The Five Step Plan of Salvation doesn’t speak to the East — not the way we interpret it. To us, “repent” means “leave your life of sin.” It’s about guilt and forgiveness — washing away your sins. And it really and truly is. But if Peter was speaking to Jews steeped in a Middle Eastern honor culture, they surely heard something else, because personal guilt would have been utterly foreign to them.
Let’s see …
Notice first a few things we usually overlook.
First, when Peter told his audience at Pentecost to “repent,” he was speaking to devout Jews who weren’t living riotous, licentious lives. What were they to repent of?
Second, Peter accused them of crucifying Jesus, but we see, plainly in John, that the crucifixion scene is about the leaders of the Jews pushing the Roman authorities to execute Jesus (see the earlier series on John where we sorted through the text in detail). The people had just celebrated his entry into Jerusalem as a king! They’d waved palm branches in honor of the years of independence Judea had enjoyed under the Hasmonean dynasty — Levites descended from the Maccabees, who’d led a successful revolt against the Hellenistic Antiochus Epiphanes.
Moreover, Peter’s audience had come from all over the Roman Empire. It was filled with pilgrims, visiting Jerusalem for Pentecost. Many would have only heard of Jesus by rumor, if at all. They were new in town and unlikely to have been involved in his crucifixion.
So why does Peter accuse all of them of being guilty of crucifying Jesus?
Third, if you re-read Peter’s sermon from start to finish, you’ll find that it’s not about convincing the Jews of their general sinfulness. This is not Romans 1, 2, and 3 in Jewish terms. Rather, Peter is persuading the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah promised by the prophets, resurrected by God.
Moreover, Peter’s sermon goes in the direction from “the Spirit has been outpoured” to “Jesus is the Messiah” back to “you may receive the outpoured Spirit” — topics that are lightly covered in evangelical preaching but are obviously central to Peter’s sermon.
The point of “the Spirit has been outpoured” is that the Spirit’s presence on the disciples is the fulfillment of the several prophecies that the Spirit would be outpoured when the Kingdom comes.
Hence, Peter’s major themes are Messiah, Spirit, and Kingdom, not sin, guilt, and forgiveness — these don’t show up until Acts 2:38, very nearly at the end of the sermon, whereas we Westerners would generally begin with sin and end with forgiveness and not bother with Messiah, the Spirit’s outpouring, and Kingdom — except maybe in Bible class. Those are not “gospel” topics to us.
Consider —
(Act 2:16-20 ESV) 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
The disciples’ speaking in tongues is fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that the Spirit would be poured out when the Kingdom and Messiah come. Peter didn’t have to say that many other passages speak in similar terms. His audience had been to synagogue and read the prophets.
(Act 2:21 ESV) 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
“Saved” to a Westerner means saved from hell. What did it mean to Joel? Well, just before the quoted passage, Joel wrote,
(Joe 2:26-27 ESV) 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Shame. God promised his people that they would be saved from shame. He promises a new age, a new Kingdom, in which shame will no longer exist.
If you doubt this, let Paul interpret the passage for us —
(Rom 10:11-13 ESV) 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
I bet you didn’t expect that! I sure didn’t. (Of course, hell would be a very shameful place to wind up, but Peter says nothing of hell, damnation, personal guilt, or punishment.)
(Act 2:22-23 ESV) 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know — 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
It’s possible, maybe even likely, that some in the crowd of thousands of Jews had actively participated in the crucifixion of Jesus, but that was about 50 days ago at Passover. It’s impossible that everyone there had been involved. It’s unlikely that even most of them had been involved.
But in honor cultures, there is certainly such as thing as racial or ethnic shame. In fact, one of the major characteristics of an honor culture is that your shame can bring shame to your family, klan, tribe, or even nation — if it’s a bad enough shame. And killing a miracle-worker empowered by God is enough to shame the entire Jewish race. (So far, Peter had not yet claimed that Jesus is the Messiah — just that he was “a man attested to you by God with mighty works.”)
(Act 2:24-28 ESV) 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
Peter had shown Jesus to be a miracle worker. He’s now building a case that Jesus is the Messiah, quoting from Psalm 16.
(Act 2:29-32 ESV) 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
Peter reaches the climax of his sermon: “he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ [Messiah].” This Messiah, Peter says, has been seated on David’s throne by God himself!
Well, if killing a God-empowered miracle worker shames a race, imagine what crucifying the Messiah means to the Jewish race!
(Act 2:33 ESV) 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
“Exalted” is a good way to say “given the highest honor.” What honor could be greater than to sit at God’s right hand?
As a result of receiving such honor, the Son has “poured out” (reference back to Joel) the “promise of the Holy Spirit.” The “promise of the Holy Spirit” is, of course, the promised Holy Spirit — the Spirit who is promised by the prophets to come at the dawn of the Kingdom. This is Kingdom language. After all, “Christ” means “Messiah” means “Anointed One” means “King seated on David’s throne.”
(Act 2:34-36 ESV) 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”‘ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
And so, Peter clinches his argument. According to Psalm 110, Jesus is the Messiah: “both Lord and Christ.” This is no small claim. “Lord” is what one would call a king, even Caesar. It’s also what the Jews called God.
“This Jesus whom you crucified” charges the audience with regicide — killing their own King and Lord, the Messiah sent to establish his Kingdom, who God resurrected — a technical term among the Jews for rising with a glorified body by the power of God. He is not saying “resuscitated,” that is, merely made alive again. Jesus was not only given life, he was given life eternal and therefore can go to heaven to rule beside God himself.
Peter has accused the Jewish race of the shame of having killed the Messiah — an act of unspeakable shame, and an act repudiated by God himself, reversing the utter shame of crucifixion (Jesus was certainly naked and hung on a “tree” — making him accursed by God (Deu 21:22-23)) — by resurrecting Jesus and seating him in heaven in the place of highest honor.
How would the audience respond to such a charge?
[continued in tomorrow’s post]
As we see the theme that runs throughout the bible is all glory and honor belongs to God, and he gives it to whomever he chooses.and he does not choose those who disobey.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.