14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
*Commentary* The Holy Spirit has baptized and filled all those believers present in the upper room. Jesus’ followers are given ability to speak in other languages through the Holy Spirit. This gives them the ability to address the hundreds of thousands of people. Many at the Pentecost were from other nations. With the ability to speak in tongues, Jesus’ believers can spread the gospel. As well as witness to people who would otherwise not have understood.
Peter first addressing those in the room prior to the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The he turns his attention all of the people witnessing the event. There are thousands of people present for the Pentecost. Many of them have no understanding of what they are witnessing. They are confused as to how all these Galileans can speak native languages from faraway lands. Meanwhile, other people accuse them of being drunk and acting out. In context, only people of each particular language can understand. Since it just sounds like “Gibberish” to most, Peter is explaining why this is happening. He is using prophesy of Joel (Joel 2:28-32). Joel is an Old Testament book, written more than 800 years BC.
Joel’s prophesy seems to cover a time period from the day of the arrival of the Holy Spirit, until the end of days, as foretold by John in the book of Revelation. For this purpose, Peter is using Joel’s words to explain the fulfillment of prophecy where the Holy Spirit fills young and old and men and women. In this prophecy, God also clearly makes a distinction between those people and “his servants.”
- Why did Peter feel the need to speak to the thousands of people there?
- Discuss the confusion that must have taken place.
- Why does God make the distinction between the sons, daughters, old men, and young boys, vs the “servants” mentioned in the second verse of this prophesy?