On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd: – Let all Israel be assured of this: Jesus, whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Messiah…
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
ACTS 2:14, 36-41
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd:
– Let all Israel be assured of this: Jesus, whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Messiah.
When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles:
– Brothers, what shall we do?
Peter replied:
– Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, saying:
– Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Peter’s words on the day of Pentecost are revisited. The message is similar to that of the previous Sundays: it is precisely to that Jesus whom you rejected that God has made Lord and Messiah.
The author continues to document the gradual but unstoppable growth of those who believe in Jesus.
1 PETER 2:20-25
If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
In the same vein as the previous text, if Jesus was rejected, so will the church be. The writings of the New Testament often aim to encourage persecuted communities; for this purpose, they interpret sufferings and persecutions in light of the sufferings of Jesus himself.
José Enrique Galarreta, S.J.