16th January 2025

New Testament Heroes 7 – 16/02/25 – Martin Mowat

Readings: Psalm 16, Acts 2: 22-36

As we heard last week, when the day of Pentecost came there were Parthians, Medes and Elamites; there were residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya; there were also visitors from Rome, Cretans and Arabs, all of whom heard the disciples, the women, and Jesus’ brothers declaring the wonders of God in their own languages.

But when our hero Peter stood up to speak to the crowd, it was primarily the Israelites that he addressed.  “Fellow Israelites, listen to this” he said and he began quoting scriptures that they would have heard before, in their synagogues, on numerous occasions. 

He had quoted from the prophet Joel, and now he was about to quote from David, who besides having been Israel’s most prominent king, was also considered, and rightly so, to have been a prophet. 

But before that, Peter needed to put things in context for them, and he didn’t pull his punches, as we just heard. Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.  This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 

The thing was that was going through everyone’s minds was there was a missing body, but unlike the who-done-its that you and I read or watch on tele from time to time, there seems to have been no search for it, and nobody had been accused of, or punished for, absconding with it. Even the Jewish authorities had had to acknowledge that something supernatural had happened.  But what Peter was saying was that this “something supernatural” was by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge. It was, he said, God who had raised Jesus from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 

And then he launched into Psalm 16, that Janet just read to us. 

Although it’s not strictly relevant to what we’re talking about this morning, I particularly enjoyed verse 4, because it’s just so pertinent.  Those who run after other gods, said David, will suffer more and more. But as for himself, he said, he would not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.

It would be tempting for me to talk about the gods of this age, power, money, personal wellbeing, modern technology, social networks, A.I., … I won’t go on.  But David, even though he was a king and immensely rich, refused to go down that road. Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; he says in the next verse, then I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

And then he finishes so triumphantly by declaring “you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

‘Not being abandoned to the realm of the dead’ and ‘being filled with joy in his presence’ applies to every genuine believer, so it certainly applied to David himself, but when he said nor will you let your faithful one see decay, he was also prophesying about Jesus’ resurrection. 

“Fellow Israelites” Peter says again (v29).  Why is he focussing on the Israelites and not those of the other 15 people groups listening?  For two reasons, I think.  Firstly, because Jesus had told them that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them; and that then they were to witnesses first in Jerusalem, and then in all Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.” There was a logical order to that. As the church grew it would move outwards in concentric circles, but the first target was Jerusalem, those “fellow Israelites” were to be the epicentre where it was all beginning as he spoke. 

Secondly, they were the ones who had sparked the whole thing off when they arrested Jesus, and also the most likely to understand the events that were currently taking place, specifically Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, and now the empowering of the Holy Spirit. 

Next, he quoted from Psalm 110, interestingly the psalm most quoted in the text of the New Testament.  Part of this has to do with its reference to Melchizedek, the mysterious King-Priest who had ministered to Abraham, and in whose priestly order, according to the writer of Hebrews, Jesus himself became a priest.  But that’s another matter altogether, for another day. 

“‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ he quoted from the psalm, and then, holding nothing back, he said to them “Therefore,let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

Let’s remember that there were people in his audience that had seen first-hand, or if not, they had at least heard of Jesus’ miracles.  Some would even have seen him alive, since his resurrection. And now, ten days after Jesus ultimate disappearance, they had witnessed this cluster of miracles that had given birth to the church. Let’s remember too that all this had been foretold, prophesied, so they knew that God was keeping his promises before their very eyes. 

Little wonder, then, that Peter’s words had a devastating effect. When they heard what he was saying they were convicted. They did feel the guilt that Peter wanted them to feel.  Luke tells us in his next paragraph When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  Queue for next week!

Can I just end by saying that it can be easy for us to read about these events, and listen to sermons about them, and treat them as historical events.  But they are so much more than that, because they have a direct effect on who and what we are today.

Jesus’ mission for his church was, as I said earlier, to witnesses first in Jerusalem, and then in all Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.  We will see this progression as we move through the book of Acts, but the ends of the earth bit includes us, here, today. 

So, let’s not treat this as something that’s just of historical or academic interest, but let’s understand that it affects us both personally and as a church.  That’s why the COG recently took the time to define our mission, to be witnesses, and our vision, that’s to say our vision of who and what we think we are here in Mirepoix, to be somewhere where visitors will find family and friendship, as they enjoy getting to know God, his love and his peace.