Acts 2:14

12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.

15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, ^asince it is only the third hour of the day.

16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And^a it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
^bThat I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and ^cyour daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.

18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
^aAnd they shall prophesy.

19 ^aI will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20 ^aThe sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

21 And it shall come to pass
That ^awhoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you ^aby miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—

23 Him, ^abeing delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, ^byou have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;

24 ^awhom God raised up, having loosed the² pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

25 For David says concerning Him:
^a‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.

26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.

27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see ^acorruption.

28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you ^aof the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

30 Therefore, being a prophet, ^aand knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body,¹ according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,

31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, ^athat His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

32 ^aThis Jesus God has raised up, ^bof which we are all witnesses.

33 Therefore ^abeing exalted to ^bthe right hand of God, and ^chaving received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He ^dpoured out this which you now see and hear.

34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:
^a‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,

35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

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

37 Now when they heard this, ^athey were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Then Peter said to them, ^a“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the¹ remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Acts 2:14 Mean?

Peter does not claim that these events fulfilled Joel's prophecy, because much of what Joel foretold remained unfulfilled. He understood that Pentecost marked only the beginning of that fulfillment, since God's Spirit was not being poured out on all flesh, the sun and moon had not changed, and not everyone calling on the Lord's name was being saved. This parallels Jesus quoting Isaiah 61 in Luke 4 at Nazareth, where He left out parts of the prophecy. Though many witnessed the events of Pentecost and all the apostles apparently spoke at various times, only Peter is singled out in Scripture as the one who delivered the keynote address, standing up with the eleven to address the crowd.

Acts 2:14-21

It is interesting that Peter does not say that this was the fulfillment of what Joel prophesied. This is because much of Joel's prophecy was not yet fulfilled. It is easily seen that Peter understood this. He knew that it was only the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy because God's Spirit was not being poured out on all flesh. The sun and moon had not changed their appearance, and not everybody that "called on the name of the Lord" was being saved. This is something similar to what happened when Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 in Luke 4, as He began His ministry in Nazareth. He left out parts of the prophecy. Likewise, Peter recognized that the events of Acts 2 only began to fulfill Joel's prophecy.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Pentecost and the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:14

Here, on the day of Pentecost, many people saw and heard what was happening, but who stands up and speaks? Apparently, all the apostles spoke at one time or another, but it is only Peter who is singled out in Scripture as the one who gave the keynote address.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 2): God's Pattern of Leadership

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Acts 2:15 >>

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Peter’s Sermon

What Does Acts 2:14 Mean?

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