“Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Acts 3:24-26
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SEPTEMBER 20, 2024
As a Jewish man, Peter was familiar with the prophets. He had heard their exhortations from the time he was a boy—but now he understood them in a whole new light.
Now, Peter makes a bold move: he connects the prophets’ message proclaimed over many generations with the recent events in Jerusalem.
Peter places the foundation of his assertion in the unique identity that Israel has always had in God’s plan to reconcile the world to Himself. For generations they had been instructed by the prophets of God like no other nation and were recipients of the covenant of God through their forebearers. Then Peter took his listeners a step further by reminding them that God had committed not only to bless them, but all peoples on earth. Interestingly, we know from reading ahead (Peter’s meeting with the Gentile Cornelius in Acts 10:28, among others) that Peter himself does not fully yet grasp what this means.
Peter’s final statement is that Jesus was raised up by God and sent first to the nation of Israel with the offer of blessing, reemphasizing God’s favor upon the descendants of Abraham. This blessing includes an invitation, to turn away from sin and repent, turning back to God. Peter’s entire discourse on this occasion was an articulation of the gospel in a Jewish context.
The good news declares that at a specific point in history—or “these days” in Peter’s words—the Kingdom came to earth. God stepped onto this planet in flesh and blood. The life and death of Jesus are as or more substantiated in the historical record as any other event from the ancient world.
But the amazing thing is the purpose for God’s coming into human existence: He came as a servant, to serve us, even when we were still turned away from Him. Heretofore Peter’s listeners would have a completely different concept of their Messiah. Sacrifice for forgiveness of sin was not new, but their Creator and Messiah coming “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) was unthinkable.
Yet, friends, this is the heart of the gospel.
Faith in Jesus as risen Messiah and repentance from sin was the message heard by every one of Peter’s listeners, those men and women whose attention was arrested that day by the man crippled from birth. May the transformation in our own lives give us opportunity to share the good news of the servant Messiah with those around us, and like Peter, may we be faithful in its proclamation and ready to follow with our lives.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- Peter was ready to reference the Scriptures to share the gospel. What relevant Bible verses are you prepared to incorporate into gospel conversations?
- Our witness today is not typically in a Jewish context. What ideas or concepts from our culture e.g., the universal desire to be loved or accepted, could be used in communicating the gospel?
- How would you explain the need for repentance to an unbeliever?
Church Reading Plan:
- Today, September 20: Ezekiel 23; Psalm 70-71
- Saturday, September 21: Ezekiel 24; Psalm 72
- Sunday, September 22: Ezekiel 25; Psalm 73