These small group Bible studies of Acts 2:14-36 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical application. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Acts 2:14-36 Bible Study Commentary and Questions – Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
I. Paul’s sermon at Pentecost (14-36)
Discussion Questions
• How did Peter respond to the accusations of drunkenness?
• How would you summarize his sermon?
• Which parts are quotes from the Old Testament?
• Why did he choose these specific passages to quote?
• What commentary did he give on the passage from Joel?
• Which parts of Joel’s prophecy were fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming?
• How was Joel fulfilled specifically here at Pentecost?
• How can we understand the prophecy that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on “all flesh?”
• Which parts will be fulfilled at Jesus’ second coming?
• How should we view dreams and visions?
• What was the key message from Joel’s prophecy (see verse 21)?
• How could they know that Jesus was who he said (22)?
• What do you learn about God’s sovereignty from verse 23?
• What commentary did he give on the passage quoted from David?
• What is the difference between David and Jesus (29-31)?
• What specific prophecy did David make about the Messiah?
• What is the meaning of verse 34 and how did this apply to Jesus?
• What was the goal of Peter’s sermon?
• What can we learn from this passage about preaching?
• How can you personally apply something you learned in this passage?
Cross-References
Hebrews 1:1-2 – Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
1 John 4:1 – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Daniel 2:28 – But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these…
Jeremiah 23:16 – Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
1 Peter 1:20 – He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. These people are not drunk – Peter responds to the wild accusation that the disciples were drunk and that is the reason they could suddenly speak foreign languages. He answered they were “not drunk” and then mentioned it was only the “third hour.” That would be 9:00 AM as the Jewish day began and 6:00 AM.
Believers should show discretion about when to respond to accusations. Jesus did not defend Himself to Pilate and allowed Himself to be crucified. But sometimes it is beneficial to offer a defense for the gospel or the gospel messenger because we don’t want lies to discourage people from believing the truth. Peter realized that offering a defense against this charge was necessary so that rational people would listen to his sermon. If they dismissed him or the other disciples as being drunk, they wouldn’t be likely to listen.
Application – Be wise about defending yourself. Do not do so out of pride, fear of man, or protecting your reputation for its own sake. Do it when doing so is necessary for kingdom purposes.
1 Peter 3:15-16 – But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
2. Overview of Peter’s sermon – The purpose of Peter’s sermon was simple. He wanted them to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. He started off with the prophecy from Joel. That prophecy was a reminder that God would do an amazing thing in the last days. He would use signs and wonders, which He did in Jesus’ and the apostles’ ministry. Also, Joel’s prophecy explained the outpouring of the Spirit upon the disciples, which they could see through the tongues.
So he starts off by explaining what they had witnessed on the Day of Pentecost and with Jesus’ ministry. He then moves forward to the resurrection. The resurrection is the core element of the gospel message and the penultimate proof that Jesus was the Messiah.
Peter explained that David himself had prophesied that his descendent, the Messiah, would rise from the dead. The Jews respected David.
Notice that Scripture was the basis for Peter’s sermon. He quoted multiple passages from the Old Testament. Also, the Jews would have been familiar with the Old Testament. By using it, he spoke to them from common ground, using language and ideas they would understand.
Applications –
• Sermons should have a purpose. They should invite a call to response. If a speaker doesn’t know his goal, he is not likely to accomplish much.
• Sermons should be Biblically based and exegetical.
• Sermons should use language that the listener can identify with. Whenever possible, the listener can be met on common ground. Paul, for example, connects to the people of Athens by talking about the unknown god.
3. The quote from Joel –
Peter quoted from Joel 2:28-32. I believe he quoted from this to explain two things.
Firstly, he was showing them that it was prophesied God would pour out His Spirit on mankind. That would cause people to do amazing things. That explained the tongues, which could not be explained through other theories such as drunkenness.
Secondly, he was reminding them of the wonders and signs which had been demonstrated in Jesus’ ministry. Many of the people present at Pentecost had personally witnessed some of Jesus’ miracles, which were done publicly. Even those who had not personally witnessed them had almost surely heard about them.
Peter connected Joel’s prophesy to the life and works of Jesus. His basic argument could be paraphrased as this. “The Jewish prophet Joel prophesied that in the last days, God would do amazing signs and wonders. These things have to take place before the awesome day of the Lord. They did. Jesus did them. Believe in Jesus.”
Peter did not claim that Joel’s entire prophecy had been fulfilled yet. Clearly, some parts had not yet been. The sun wasn’t turned dark and the moon wasn’t turned to blood. Neither had the Spirit been poured out on “all flesh.” Since the Spirit is only poured out on believers, this likely points to the millennium. At the beginning of the millennium, every person will be a believer and therefore be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Many prophesies in the Old Testament have a shorter-term and longer-term fulfillment. This was especially common with the coming of the Messiah. Jesus’ coming is split into two events, the first and the second. This is because He was rejected at His first coming. When looking at those events ahead of time, they could appear as one. The same could be true if you look at a double mountain peak in the distance. You may only see the first one and miss the valley in between.
This type of twin peak duel prophesy fulfillment is clear in Isaiah 61:1-2.
Isaiah 61:1-2 – The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.
Jesus quoted this verse in Luke 4:18-19 and applies it to himself.
Luke 4:18-19 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Look at and compare the two passages carefully. He stopped in the middle of a sentence. Jesus did not quote the part about the “day of the vengeance of our God” or apply it to himself.
Luke 4:21 – And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
He did not read or mention the “day of vengeance” because He would not fulfill that part until His second coming.
The prophecy was not wrong. It looks into the future to the coming of the Messiah and looks at all He will do. He would save and He would bring judgment. But He would not do them both at the same time. There would be a time gap between the two. We now clearly understand that Jesus is coming twice. The first time He came as a lamb and the second time He will come as a lion. In our study of Revelation, we saw about the vengeance of God in the last days. We saw that Jesus would come a second time to destroy and judge the wicked.
Jesus stopped in the middle of quoting this passage because He knew there was a time gap between the two.
Prophecy about the Messiah is often like this. That is one reason that some people were looking for a different type of Messiah. They were looking for a powerful political ruler who would come as a war hero.
We can understand prophecies about the Messiah to be like looking at mountain peaks in the distance. If you are approaching two mountain peaks from a distance, you will see them as one if they are aligned. Only when you get to the first one and climb up will you be able to discern that, in reality, there are two peaks with a large valley in between.
Isaiah and other prophets were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. They were likely not aware that He would come twice with a large time gap between. Now we are in the valley and it is clear to us that there are two events, one in the past and one in the future.
This same dynamic is at work in Joel’s prophecy. Part of it was fulfilled in the time of Christ at the first peak. That foreshadowed the total fulfillment in the end times around the period of Jesus’ second coming and the millennium.
4. This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God –
We are reminded of God’s sovereignty. Yes, people hated and killed Jesus. Yes, they were responsible for their actions. But no, they did not stop or thwart God. They did not block or defeat His plans. Jesus came to die for our sins.
Jesus Himself was very clear about this plan.
Matthew 20:28 – Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 9:31 – For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
Some of those in the crowd were almost certainly involved in rejecting Jesus and delivering Him up to the crucifixion. Peter does not release them of responsibility. He says, “You crucified and killed” him. But he does want them to know that this was part of God’s sovereign plan. It wasn’t an accident. Nor was it evidence that Jesus wasn’t who He said He was.
Application – Be amazed at God’s sovereign power! He can arrange all things, even the choices of sinful people, to accomplish His perfect plan. Next time you begin to doubt God, His goodness, or His power remember this.
5. Peter quotes David –
Jesus’ resurrection is the most important part. His death would likely convince very few people that He was the Messiah. Most Jews would have considered it evidence that He wasn’t the Messiah!
But the resurrection, that is something else entirely! Peter wisely quoted Old Testament passages of figures they looked up to. There were few people in Jewish culture as revered as David. He was king during Israel’s golden age. They were all aware of the Davidic covenant and were waiting for David’s descendant to appear as the Messiah.
Fewer would have been aware that David prophetically pointed to the resurrection.
Acts 2:25-28 – For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
Peter goes on to remind them that David was buried and stayed that way. He mentioned that David’s tomb was still known to them. Some scholars believe that David’s tomb has been found in Jerusalem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k2k0qLFR74).
David, as great as he was, stayed dead. Jesus did not. David prophetically pointed to that when he said that “You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.”
Peter then quotes those and exposits that those words refer to Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of David. Here is another partial fulfillment, total fulfillment prophesy. It was partially fulfilled in David’s life in that David would be raised again one day to eternal life. Daniel also mentioned that resurrection (Daniel 12:2). However, it was completely filled in Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection is the firstfruits pointing to our eventual resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20 – But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Peter and the disciples were personal eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection.
God’s amazing plan was predicted ahead of time. Then it was fulfilled. It was witnessed. Then it was proclaimed. It is credible and can be believed. Praise God.
6. Verse 33-35 –
God’s promise to send the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. That is what they were witnessing that day.
Reflect – Are you filled with the Spirit? How could you seek to be filled by Him?
Verses 34 and 35 are quoted from Psalm 110:1. Jesus also quoted it in Matthew 22:44. He did so to make the case that the Messiah is divine.
Matthew 22:43-45 – He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
The logic of this argument Jesus was making is fairly simple:
• David was the most important king (the highest position in the country) in Israel’s history.
• The Messiah is in fact the Son of David, meaning he is descended from David. The Messiah must be human.
• David calls him “Lord” showing that He is greater than David. The inference is the Messiah is divine.
David had not ascended to the heavens. Jesus had. The disciples had personally witnessed this as well.
7. Conclusion – Peter’s sermon conclusion is seen in verse 36.
Acts 2:36 – Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
It can be summarized as this, “Jesus is Lord!”
Application – How should you respond to the fact that Jesus is Lord? What does it mean to be Lord? What is one area of your life where you need to recognize and submit to Jesus’ lordship?
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