The Apostle Peter once preached and his message was so successful 3000 people believed and were saved. A few days later Peter delivered the same message and it made his audience so furious they wanted to kill him. In both cases Peter was preaching to his fellow Jews. Below are excerpts from the book of Acts where these occurrences are recorded.
A. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”
B. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Do you know which one led to disaster and which one led to the salvation of the hearers? In A. Peter accuses them of crucifying the Christ, their messiah. The messiah was the one the Jews were waiting and hoping for, a leader chosen by God to rescue their nation from oppression. The message in B includes the same accusation when it says they put him to death on a cross. This was a terribly offensive message to people who prided themselves in being God’s chosen people. They would never knowingly commit such a grievous sin.
The message in B includes some very good news; it says Israel will be granted the opportunity for repenting of this sin and to receive God’s forgiveness. They just had to believe Jesus was their messiah, admit to what they had done, and repent. Below I have added subsequent verses from each passage in Acts so you can see the two reactions to Peter’s message.
Continued from A:
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. NASB
Continued from B:
But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them. NASB
Both audiences were hurt by what Peter said to them. “Cut to the quick” is like being cut to the bone with a knife. The people in passage B were so upset they did not think about repentance or forgiveness. They just wanted the offensive messenger dead. The people in passage A recognized what Peter said to them was true, even though it “pierced them to the heart”. They realized Jesus was the Christ, and they had unwittingly become enemies of God. So they asked what they should do to get out of that terrible predicament.
Peter gave them an answer that is shocking in its simplicity. Repent of their sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they would receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. That promise was for their children and “all who are far off”. You and I qualify as those who are far off. The above passages are Act 2:36-41 and Acts 5:30-33.
The Jews were mistaken about the nature of the messiah. They were expecting a political or military leader who would free them from the Roman Empire. Jesus came to rescue each of us from the oppression we bring on ourselves by our slavery to sin.
What was the difference between the two groups? Why did the people in passage B reject the offer of forgiveness? What choice have you made?