Commentary - Acts 2:14-36

Bird's-eye view

Here we have the inaugural sermon of the Christian church, delivered into the teeth of the very men who had, just weeks before, crucified the Lord of glory. This is not a timid suggestion or a philosophical discourse; it is a prosecutor's opening statement in the great trial of history. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, stands up as a transformed man and authoritatively interprets the events of Pentecost. He does three things. First, he explains the phenomenon of the tongues by appealing to the prophet Joel, declaring that the long-awaited "last days" have arrived. Second, he preaches the person and work of Jesus Christ, focusing on His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Third, he proves from the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly the Psalms, that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel's hopes and is now the enthroned Lord of the cosmos. The sermon is a masterpiece of biblical reasoning, culminating in a direct, personal, and devastating indictment: the man you killed is now your rightful King. This sermon sets the apostolic pattern for all subsequent gospel preaching: it is scriptural, Christ-centered, courageous, and calls for a verdict.

This is the foundational proclamation of the New Covenant. The Spirit has been poured out, the King is on His throne, and the terms of surrender are being announced to a rebellious world. Peter's logic is relentless. He marshals evidence from prophecy, from eyewitness testimony, and from the public knowledge of his hearers to build an unassailable case for the lordship of Jesus Christ. The result is not just an intellectual argument but a spiritual reality that pierces the heart, leading to the first great harvest of the New Testament church.

Outline

Context In Acts

Peter's sermon is the theological centerpiece and direct consequence of the events described in Acts 2:1-13. The Holy Spirit has just descended upon the disciples in a display of wind and fire, causing them to speak in other languages. This miraculous event draws a diverse crowd of Jews from all over the Roman world, who are bewildered by what they are seeing and hearing. While some are amazed, others resort to cynical mockery, accusing the apostles of being drunk. It is in response to this charge that Peter stands to deliver this sermon. This is the first public address by the apostles after Jesus' ascension and it serves as the catalyst for the birth of the Jerusalem church. The sermon's effect, described in the verses that immediately follow (Acts 2:37-41), is a mass conversion of about three thousand souls. This event fulfills Jesus' promise that the disciples would be His witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8) and establishes the core message that will be proclaimed throughout the rest of the book of Acts.

Key Issues

This is That

The interpretive key to Peter's entire sermon, and indeed to the whole New Testament, is found in verse 16: "but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel." In Greek, it is even more concise: touto estin to eiremenon, "this is that which was spoken." This is the apostolic method in a nutshell. They did not see the coming of the Spirit as a strange, disconnected, novel event. They saw it as the direct fulfillment of God's ancient promises. "You see this? That is what God was talking about."

This approach, which we call a Christological or redemptive-historical hermeneutic, understands that the Old Testament is not a flat collection of moral tales and religious regulations. It is a book about Jesus. It is a story that points forward to Him, creating a thirst that only He can quench. Peter, now enlightened by the Spirit, reads his Bible this way. He looks at Joel, he looks at the Psalms of David, and he sees Jesus everywhere. He understands that the events of his own day are the climax to which the entire scriptural narrative has been building. This is the task of all faithful preaching and teaching: to stand in the midst of what God is doing in our time and to be able to say, with authority, "This is that."

Verse by Verse Commentary

14-15 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day;

The fisherman who had cowered in denial before a servant girl now stands up before the nation. The "eleven" stand with him, a picture of unified apostolic testimony. Peter begins not with an apology but with a demand for their attention. He dismisses the charge of drunkenness with a simple, common-sense observation. It's only nine in the morning, far too early for this kind of public intoxication. This is not the slurring of wine but the clarity of the Spirit. He is clearing the ground of foolishness to make way for the foundation of truth.

16-18 but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; EVEN ON MY MALE SLAVES AND FEMALE SLAVES, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR OUT MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy.

Peter's first move is to the Scriptures. He says the events they are witnessing are the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. The phrase "in the last days" refers to the entire era of the Messiah, the time between Christ's first and second comings. Pentecost marks the inauguration of this new age. The promise is that God's Spirit will be poured out not just on select prophets, priests, and kings, but on "all mankind" or all flesh. This is a radical democratization of the Spirit's presence. Sons and daughters, young and old, male and female slaves, the Spirit is for everyone in the New Covenant. The old barriers are being torn down. Prophecy, visions, and dreams are representative of direct communication from God, and this is now the inheritance of the whole church.

19-21 AND I WILL PUT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND AWESOME DAY OF THE LORD COMES. AND IT WILL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

Peter continues quoting Joel. This apocalyptic language of cosmic deconstruction, blood, fire, and a darkened sun, is standard Old Testament prophetic language for the collapse of a political and religious order. This is not about the end of the physical planet, but about the end of the old covenant world order centered in the Temple at Jerusalem. This judgment would befall that generation, culminating in the destruction of the city in A.D. 70. This is the "great and awesome day of the Lord" that Joel foresaw. But in the midst of this covenantal shaking, there is a glorious promise of escape. Salvation is now available to every single person, Jew or Gentile, who "calls on the name of the Lord." And as Peter will soon make clear, the name of the Lord to be called upon is Jesus.

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know,

Having established the prophetic context, Peter now comes to the central subject: Jesus. He begins on common ground. He calls Him "Jesus the Nazarene," His common designation. He appeals to their own experience. They all knew about Jesus' ministry. His miracles were not done in a corner; they were public, undeniable displays of divine power. Peter is clear: Jesus was a man, but He was a man attested by God. The miracles were God's own testimony to the identity of His Son.

23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.

Here we have the central paradox of the gospel. Who was responsible for the death of Jesus? Peter gives two answers, and he holds them in perfect tension. On the one hand, it was the sovereign, predetermined plan of God. The cross was not an accident or a tragedy that caught God by surprise. It was His plan from all eternity. But on the other hand, Peter looks the crowd in the eye and says, "you nailed to a cross." They were fully morally responsible for their wicked actions. God's sovereignty does not eliminate human responsibility; it establishes it. They used "lawless men," the Romans, to carry out their wicked design, but the guilt was theirs.

24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

The human verdict was "crucify Him," but the divine verdict was resurrection. The "but God" here is the hinge of all history. Man did his worst, and God responded with His best. God reversed their decision. Why? Because it was impossible for death to hold Him. As the Holy One, the very author of life, death had no ultimate claim on Him. The resurrection was not just a miracle; it was a metaphysical necessity. The grave could no more hold Jesus than a cardboard box could hold a forest fire.

25-28 For David says of Him, ‘I SAW THE LORD CONTINUALLY BEFORE ME; BECAUSE HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE; BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT FORSAKE MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR GIVE YOUR HOLY ONE OVER TO SEE CORRUPTION. YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’

Peter now turns again to Scripture to prove his point about the resurrection. He quotes Psalm 16. On the surface, this is David expressing his own trust in God. But Peter, reading this psalm with Spirit-illumined eyes, sees a deeper meaning. He sees a prophecy of the Messiah. The key phrases are "you will not forsake my soul to Hades" and "nor give your Holy One over to see corruption."

29-31 “Men, brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SET one OF THE FRUIT OF HIS BODY ON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER FORSAKEN TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SEE CORRUPTION.

Here is Peter's inspired exegesis. He argues from plain historical fact. Could Psalm 16 be about David? No. Why? Because David died, was buried, and his body decayed. "His tomb is with us to this day." You can go see it. Therefore, David, speaking as a prophet, must have been speaking about someone else. He was looking ahead to his promised descendant, the Messiah, the Christ. It was the Christ whose soul would not be abandoned in the grave and whose physical body would not decompose.

32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

Having made his scriptural case, Peter returns to the historical event. The prophecy was fulfilled in "this Jesus." And the proof is not just an empty tomb, but the testimony of eyewitnesses. "We are all witnesses." This is the unshakable foundation of the apostolic proclamation. We saw Him. We talked with Him. We ate with Him. This is not a theory; it is a fact.

33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.

Peter now connects all the dots. The resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven and was exalted to the right hand of God, the position of all authority and power. From that throne, He received the promised Spirit from the Father and has now poured Him out upon the church. So, the strange phenomenon of the tongues is the direct evidence of Jesus' present, cosmic reign. What they see and hear in Jerusalem is the result of what happened at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

34-35 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES AS A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.” ’

To prove the ascension and session of Christ, Peter goes to a second text, Psalm 110:1. This is the most frequently quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. Again, his logic is clear. David did not ascend to the heavenly throne. But David speaks of his "Lord" who did. The Father ("THE LORD") said to the Son ("my Lord") to sit at His right hand. This is the coronation of the King. And His reign has a purpose: the subjugation of all His enemies. The kingdom of Christ is not a static, waiting reality; it is an active, advancing, conquering reality.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

This is the conclusion of the argument, the point of the spear. "Therefore." Because of the prophecy of Joel, because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, because of the testimony of David in the Psalms, because of the witness of the apostles, let this one thing be known with absolute certainty. God has made a declaration. He has appointed Jesus of Nazareth to be two things: Lord (Kurios, the name for God Himself, the sovereign ruler of all) and Christ (the anointed Messiah-King of Israel). And then, the final, personal indictment: this is the very same Jesus "whom you crucified." He forces them to see the staggering gulf between their evaluation of Jesus and God's evaluation of Jesus. You judged Him a criminal; God has judged Him the King of the universe.

Application

Peter's sermon is the model for all Christian proclamation because it is a declaration of facts and their necessary implications. The central fact is that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is not a suggestion to be considered but a verdict to be submitted to. God has made Him Lord. Our job is not to make Him Lord of our lives; our job is to recognize that He already is Lord and to order our lives accordingly.

The sermon presses upon us the same question it pressed upon its first hearers. What will you do with this man, Jesus, whom God has made Lord and Christ? You cannot remain neutral. To ignore His lordship is to remain in active rebellion against the rightful King of the cosmos. To mock His followers is to mock the King Himself. The only sane response to the declaration that the one you have offended by your sin is now your judge and king is to fall on your face and plead for mercy.

This sermon also reminds the church of her primary task. We are not here to offer helpful tips for better living. We are here to be witnesses. We are here to announce the reign of King Jesus. We are to declare to the world, with boldness and with careful reasoning from the Scriptures, that God has raised Jesus from the dead and that He is Lord of all. And we are to do so in the power of the same Holy Spirit that was poured out at Pentecost, trusting that when the King's message is faithfully proclaimed, the King will do His work of piercing hearts and drawing His people to Himself.