“Cut to the heart”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Acts 2:36-41 (Forward, p. 80) CEV p. 1135
That is how one translation, The Message, describes the reaction, the response, of the crowds on that day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. The Authorized Version (KJV) says they were ‘pricked in their heart’, and most assuredly they were, for Peter had just declared to them what had just happened to Jesus. He had been put to death through their own consent and permission, but God had not been content to leave Him in the grave. By raising Him from death, God had declared Jesus to be both Lord and the Christ, that is, the Messiah.
Whoa! I can easily imagine what the people of Jerusalem were thinking once confronted with this information. “Whoa. We made a big, big mistake. This Jesus is not quite the person that we thought He was, and now God has vindicated Him. Whoa. This doesn’t look very good at all.”
They were, to a person, upset, convinced and convicted. No wonder, feeling shamed and guilty, not to mention apprehensive, they cried out to the apostles, “Friends and brothers, what shall we do?”
But here, totally to their amazement, they were met by good news. God was not going to ‘hold this against them’. Instead, if they would only repent, turn back to God, and be baptized, God would forgive their sins and bestow on them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yes, their generation was untoward and degenerate, but this was their way of escaping its natural fate, and not just for themselves, but for their children as well.
No wonder, probably in great relief of soul, a vast multitude, some 3000 in all, believed Peter’s message and were baptized that day. Such was their new life, and the birth of the church. Conviction, repentance and faith, as expressed in the waters of baptism, was its start. (And wow, that must have been ‘some’ baptism service!). Thanks be to God. Amen.
Forward notes: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (verses 37-38).
“One Sunday, I was running late to church. I did not have a proper breakfast, which is a recipe for disaster. As I entered the parking lot, my phone rang. I picked up. It was my father with whom I have had a complicated and estranged relationship. My father was his usual self but I could not handle it. I snapped. ‘I can’t do this. I am going to church. Bye.’
“During the service, the preacher spoke about family relationships. It almost seemed like God had called this person to preach just to me. And it cut to the heart. I asked God for forgiveness. I prayed for the gift of the Holy Spirit to move my heart so that I could forgive my father.”
Moving Forward: “Have you ever felt like a sermon or piece of scripture seemed specifically targeted at you? How have you responded?”