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Peter's speech

The article deals with Peter's speech at Pentecost, detailing how he refutes misinterpretations and presents Jesus as the Messiah of the Scriptures. He calls for repentance and baptism, and promises the gift of the Holy Spirit.

23 min Pentecost Peter's speech Acts of the Apostles Gospel resurrection 35 verses 10 books

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Biblical texts

Acts
Acts 2.14-40 (King James Version)

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judæa, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Technical details

AD 33

Location: City of Jerusalem

Date: Sunday, May 22

Method: We follow Luke in his second work

Note on the method: This information is found only in Luke

Map of Jerusalem and Its Surroundings

Inspired by a new courage, Peter speaks up in order to proclaim the message of the Gospel and to announce the coming of the kingdom of God.

1- Peter addresses the crowd

Faced with the ever-growing crowd, it seems likely that Peter and the other disciples made their way to the surroundings of the Temple, the only place able to hold such an assembly. It is in this exceptional context that Peter understands that it falls to him to speak and announce the Gospel to this multitude. In doing so, he follows the example set by his Master, whose teachings and method of evangelism had deeply marked his memory (Matthew 5.1-2; Luke 8.1).

2- The transformation of Peter

The contrast with the Peter we met a few weeks earlier is particularly striking. Fifty-three days earlier, in the courtyard of the high priest, the man who was to become the principal spokesman of the Twelve had denied his Master out of fear (Matthew 26.69-75; John 18.15-27). Now this same man stands before an immense crowd with remarkable assurance.

This inner transformation appears as one of the first concrete manifestations of the Holy Spirit's action in the lives of the apostles, in keeping with the Lord's promise: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1.8).

It seems natural that Peter should take the initiative of this first great Christian speech. Since the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he frequently appears as the spokesman of the apostolic group (Matthew 16.16; John 6.68-69). Nothing indicates that he had prepared this speech in advance. The assurance he displays recalls the words of Jesus announcing that the Holy Spirit would assist his disciples when they had to bear witness (Matthew 10.19-20; Luke 12.11-12).

3- A speech grounded in the Scriptures

The speech itself stands out for its clarity and authority. Peter begins by refuting the accusation of drunkenness made by some (Acts 2.13-15), and then he interprets the events of Pentecost in the light of Joel's prophecy (Joel 2.28-29; Acts 2.16-21).

He then presents Jesus of Nazareth, recalling his ministry, his miracles, his death and above all his resurrection (Acts 2.22-24), before demonstrating, from the Psalms, that these events had been announced by the Scriptures (Psalms 16.8-11; Psalms 110.1; Acts 2.25-36). His argument thus rests on the testimony of the Scriptures and on that of the apostles, who had become witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah (Acts 1.22).

4- A call to repentance

Peter's words deeply touch the consciences of his hearers (Acts 2.37). Many of them had probably heard of Jesus, had been present at his condemnation, or had witnessed the extraordinary phenomena that accompanied his death, notably the darkness and the earthquake (Matthew 27.45; Matthew 27.51-54). The apostolic speech now provides an interpretation of these events and presents Jesus as the Messiah announced by the prophets.

We also find in Peter's words certain accents of the ministry of John the Baptist. Like him, he calls his hearers to repentance and to water baptism (Matthew 3.1-6; Mark 1.4). However, an essential novelty appears: Peter also announces the gift of the Holy Spirit promised by God (Acts 2.38-39). This promise is one of the signs of the new covenant announced by the prophets (Jeremiah 31.31-34; Ezekiel 36.25-27).

5- Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ

Baptism is now administered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2.38). By this formula, Peter underlines that the forgiveness of sins now rests on the redemptive work of the Messiah and no longer on the repetition of the Temple sacrifices (Hebrews 9.11-14; Hebrews 10.10-14).

Without immediately breaking with the practices of Judaism, this preaching lays the foundations of what would gradually become the norm of the nascent Church. The theological depth of this speech, only a few weeks after the crucifixion, is one of the most remarkable testimonies to the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles (John 14.26; John 16.13).

6- Three thousand new believers

The result of this first Christian preaching is quite remarkable. Touched to the heart, many hearers welcome Peter's word (Acts 2.37). That day, about three thousand people join the community of disciples (Acts 2.41).

The Church thus enters a new phase of its history. What had been until then a small group of about one hundred and twenty believers (Acts 1.15) suddenly becomes a community of several thousand people. The expansion announced by Jesus begins to be realized under the action of the Holy Spirit, who immediately proves indispensable for the direction and growth of the nascent Church (Acts 1.8).

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