But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
‘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; on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
Acts 2:14-21
God was most certainly moving. The things that had produced such reactions were God bringing to fruition promises made long ago. Peter cites the prophet Joel, in what we know to be Joel 2:28-32, as the prophetic pronouncement of what was unfolding before their eyes. The apostles were not inebriated, delusional or putting on a show for a massive Jerusalem crowd. They were receiving Spirit power that would enable them to communicate the message of the resurrected Christ for all to hear.
I find it intriguing that Peter didn’t cite the promises Jesus had made to them personally as evidence for what they beheld. He didn’t say, “Jesus, the guy we were following whom you crucified, he told us one night before he died that we would receive the Spirit. Believe it or not, when he was resurrected, he told us again to wait here in Jerusalem and something special would happen.” This, more than likely, would not have worked. He had to go back further. He had to go back further to help them see that God intended for a new covenant to be enacted. The events that produced such amazement and consternation were purposeful. God was up to something. He’d promised it long ago. It was time to see it for what it was.
The irony is that so much was missed. Jesus spent three years preaching, healing, and working all sorts of miracles. He’d held the attention of thousands at a time, fed them, and shed insight into his identity. But only a fraction of the countless thousands Jesus ministered to stuck around. Why?
I think I know why. Change. We don’t like it. We are resistant to it. How could the God who doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6), change the system to something new? I’ve often wondered how many rejected Jesus because he offered something “new” and “different,” citing Jeremiah’s “walk in the old paths” admonition (6:16) as the proof text. Of course, it was the same prophet who’d suggested a “new covenant” was coming (31:31-34). Apparently, that didn’t matter. Nevertheless, it is revealing to say the least.
God was ushering in something “new,” whether they liked it or not. If not careful, though, they would miss out. And many did.
God left no question that he was up to something. What he was up to would change the world! A church would be created as part of the unfolding mission of God (cf. Ephesians 3:9-11). His eternal purposes and his great wisdom would be recognized through ecclesia.
