After healing the lame man, it was natural for Peter to bear witness to the redemptive work of Jesus. He healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate and walked into the Solomon's Portico. Peter began his second proclamation as recorded in Acts. (Interested readers should search the Internet to look for the layout of this Second Temple in Jerusalem.) As before, he began with addressing the audience as "Men of Israel" (Acts 2:22; 3:12). Later, he called them "Brethren" in order to win their hearts (Acts 2:29; 3:17).
Peter was now speaking inside the Temple, the heart of Judaism before 70 AD. On Pentecost, he was speaking to the general public. At that time, Peter took a more offensive stance towards the audience. He criticized them for handing Jesus over to the lawless men to be crucified (Acts 2:23). His objective was to prove that Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. Now, he was speaking to worshippers. He had to take a more conciliatory stance. Though Pilate was named, Peter excused them for their ignorance.
And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers (Acts 3:17).
Peter did not need to bear witness to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus anymore. Here was a lame man healed. What better evidence did Peter need? It was not Peter who healed the man. It was faith in the name of Jesus that healed the man. Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:14), the Author of Life (Acts 3:15).
And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all (Acts 3:16).
The audience had made a wrong choice before by denying and crucifying Jesus. Now, salvation is staring them in their face. The choice was obvious.
Still, Peter had to rid the audience of their responsibility for crucifying Jesus. He resorted to the prophets.
But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled (Acts 3:18).
After all, it was God's plan that Jesus Christ should suffer to bring us salvation. Theologians have developed a whole branch of soteriology to figure out the process. Anyway, God's plan had been foretold by prophets from of old and every word must be fulfilled.
whom (Jesus) heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old (Acts 3:21).
Peter went further to identify Jesus as the prophet Moses had foretold in Deuteronomy (Acts 3:22-23). God sent Jesus to the Israelites first in order to bless them so as to fulfill His promise to their father Abraham so that the whole world may be blessed (Acts 3:25).
Wasn't it amazing that this fisherman had transformed into a theologian? Indeed, the salvation of Jesus works in different ways in different people.
As for the Greek quotations Luke used in these two occasions, there was a huge difference. On Pentecost, the Psalms Luke quoted were identical with the text in Septuagint which the Jewish Diaspora read whereas in the Temple, the wordings of the Pentateuch text were very different (see appendix). This is worth further exploring.
Dear Lord, You are the Life. You bring out our true potentials. I pray that I may make good use of my potentials bravely to serve You. Amen.
Appendix:
The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.
προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
ἔσται δὲ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ. (Acts 3:22-23)
προφήτην ἀναστήσω αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν ὥσπερ σὲ καὶ δώσω τὸ ῥῆμά μου ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ λαλήσει αὐτοῖς καθότι ἂν ἐντείλωμαι αὐτῷ,
καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ὅσα ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ὁ προφήτης ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐγὼ ἐκδικήσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19).
And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
καὶ ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου [ἐν-]ευλογηθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῆς γῆς. (Acts 3:25b)
καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς (Genesis 22:18).
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