Act 2:13-15 | KingComments | STEP | The wonder of the coming of the Holy Spirit is not limited to the upper room in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was inhabited by Jews from every nation under heaven. Because they are further referred to as “devout men”, they will have returned to the city of God out of their love for it. When this wonder is heard in the city, it attracts the crowds. After all the turmoil of the trial against and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, everyone will have taken up the thread of daily life again. For fifty days nothing spectacular has happened. The claims of Jesus as Messiah were carried to the tomb with Him, one must have thought. The soldiers have spread the lie about stealing His body ( ) and that lie will be widely believed. The service in the temple will have returned to its normal course. Then suddenly this event takes place and later even the conversion of several thousands of people. Everyone in the crowd, consisting of all kinds of nationalities, hears speaking in their own language. This confuses them. No mention is made of the fiery tongues on the disciples. It seems that the crowd has not seen them. In any case, the amazement is great. The poor handful of illiterate disciples, recognized as coming from the backward Galilee, emerges from the obscurity and oblivion into the open and gives testimony with irresistible force in languages they have not learned. In the crowd, people talk to each other about the fact that everyone hears them speaking in the language in which they were born. Luke lists the peoples where these Jews came from. It gives an impression of the vastness of the scattering. But the fact that God makes His greatness and majesty known to all these peoples in the language of their native land, the language with which they grew up, is an unprecedented victory of God’s grace. He had to scatter His people because of their unfaithfulness. Now He is merging them because of the greatness of His Son’s work. The disciples speak these different languages and even dialects without having learned them. It is a wonder of speech and not a wonder of hearing. The disciples know how to express themselves perfectly with the right accent in the language of each country where emigrants have come from. N.B. Twice before, there has been talk of speaking in a language without having learned it. Adam and Eve are the first to speak a language without having learned it. The second case is the confusion of languages that God gave on the occasion of the building of the tower of Babel. Again ( ) Luke tells what an enormous impression this event makes on the crowd. Every time he points out what it causes in the crowd. The coming of the Holy Spirit to earth is an event that does not take place in silence, but is accompanied by the necessary and appropriate display. Those who are impressed are those who have come from other countries and hear here the language of the country of their origin. There are also “others” ( ). They probably belong to the indigenous Jews who do not understand these languages. They do not show themselves to be devout, but mock what is happening. For them it is the language of the drunk.

‏ Acts 2:13-15

Speaking in Other Languages

The wonder of the coming of the Holy Spirit is not limited to the upper room in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was inhabited by Jews from every nation under heaven. Because they are further referred to as “devout men”, they will have returned to the city of God out of their love for it. When this wonder is heard in the city, it attracts the crowds.

After all the turmoil of the trial against and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, everyone will have taken up the thread of daily life again. For fifty days nothing spectacular has happened. The claims of Jesus as Messiah were carried to the tomb with Him, one must have thought. The soldiers have spread the lie about stealing His body (Mt 28:12-15) and that lie will be widely believed. The service in the temple will have returned to its normal course.

Then suddenly this event takes place and later even the conversion of several thousands of people. Everyone in the crowd, consisting of all kinds of nationalities, hears speaking in their own language. This confuses them. No mention is made of the fiery tongues on the disciples. It seems that the crowd has not seen them. In any case, the amazement is great. The poor handful of illiterate disciples, recognized as coming from the backward Galilee, emerges from the obscurity and oblivion into the open and gives testimony with irresistible force in languages they have not learned.

In the crowd, people talk to each other about the fact that everyone hears them speaking in the language in which they were born. Luke lists the peoples where these Jews came from. It gives an impression of the vastness of the scattering. But the fact that God makes His greatness and majesty known to all these peoples in the language of their native land, the language with which they grew up, is an unprecedented victory of God’s grace. He had to scatter His people because of their unfaithfulness. Now He is merging them because of the greatness of His Son’s work.

The disciples speak these different languages and even dialects without having learned them. It is a wonder of speech and not a wonder of hearing. The disciples know how to express themselves perfectly with the right accent in the language of each country where emigrants have come from.

N.B. Twice before, there has been talk of speaking in a language without having learned it. Adam and Eve are the first to speak a language without having learned it. The second case is the confusion of languages that God gave on the occasion of the building of the tower of Babel.

Again (Acts 2:7 ; 12) Luke tells what an enormous impression this event makes on the crowd. Every time he points out what it causes in the crowd. The coming of the Holy Spirit to earth is an event that does not take place in silence, but is accompanied by the necessary and appropriate display. Those who are impressed are those who have come from other countries and hear here the language of the country of their origin.

There are also “others” (Acts 2:13). They probably belong to the indigenous Jews who do not understand these languages. They do not show themselves to be devout, but mock what is happening. For them it is the language of the drunk.

Peter Begins His Speech

Peter, restored in fellowship with his Lord and with his fellow-brothers, can now take his stand and speak with boldness. Not only does Peter takes his stand, but also the eleven other apostles do so with him. The eleven stand beside him to support his testimony in a way visible to all. He addressed the crowd as men of Judea and inhabitants of Jerusalem. His audience therefore consists of Jews. He also attunes his speech completely to this audience. He knows the thoughts and feelings of this audience through and through because he himself is a Jew. But through repentance and faith and the Holy Spirit Who dwells in him, he can give the right meaning to what the crowd has observed.

With the words “let this be known to you and give heed to my words”, he stimulates their interest and asks their undivided attention. In his speech, thus addressed to a group consisting only of Jewish listeners, Peter for the first time uses the keys given to him by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16 (Mt 16:19). He uses them to open up the kingdom of heaven to the Jews.

It becomes the first Christian speech, although addressed entirely to Jewish listeners and based on the Old Testament. The strength of his testimony is that he bases his speech on Scripture and facts. His listeners know Scripture. They also know the undeniable facts.

First Peter takes away the foolish assumption that they are drunk. He does so by a sober observation that it is still too early in the day to be drunk. He says what this new ‘movement’ is not: it’s not a drunken gang, not a passing case of emotional excitement. Then he starts a glowing speech in which he makes clear what this new movement is: it is something they can find in their own Scriptures.