29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 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. 31 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. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 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. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, 

  “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand

35 until I make your enemies 

a footstool for your feet.” ’ 

36   “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (NIV)

In this section of the speech, Acts, 2:29-36, we’ll work backwards, because it is in these verses that we have the center of Peter’s argument. As a reminder, the ideas we have of church and of the structures of Christianity all stem from an understanding of Acts 1 and 2. Jesus had spent time with the disciples after his resurrection, had given them instructions about how to keep his mission moving of showing all people the true nature of God and God’s purposes for this world, and then before he ascended to the right hand of God, which is where we believe he is now, he promised a Spirit, an advocate to help in that mission in his physical absence.

Over the last several days we have been looking at the initial results of that promise, which happened at Pentecost, a festival that filled Jerusalem with pilgrims. The Spirit entered the 120 followers of Jesus and all those pilgrims heard their own languages being spoken. The work that Jesus wanted to happen began through the power of God through those people. We believe that work continues through us by faith in Jesus until he returns as he left in the way the messengers told the disciples he would.

So in verse 36 Peter says “let all Israel be assured.” We can remember that he was speaking first to his own kindred, and we can also remember that the gospel commission from Jesus was to start in Jerusalem and expand out. But it doesn’t mean that Peter’s message is exclusively for Jews. Rather, it is an inclusive message for all the world that begins in Jerusalem. “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” Both Master and Savior, Commander and Servant, the one we worship because he is the one who redeems. Prior to this Peter refers again to David because it is important to connect Jesus with David. The gospels of Matthew and Luke both provide a genealogy that connects Jesus not only with the line of David, but even further back. By the way, I think it’s a remarkable thing to think about that this speech was given before any of the gospels had been written. This speech was just 50 days after Passover, during the time when Jesus was crucified.

Verses 31-34 are the central verses of Peter’s speech and internally frame everything else. What the people had witnessed in these followers speaking their languages had been prophesied by both Joel and David and though this man prophesied was killed, he was also resurrected, he also ascended, he also is now at the right hand of God in heaven and he also left God’s Spirit to continue the work he began on this earth. This Jesus is Lord God and savior of the world.

For the next post we’ll look at how the people responded to Peter along with his reply. The one connection I’d like to make to what we’re dealing with during this time is to remember the very first thing God did through the people by the Spirit. Through the Spirit, the people spoke in different languages so that others could understand the good news about Jesus. Right now understanding is difficult to come by, and information is hard to navigate. Some Christians are being fooled by bad information and some Christians are even fooling others with bad information. As we take on information, look first to how the Spirit develops the heart of Christ in the provider. Is it to promote unity and break down cultural barriers? Or is it self-serving and promoting cultural division? If you are person of faith, take a lesson from those 120 followers of Jesus who though unsure of the future, allowed themselves to be channels of God’s purposes of restoration.

Fra Angelico, St. Peter Preaching in the Presence of St. Mark, c. 1433.