Title: Repentance, Baptism, Holy Spirit
Repentance, Baptism, Holy Spirit
Acts 2:36-41, Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2014
In order to properly understand the Bible, we must travel in time to the past where the Bible was written. This is because the Bible did not fall from heaven, but came out against the backdrop of history from the past to the present. Today's first reading according to the church year, Acts 2:36-41, is a story from 2,000 years ago. It is a report of an event that occurred when Christianity first began. The background to the incident is as follows. The followers of Jesus were greatly shocked by the crucifixion of Jesus. Crucifixion is religiously blasphemy and politically treason. Then something happened that they didn't expect. Jesus, who had died and was buried in a tomb, appeared before them.
Dispersed after the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples and followers began to gather again after the resurrection of Jesus. About 120 people started meeting at Mark's house in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the day of Pentecost came. Pentecost is a Jewish agricultural festival. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples have a special experience. According to Acts 2:1 and below, suddenly, a phenomenon like the sound of wind and flames filled the room and fell on each person. It is said that the people who had gathered there were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke different languages instead of their own Aramaic language. It's called dialect. On the Day of Pentecost, people living in Judea and Galilee, Diaspora Jews living abroad, and Gentiles who converted to Judaism gather in Jerusalem for a kind of pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They were amazed and perplexed when they saw Jesus' disciples speaking in tongues. The disciples ridiculed them for showing such ugliness because they were drunk.
So Peter, on behalf of the disciples, preached to the people gathered in Jerusalem. Its content is Acts 2:14-35. The core of the content is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The conclusion of Peter's sermon is Acts 2:36.
Therefore, let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
This verse is the prototype of the early Christian faith. The words cross, Jesus, God, Lord, and Christ appear one after the other. The cross points to the curse. Jesus was cursed by people. That's a historical fact. But God overturned this. He made the cursed Jesus the Messiah. It was made from an object of curse to an object of praise. It points to the immediate resurrection. Resurrection is the change from death to eternal life. Exodus from curse to praise.
There is an expression in this verse that we should pay attention to. It is God who made Jesus both Lord and Christ through the resurrection. On the other hand, it is you who crucified Jesus. Here, ‘you’, of course, can be seen to refer to both the ruling class of Judaism and the Jews. But in a broad sense, you are not just Jews, you are everyone in the world. This can be seen in the fact that those who are now listening to Peter's sermons include not only Jerusalem residents and Diaspora Jews, but also Gentiles.
If you were someone who took Peter's sermons seriously, you would have sensed that something was serious. Because they disobeyed God. God raised them, but they killed them. Of course, at the time they considered the crucifixion of Jesus to be justice. Even members of the Sanhedrin, the highest class in Judaism, who accused Jesus of being the Roman governor, thought their actions were God's will. But that was denied by God. They did what they thought was justice, but it turned out to be an injustice, so how reluctant they must have been. Many of these things still happen today. A significant number of those on death row are said to be innocent. The judge thoughtfully sentenced him to death for social justice, but he killed an unfair life. How would the judge feel when such a misjudgment is actually revealed? The feelings of those who heard Peter's sermon are shown in verse 37.
Being stabbed in the heart means that your conscience is alive. This seems natural, but