Foretold by the mouth of all the prophets
Thu, 3 January, 2008: Today’s Bible readings.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
After healing the lame man, Peter makes sure everyone knows not to look at Peter as the source of this healing power. Instead, he points them to Jesus Christ. He then chastises them for having crucified Jesus. And then he explains that what happened was all in accordance with scripture.
Peter quotes Moses in Deuteronomy 18 to point out that Moses spoke of the coming of Jesus Christ. In fact, Peter says, “all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.”
What do we learn from this?
The premise of Meditatio Mea is that all the scriptures point us to Jesus Christ. Peter is affirming this. Jesus is the fulfillment of the scriptures.
The law and the prophets all point us to Jesus Christ.
Where is Christ in this passage?
Peter effectively takes the Old Testament scriptures, and shows the people of Jerusalem in his day that these scriptures show us Jesus Christ. So, as we read what Peter told them in his day, we also are pointed to Jesus Christ.
