Act 2:12-15 “And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Pentecost had fully come. Devout Jews from every nation heard the report that there were disciples of Jesus who were speaking in other languages even though these men were all from Galilee and not particularly well educated. These Jews came together to see this for themselves. Each man heard the wonderful works of God spoken in their own native tongue.
They had some things in common when they saw and heard this wondrous miracle. First, they were all amazed. They stood in astonishment that they could hear the wonderful works of God in their own language from this group of men. It was something unheard of.
Besides being amazed, they were also in doubt. Here was a true puzzle they had no answer for. The word translated as doubt can also mean embarrassed. Some may have been embarrassed by the actions of the disciples and others by their own inability to explain what was happening.
One other thing they agreed on was that they had no idea why this was taking place. These devout Jews could not determine what was going on. They could not reach an agreement among themselves as to the meaning of this most unusual event. Even though they were devout men, some of them took the easy way out and simply made light of what they were seeing and hearing.
Since they could not understand it, it could not really mean much. These men were simply drunk. Considering that these disciples all came from Galilee and followed Jesus, these carryings-on could not have any real significance. They were ready to dismiss the whole thing as folly.
Remember that Paul talked to the church at Corinth about the foolishness of preaching (1Cor 1:21). On this occasion, Peter stood up with the other eleven and called out to the multitude. He spoke with authority. This lowly fisherman commanded these men to listen to what he had to say.
We may think that this has nothing to do with us today, but we would be wrong. Many times, devout men have stood in amazement at the truth of the wondrous works of God. Men have doubted the truth of the grace of Jesus Christ. Preachers of the gospel have been called drunken, foolish, and unlearned.
Be assured that God still reaches men today by the foolishness of preaching. He can cause us to hear His wondrous works spoken by men the world might dismiss as insignificant. We make judgments based on our carnal nature. God’s word plainly tells us that he uses the simple to confound the wise (1Cor 1:27-29).
May God grant us the grace to be bold, even in the face of devout men, and declare His truth to those who are in doubt!
