Acts 2

Jews observed three traditional annual festivals. Many people traveled to the temple in Jerusalem for these feasts (see Leviticus 23:1–44):

• The Feast of Unleavened Bread (which includes Passover)

• The Feast of Weeks (also called Pentecost or the Feast of Harvest)

• The Feast of Tabernacles

On Pentecost, Jewish people gathered in Jerusalem to thank God for the harvest and his blessings. At the same time, the disciples of Jesus gathered together in prayer with shared hope. Then the Holy Spirit came and filled the believers who were present.

• And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit: This event marks when the Holy Spirit came down from heaven. He filled the disciples, as Jesus had promised, to empower them as witnesses of Christ's resurrection (1:4–5, 8). The Spirit's wisdom, energy, and power enabled the church's work and witness (for example, 2:14–41, 43; 4:31; 9:17, 20; 13:9–12; see also Ephesians 5:18).

• began to speak in other tongues: The Holy Spirit gave them the ability to communicate so people from other countries could hear about God's works in their own languages (Acts 2:6–11). This passage is one of several references to speaking in "other tongues" (see also 10:44–48; 19:6; 1 Corinthians 14:2–28, 39). This divine gift shows the energy of the presence of God's Spirit. This event marks the beginning of the gospel (the good news about Jesus) being announced to people from every nation.

Since Pentecost was a feast people had to travel to attend, Jews from every nation were in Jerusalem (see study note on 2:1–4). They could hear the gospel (the good news about Jesus) in their own languages. The gospel is for all people (2:38–39).

• The Parthians came from the region between the Tigris River and India.

  The Medes, now known as Kurds, were from Media, located east of Mesopotamia and north of the Persian Gulf.

  The Elamites were from Elam. This area is now in Iran, north of the Persian Gulf and just east of the Tigris River.

  Mesopotamia was between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

  Judea was well known as the Jewish homeland.

  Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia were Roman provinces in Asia Minor, now part of Turkey (see 1 Peter 1:1). The apostle Paul later taught and preached in some of these areas (see Acts 16:6; 19:10, 26).

  Phrygia and Pamphylia were districts in Asia Minor that Paul later visited (13:13; 18:23).

  Egypt had a large Jewish population, especially in Alexandria (see 18:24).

  North Africa included Libya and Cyrene.

  Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire and home to thousands of Jews.

  The Cretans were from the island of Crete, located south-southeast of Greece.

  The Arabs were from the area south and east of Jerusalem.

• Including all of these nations demonstrates how God intended the gospel to reach the ends of the earth (1:8).

converts to Judaism: See study note on 13:43.

This is the first of about 30 speeches in Acts and one of the most important. It marks the beginning of the Christian church. It is a typical example of the preaching of the apostles.

The apostles proclaimed:

1. that the Old Testament promises came true in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the promised Messiah;

2. that the apostles were eyewitnesses of the public ministry of Jesus and were his chosen representatives;

3. that people must turn away (repent) from their sins and trust in God through Christ; and

4. that salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit are promised to those who have a positive response to this message of the gospel.

This basic message repeats in the sermons of chapters 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, and 13. The same themes characterized the apostle Paul's preaching (see 1 Corinthians 15:3–9). The apostles all repeated this message when preaching to both Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) throughout the world around the Mediterranean Sea. All people must turn away (repent) from their sins and turn to God by trusting in Jesus Christ.

This passage quotes Joel 2:28–32. The prophet Joel prophesied that in the last days, many people would have the gifts of prophecy, including visions and dreams. This would include both young and old, and both men and women (Joel 2:28–29). In Acts, on the day of Pentecost, Peter announced that Joel’s prophecy was coming true, indicating that "the last days" had begun.

Although cruel men put Jesus to death on a cross, they did not defeat God’s plan for salvation. In fact, God raised Jesus from the dead, just as David had foretold (2:25–28).

abandon my soul to Hades: See the study note on Matthew 11:23.

God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses: The theme of witnessing repeats often in Acts (for example, 3:15; 4:33; 5:32; 10:39–43). The main point of this message is that God the Father, as he promised, is now pouring out his Holy Spirit on the church through the resurrected Jesus. All the people of Israel were called to recognize that God had acted with power. He made Jesus, whom they put to death on a cross, both Lord and Messiah!

This passage quotes Psalm 110:1, which Jesus fulfilled when he ascended (went up) into heaven (Acts 1:9).

Brothers, what shall we do?: Peter urged his listeners to repent of their sins, trust in God, and be baptized. See the “Baptism” Theme Note.

• fellowship: The Greek word koinōnia means a close relationship marked by sharing and participating in life together.

• and to prayer: At this stage, prayer probably included taking part in the formal prayers of the temple (see 3:1).

Luke makes a clear connection between personal faith and belonging to the Christian community. Life in this new community included:

• devotion to the teaching of the apostles from God’s word,

• fellowship,

• sharing,

• joy, and

• praise.

As a result, the Lord continued to add to their number those who were being saved.