Acts 2:22-36

Roman law was “The Law.” Every person listening to Peter on the day of Pentecost lived under Roman law.  They were familiar with the Latin phrase “Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus” found in Roman law. This phrase means “false in one thing, false in everything.” This legal principle holds that a witness who testifies falsely about one matter is not credible to testify about any matter.  Peter knew that his listeners must believe everything he said, or they would believe nothing.

Peter preached a sermon full of many truths, each one building upon those before.  He told them about a man, Jesus of Nazareth.  God accredited this man Jesus to them by the many miracles, wanders and signs that God did through him.  God handed him over to the will of humanity.  This was not by accident, it was according to God’s deliberate plan.  God knew what he was doing.  The Jewish leadership with the help of Roman authority nailed him to the cross.  Humanity put him to death, but humanity does not have the final say.  God raised him from the dead, and freed him from the agony of death.

Peter fills David’s Psalms 16 with new meaning by viewing it through the lens of the resurrection of Christ.  In the Psalms, David shares a vision of a man that God did not abandoned to death.  This man did not see decay, but was lifted my God to his right hand.  Peter tells his audience that Jesus is the man David envisioned. God raise Jesus to life, and the 12 disciples stood as witnesses of it.  Christ is now exalted to the right hand of God.  Peter tells the perplexed crowd gathered around him that Christ has received from the father the promised Holy Spirit.  He tells them, what they have just witnessed in amazement, was Christ pouring out that Holy Spirit into his believers.

Peter then tells them the greatest truth of all. God has made Jesus, crucified by humanity, both Lord and Messiah.”