Acts 2:22-28
A few items from Peter’s speech… First, Peter has a long speech, 23 verses, and I’ve broken it down into three days’ readings. So we lose a bit of continuity, but we can always re-read the previous day’s reading so as to better see the flow.
Second, my Study Bible pointed out some general Acts speech items that we will see again in similar fashion in chapters 3, 10, and 13: (1) an explanation of events; (2) Jesus’ life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension; and (3) an exhortation to repentance and baptism/salvation. Steven’s speech in Acts 7 has element (1) in detail, but very little on (2) and none on (3) before he was shut down by the crowd.
Third, a comment for today… Verse 22 includes the phrase, “…as you yourselves know.” How well does Peter know this crowd? How does he know that they know? Have they been bystanders as the Apostles have been regularly meeting in the temple? When did they have the opportunity to see Jesus performing signs and wonders? But Peter said it, so it must have been true!
Finally, …this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (v. 23) The “definite plan and foreknowledge” could merit a good discussion, but I was more interested in the “lawless men”. Always I had imagined something like Peter referring to a bloodthirsty mob, when in reality it simply refers to “men without the Law”, that is, Gentiles. A very different take on my old thinking!!
Slava Bohu!
Hi everybody — What I’m going to share is quite off topic though relevant to Acts and Luke in general. I am reading a book called Rome and Jerusalem: the Clash of Ancient Civilizations by Martin Goodman, a Jewish person. And I ran across the fact that the high priest Annas had 5 sons, one of whom was named Theophilus! Also, per Josephus, this Theophilus was also later a high priest, from 37 to 41 AD. Apparently there is no assurance that this is the person Luke was addressing in the beginning of his books, but there is also no reason it couldn’t have been! I was so excited about this slightly relevant fact that I had to share it!
NOT just slightly relevant, Katey, not at all…!! Intriguing, in fact!! Thanks for sharing!
Super interesting, Katey! Makes me wonder…