Peter told his Jewish audience that they had done the unthinkable – killed their promised Messiah!
But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. Acts 2:23 (NLT)
The Jews rejected the messianic claims of God’s only begotten Son and murdered him, just as Jesus had predicted.
But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” Matthew 21:38–41 (NKJV)
Peter refused to “sugar coat” this ultimate betrayal. He let the full weight of what they did fall squarely upon their shoulders.
Adam and Eve betrayed their Creator and Friend in the Garden by choosing to follow Satan down in the pursuit of a self-directed life.
Faithlessness and betrayal is at the root of all sin, which found its ultimate expression at the cross. Nothing man will ever do can compare to killing God’s only begotten Son!
When we share the gospel, we should bring our hearers face-to-face with our sin of the betrayal of God’s Son, the Messiah King. Even though we did not personally nail him to the cross. the sin of humanity, Jew and Gentile, through the ages is the reason he sacrificed himself.
The gospel calls us to admit our betrayal and rebellion, ask forgiveness, and declare unqualified allegiance to the risen Messiah King of Israel, Jesus the Lord.
When we confess Jesus as the Lord, the Gospel begins to accomplish its purpose in our lives, converting us from devilish independence to surrender to our Creator-Sustainer-Redeemer. Water baptism, our formal declaration of allegiance to the Lord, is the next step, followed by the baptism in the Spirit and a lifetime of loving and serving the King.
