In our reading from the Acts of the
Apostles this morning, we hear about 3,000 people who were baptized in response
to the message that they heard from Peter.
We can interpret this story in the context of the passion, death, and
resurrection of Jesus, in the context of our commemoration of the Easter
season. Some of those in the crowds who
cried out in the midst of Christ’s passion, “Crucify him, Crucify him!” may
also have been some of those who responded to Peter’s call of repentance and
baptism. The Acts of the Apostles tells
us that the people “were cut to the heart” when they realized that Jesus, who
was just crucified, was made Lord and Christ by God.
The call to repentance that Peter makes
to the crowd, and his proclamation of what God is all about, is so radical when
compared to the message that so many young people cling to in our modern
society. When I taught at a public high
school in Greenville in the Delta, many of my students saw revenge,
retribution, and punishment as the values that dictated their words, actions,
and desires in life. Think of how these
values of revenge and vengeance are glorified in popular songs on the radio and
in the movies we watch. This is such a far cry from seeking God’s forgiveness
and love; it is a far cry from the repentance and conversion that Christ’s
death and resurrection calls us to.
Like the crowd that Peter addressed,
may we be cut to the heart ourselves as we live out our faith in our daily
lives this first week of the Easter season.
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