In verses 29-33, Peter says,
Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch
David, that he both died and was buried and his tomb is with
us to this day. So, because he was a prophet and knew that
God had sworn to him with an oath to see one of his own
descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the
resurrection of the Christ, that is the Messiah, that He was
neither abandoned to Hades nor did His flesh suffer decay.
This Jesus, God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and
having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
You see the pattern I would suggest to you of witness to the
Jewish people. It is a pattern of witness that calls forth the
patriarchs and prophets of Israel as authorities. What did Peter
say? Peter was saying that it wasn’t just that he saw this. It wasn’t
just that the disciples saw this. It wasn’t just that they knew Jesus
was the Messiah. King David saw the Christ and he knew that he
must suffer and be raised from the dead.
When we look at the boldness of Peter in Acts chapter 2, we
are reminded he was speaking to a Jewish audience. He was
speaking to all of those who were gathered there on the great
feast day of Pentecost. You notice, he did not come and say,
“I hope to gain some kind of a hearing that you might give me
your ears to hear something you might find interesting, upon
which later you may reflect and contemplate.” He did not say,
“I want to suggest to you a re-envisioning of Judaism.” He
says, “I declare unto you that Jesus is the Messiah.” It is not the
repudiation of Judaism; it is the fulfillment of Judaism. Peter had
the boldness to declare it to his own people. The foundation of
Jewish evangelism is nothing less and nothing other than the
gospel: the gospel of the Jewish Messiah who is also King of
Kings and Lord of Lords.
14 | To the Jew First