In Acts 2:22-28, Peter proclaims Jesus of Nazareth—attested by God, crucified by human hands according to God’s plan, and raised because death could not hold Him Luke records the moment so that readers may see the risen Lord’s ongoing work and respond with faith and courage. Listen to the text: ““Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, him, being delivered up by the…”
The sermon’s heart is Jesus: His works, His cross, His resurrection. Human guilt and divine purpose meet at Calvary without canceling either. David’s hope finds its true subject in the risen Christ. Miracles in Acts are signs of the risen Jesus’ authority and compassion. They open ears for the word and confirm that His name still saves and heals. Wonder is meant to lead to faith, not to spectacle for its own sake.
Pentecost arrives: the Spirit falls, Peter preaches Christ crucified and risen, thousands believe, and the first Christian community forms around the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. This passage belongs in that movement: Acts 2:22-28 is not an isolated episode but a step in Luke’s portrait of Spirit-driven mission. Acts shows the risen Jesus continuing His work by the Holy Spirit through witnesses—from Jerusalem toward the ends of the earth.
A pastoral word for today: Thank God for His power, and point people beyond the wonder to the Savior’s name.
Notice also the human responses Luke includes—faith, fear, jealousy, joy, or stubborn unbelief. These reactions are mirrors. We may find ourselves in the praying church, the trembling seeker, the opposing council, or the welcoming household. Acts is narrative theology: our response to the risen Jesus is the point.