Him, eaten fish with Him. And now, God’s Spirit rested on the disciples, and God had orchestrated these events, including the loud noise like a tornado, on this special gathering day, an ancient day in which the Torah told all Jews to gather together, to present “wave” offerings to the Lord, to celebrate the firstfruits of harvest. And here, the disciples are speaking God’s praise in languages they never were taught, so that Jews from around the known world could understand them. These disciples were in essence waving themselves. They were themselves the firstfruits of the most important harvest in history, a harvest of souls that continues to this day.  

We have a few more verses of Peter’s speech to look at today.

“Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”- Acts 2:34-36

Jesus Himself spoke about this passage from Psalm 110 in Luke 20. Here is what He said:

Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to My Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’ David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can He be his son?” – Luke 20:41-44

Jesus uses this passage to point out the conundrum that the Messiah seems to both be descended from David and also one that David calls Lord. How can this be? We know the answer – it is because Jesus, born of Mary, descended from David, is eternal. Before David was born, before Abraham was born, Jesus says, “I am.” And Jesus being eternal means that Jesus is God. He is fully man, but He is also fully God.

And so Peter finishes his exposition by pointing out that Jesus is exalted to the right hand of God and that He is behind what is happening on this special day. David’s quote from Psalm 110 shows that the Messiah is more than a man. He is also Lord. He is our advocate before the Father, but He is also God. As Revelation says, out of His mouth comes a sharp sword, but as Joel had written, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.