Acts 3:17

Act 3:17-18. And now, brethren — A word full of courtesy and compassion; I wot — That is, I know: here he speaks to their hearts; that through ignorance ye did it — Which lessened, though it could not annihilate, the guilt of your conduct; as did also your rulers — The prejudice lying from the authority of the chief priests and elders, he here endeavours to remove, but with great tenderness. He does not call them our, but your rulers. For as the Jewish dispensation ceased at the death of Christ, consequently so did the authority of its rulers. This was the language of Peter’s charity, and it teaches us to make the best of those whom we desire to make better: not to aggravate, but, as far as may be, to extenuate their faults or sins. Perhaps Peter perceived, by the countenances of his hearers, that they were struck with great horror at being informed that they had murdered the Messiah, the Prince of life, and that they were ready either to sink down in distress, or to fly off; and, therefore, he saw it needful to mitigate the rigour of his charge, that he might prevent their utterly despairing. He had searched the wound to the bottom, and now begins to think of healing it: in order to which it was necessary to beget in them a good opinion of their physician. And in proceeding thus, he had the example of his Master to justify him, who prayed for his crucifiers, and pleaded in their behalf, that they knew not what they did. And it is said of the rulers, that they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, if they had known him, 1Co 2:8. Doubtless many of the rulers, and of the people, in crucifying Christ, rebelled against the light and the convictions of their own consciences, influenced by envy and malice; but the generality, probably, were carried down the stream, and acted as they did through ignorance, as Paul persecuted the church ignorantly and in unbelief, 1Ti 1:13. But those things, &c. — But God permitted this that you have done, and overruled it for wise and gracious purposes; for he hath thus fulfilled what he had before showed by the mouth of all his prophets — Had plainly foretold in the various ages of the world; that Christ should suffer — As an atoning sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Now, though this was no extenuation at all of their sin, in hating and persecuting Christ unto death, yet it was an encouragement to them to repent, and hope for mercy upon their repentance; not only because, in general, God’s gracious designs were carried on by it, and thus it agrees with the encouragement Joseph gave to his brethren, when they thought their offence against him almost unpardonable, (Gen 50:15; Gen 50:20,) but because, in particular, the sufferings and death of Christ were for the remission of sins, and the ground of that display of mercy he now encouraged them to hope for.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL REMARKS

Act_3:18. All His holy prophets.—Best taken as a collective phrase for the prophets as a whole. Most of the Books of the Old Testament foretell distinctly the sufferings and death of the Messiah (Hackett).

Act_3:19. That your sins may be blotted out.—According to Isa_53:12, Christ’s death was to be the meritorious cause of forgiveness. When the times of refreshing shall come, should be in order that times or seasons of refreshing may come. These “seasons of refreshing” have been interpreted as equivalent to “the times of the restitution of all things” of Act_3:21. Both seasons considered as identical have been explained differently:

1. as referring to the Second Coming of Christ (according to this view spoken of in Act_3:20), which will be (subjectively considered) a season of refreshment, peace, and repose, after the toils and tribulations of life, but objectively regarded a season of the restoration of all things (Alford, Hackett, Spence, Gloag, Holtzmann); 2, as alluding to the inward refreshment of soul which follows after the blotting out of sins consequent on conversion, which refreshment is also a fulfilment of all those gracious promises God had before spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since the world began (Stier, Zöckler). A third, and in our judgment, a better interpretation distinguishes the “seasons of refreshing” and “times of restitution,” making the former the inward quickening which should follow on sincere repentance and experience of forgiveness, and the latter the restoration of all things which should accompany the Second Coming of the Saviour (Plumptre).

Act_3:21. Whom the heaven must receive.—Decidedly preferable to who must possess the heaven (Bengel, Luther, Olshausen, Stier).

Act_3:22. For and unto the fathers should be omitted as a gloss. £ prophet, etc.—Partly cited from the LXX. (Deu_18:18-19), and partly new. Stephen (Act_7:37) as well as Peter ascribes this prophecy to Moses, and interprets it of Christ, Raise up.—Not “from the dead,” but in the sense of causing to appear. Like unto me.—Or as He raised up Me.

Act_3:23. Shall be destroyed from among the people, should be, shall be utterly destroyed. Peter here interprets the Deuteronomic phrase, “I will require it of him,” which meant that he would be excluded from the congregation.

Act_3:24. Samuel.—Though nothing remains from him which can be construed into a prediction of the latter times, he may nevertheless have uttered such; or his name may be introduced simply because he was the “father of the prophets.”

Act_3:25. Children of the prophets and of the covenant.—Not “sons” in the sense of “descendants,” which would be incongruous with the clause “of the covenant,” but sons in the sense of participants of what the prophets and the covenant held out (compare Mat_8:12; Joh_4:22; Rom_9:4, etc.).

Act_3:26. Raised up, as in Act_3:22. From your iniquities.—A conclusion similar to Act_2:40. “Aculeus in fine orationis” (Bengel)—A sting in the tail of his address.

HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS.—Act_3:17-26

Solomon’s Porch; Peter’s Second Sermon.

2. The People comforted and counselled

I. The people’s alarm soothed.—That such an appalling charge, pressed home upon the consciences of the auditors, awakened in their bosoms guilty fears is what one would naturally suppose. Possibly this is why Peter so dexterously wove into his discourse words that were fitted to administer comfort to those among them who might be troubled.

1. The disastrous results of their wickedness had been undone. The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of their fathers, had glorified His servant Jesus, whom they had delivered up (Act_3:13). Observe the tenderness with which he leads back their thoughts to their glorious ancestry and up to their covenant God, as if he meant to suggest to their troubled hearts that the merciful Jehovah had not yet cast them off. Then note the kindness with which he places in the foreground the fact that their appalling crimes had been, as it were, rendered harmless before he mentions the crimes themselves. It was not without a purpose of love that, both before and after the recital of these, Peter speaks of the resurrection of the Crucified One.

2. Their wickedness had been the result of ignorance. If not total, yet partial; which, though not an excuse, was still an extenuation of their fault (Act_3:21). Peter’s verdict as to the knowledge concerning Christ which was possessed by the rulers and the people is confirmed by the opinion of Paul (1Co_2:8). Both apostles seem to imply that neither the people nor their rulers had an adequate idea of the divinity of the Saviour when they demanded His crucifixion. Nor need this be wondered at, when it is remembered that the crowning demonstration of Christ’s Godhead was only furnished by the Resurrection, and that before this event occurred the conceptions of the apostles themselves as to Christ’s true personality were but dim.

3. Their wickedness had been the means of fulfilling the Divine predictions concerning Christ recorded in Scripture. “The things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He thus fulfilled” (Act_3:18). Though this did not relieve them from blame, it nevertheless tended to mitigate their grief, by showing that Christ suffered in accordance with the Eternal purpose of God Himself (Act_2:23). The like comforts belong to sinners of to-day who, through their connection with the first Adam, are more or less responsible for the death of Jesus; and yet because of their ignorance and want of actual participation in the crime of Christ’s death are not left in a condition of despair (1Th_5:9).

II. The people’s duty set forth. In two particulars.

1. To repent and be converted (or turn again). Always insisted on in Scripture as a condition of forgiveness and salvation (Isa_55:7; Jer_3:12-14; Eze_14:6; Joe_2:12; Zec_12:10; Mat_4:17; Mar_6:12; Luk_13:3; Luk_24:47), repentance signifies a change of mind, heart, and conduct (see on Act_2:38). For this four reasons are assigned by the Apostle:

(1) That their sins might be blotted out and their guilt removed; since without heartfelt repentance, meaning sincere godly sorrow on account of sin, acknowledgment of guilt and desire as well as resolution after new obedience, pardon is impossible.

(2) That times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Lord, seasons of gracious quickening for them, Israel, and through them for the world at large—eras of spiritual awakening, epochs of revival, when men’s souls being refreshed and stirred would manifest an interest in heavenly things, as parched ground, when moistened with showers of rain, puts forth herbs and flowers. Moreover, every such season of refreshing would prove a prelude of, and preparation for, the grand culmination of the future, “the times of the restitution of all things.”

(3) That Jesus Christ (or the Christ) might be sent unto them, that same Christ who had been appointed for (R.V.), and in the days of His flesh preached unto (A.V.) them, but whom they had rejected and the heavens had received, no more to be manifested till the close of time (1Ti_6:14-15). It is clear that Peter meant by this that in answer to every such “season of refreshing” in which longings after heavenly gifts would be awakened in renewed hearts, there would be a sending forth of the Christ, the Risen and Ascended Lord, not visibly, but spiritually, in the plenitude of His power and grace to bless men’s souls by deepening in them the feeling of repentance and turning them away from their iniquities (Act_3:26; compare Heb_6:7).

(4) That finally the times of the restitution of all things might come. This should be the goal of that stupendous restoration movement which was heralded by John the Baptist (Mat_17:11), and initiated by Jesus in the days of His flash. Of which so far as they were concerned their repentance would be the first step (2Co_5:17), and the revelation of the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (2Pe_3:13) the last—the summing up of all things in one under Christ (Eph_1:10), the subjection of all powers and things to His authority and rule (1Co_15:27-28)—not necessarily the salvation of all intelligent beings, but the subordination of the universe, each part in its place, beneath His sway.

2. To hearken in all things to Christ. And that for a variety of reasons.

(1) That Christ was a prophet whom the Lord God, their own covenant Jehovah, had raised up, and was therefore as much entitled to their obedience as had been Moses himself or any of the prophets from Samuel downwards.

(2) That Christ was a prophet raised up from among themselves, again as Moses and Samuel had been—one of their own flesh and blood (Heb_2:14; Heb_2:17), and therefore one who might be supposed to have their best interests at heart—their emancipation from the guilt and power of sin—and therefore as much entitled as Moses had been to receive their confidence.

(3) That Christ was a prophet like unto Moses, their renowned lawgiver, in respect of the authority He bore; yea, better than he in respect of the announcements He made (Joh_1:17), and on this account more entitled than even he to their respectful attention.

(4) That the soul which would not hearken to Christ would be cut off from amongst the people, exactly as the disobedient Israelite who refused to obey Moses was excluded from the congregation.

(5) That Christ had been fore-announced as their Messiah by the whole race of prophets from Samuel downwards, so that in refusing to hear Christ they were rejecting the voices of the prophets (compare Act_7:51, Act_13:27; Act_13:40).

(6) That Christ had a claim on their submission because of their covenant relation to Jehovah, the God of Abraham their father, to whom He, Christ, had been promised (Act_3:25). If Christ was the seed of Abraham (compare Gal_3:16), they could not reject Him without sin.

(7) That Christ had been offered to them first, so that their responsibility for accepting Him was greater than it would otherwise have been, while their guilt would be more heinous if they declined to receive Him (Act_3:26).

Learn.—

1. That it is dangerous to sin against the light.

2. That all true preaching aims at convicting of sin.

3. That the prime blessing of the gospel is the blotting out of sin.

4. That unforgiven sin blocks the way to higher gifts of grace.

5. That disobedience to Christ is pre-eminently inexcusable.

6. That Christ’s supreme desire is to turn men away from their iniquities.

7. That Christ’s triumph, though long delayed, is absolutely sure.

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

Act_3:17. Sins of Ignorance.

I. A man may sin through ignorance.

II. Ignorance is not a valid plea in extenuation of sin.

III. Sins of ignorance require an atonement quite as much as sins of knowledge.

IV. Sins of ignorance require to be repented of as sincerely as sins of presumption.

Act_3:18. The Sufferings of Christ.

I. The character and dignity of the Sufferer.—

1. The Son of God (Act_3:13).

2. The Holy and Righteous one (Act_3:14).

3. The Prince of Life (Act_3:15).

II. The form and severity of His sufferings.—

1. As to form. He suffered

(1) in His reputation (Act_3:14),

(2) in His soul (Mat_26:37-38), and

(3) in His body (Joh_17:12).

2. As to severity. They were aggravated by the fact that they were all foretold and so known to Him beforehand.

III. The reason and purpose of His sufferings.—

1. To glorify God (Joh_17:1).

2. To save sinners (Isa_53:5; Joh_3:16).

I. Foreordained by the Father.

II. Foretold by prophets.

III. Inflicted by men.

IV. Endured with patience.

V. Rewarded with glory.

VI. Recorded in Scripture.

VII. Proclaimed by evangelists.

VIII. Believed on by sinful men.

IX. Studied by angels (1Pe_1:11).

Act_3:19. The Blotting out of Sin.

I. What it implies.—

1. The liability of men to condemnation on account of sin.

2. The exercise of grace on God’s part towards the condemned.

3. The complete release from condemnation of all who experience such grace.

II. What it presupposes.—

1. On God’s part that no obstacle exists to the outflow of grace and exercise of forgiveness; in other words, the removal of antecedent obstacles by the work of Christ.

2. On man’s part the frank acknowledgment of guilt conjoined with repentance of sin.

III. What it secures.—

1. Times of refreshing, or the joy of forgiveness.

2. Times of restoration, or the ultimate attainment of perfect holiness, felicity, and glory.

Times of Refreshing.

I. What they mean.—Seasons of soul quickening, when, the inward life reviving, the soul begins to manifest desires after heavenly things.

II. Whence they come.—From the Presence of the Lord. Such seasons can never be got up, but must always be fetched down.

III. What must precede.—

1. Pardon. Spiritual quickening can belong only to those whose sins have been forgiven; though all may enjoy this heavenly gift who will comply with the second condition.

2. Repentance. Change of mind, heart, will, concerning Jesus Christ and the things of salvation.

IV. What will follow.—Christ with the fulness of His joy and salvation will be sent into the soul that repents and is forgiven.

Act_3:21. Times of Restoration.

I. When they shall arrive.—

1. At the end of Time.

2. With the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ.

3. On the completion of the present world plan.

II. What they shall introduce.—

1. Not the re-erection of the monarchy of Israel, and far less the bringing about of universal salvation. But

2. The delivering up of all things, now in the Mediator’s hand, to God that He may be all and in all (1Co_15:28). Which will imply—

3. The glorification of the Church. And

4. The subjection also of the wicked to the rule of God.

III. How they should be waited for.—

1. By the children of God, with faith, patience, holy living, and eager expectation.

2. By the unbelieving world, with assurance of their certain coming, with apprehension of the peril they will bring with repentance and turning to God and Jesus Christ.

Act_3:12-21. The Prince of Life.

I. Jesus presented.—Jesus did not need to be brought forward. There was no necessity of going up to heaven to bring Christ down. He was there—there in their midst, there in all the perfection of the God-man, in all the majesty of the Godhead, in all the plenitude of His Messiahship, and in all the kindness and helpfulness of the Friend. He was there, but unseen by the multitude. Two obstacles stand in the way of His being seen. First, the disciples, Peter and John. They perceived this. The miracle was being ascribed to them. How promptly they remove this obstacle! how promptly and emphatically they step aside! “Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power and holiness we had made this man to walk?” Thus they stand aside that Jesus may be seen. But blind men cannot see the most conspicuous object. Those whose eyes are thickly veiled are the same as blind. This was the condition of these Jews. Hence the second thing necessary that Jesus might be seen was to remove the veil, to snatch the thick covering of moral and intellectual ignorance and prejudice from their eyes. This the disciples proceed to do with characteristic promptness and energy, “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers”—thus they seize the veil at its farthest extremes; there the lift must begin if the uncovering would be successful and complete—“You believe in God, the God of our fathers; this miracle was wrought by His power; it was performed in honour of His Servant, His Messiah. That Messiah, that Servant, is Jesus. He is the Prince of life. He is the Messiah of prophecy. He was crucified in exact fulfilment of the writings of all the holy prophets. He is exalted, has passed into the heavens, has there His dwelling-place—there for a purpose, a purpose sublime and eternal, to bring in the final, complete, and glorious restoration of all things. Behold, then, in the miracle that fills you all with amazement so profound, behold, not the power of men, but of God. Ascribe the glory of this miracle not to us, but to Jesus, your Messiah.” Thus Peter presented Jesus to the multitude. This is preaching Christ, and Him crucified.

II. Sinners condemned.—The Spirit by which the disciples witnessed made no mistakes; a different spirit, I fear, guides not a little of the witness-bearing of the present. That Spirit did not allow the disciples to make the miserable mistake of preaching Christ to those who could get along very well without him. And what a condemnation! How the astonished thousands must have shuddered as Peter passed from one count to another of his fearful indictment! Note these terrible counts: First, he charges upon them the infamy of betrayal: “Whom ye delivered up.” But, second, betrayal, infamous as it is, was not the extent—nay, it was but the first act—of your wickedness, for after ye had betrayed Him, when natural justice demanded His release, when Pilate, the Roman governor, who was neither scrupulous nor tender-hearted, was about to let Him go, ye denied the Holy One and the Just. Third, but betrayal, denial, and rejection, damning as these charges are when in the rejection ye must take a murderer to your bosoms, are not the weightiest counts of this indictment nor the extent of your infamy and wickedness. Ye are guilty of the awful crime of killing the Prince of life. There is no shifting the guilt and responsibility of that death. Thus with firm and steady hand does Peter thrust the iron of a terrible accusation into their guilty breasts.

III. Pardon proclaimed.—Peter was severe in his indictment, but he was wounding to heal. He thrust the keen lance of conviction into their souls, that he might open the way to pour into their hearts the grace of pardon and peace. Hence, the moment he saw that the truth had done its work of conviction, he hastened to apply the balm of Gilead.

1. He softens the indictment by referring their murderous deed partly to their ignorance: “I know that through ignorance ye did it.” Ignorance is no excuse for wrongdoing, especially such criminal ignorance as theirs; still, there is a distinction between a crime committed by one fully informed and the same crime by one largely ignorant of the real character of the act. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” said Jesus. “But I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief,” wrote Paul.

2. He urges upon them the consideration that God had overruled their murdorous work to the accomplishment of His eternal purpose. All the suffering which, through their cruelty, Jesus had endured was, in the wise ordering of God, endured on their behalf. While this did not lessen their guilt, it did hold out to them a good hope of mercy and pardon.

3. He calls them to repentance and a different life: “Ye are guilty of the blackest crime, but it is mitigated by your ignorance of what ye were doing, and it has been overruled to the fulfilment of God’s purposes; and the very sufferings that ye caused Messiah prepared the way, in the eternal purpose of God, for the pardon of your sin in crucifying Him. Now, if ye are truly sorry for your sin, and will but turn from it unto God with all your heart, God will blot out your transgressions.” He urges all this upon them by a glorious consideration. This consideration was the fact that the times spoken of by all the holy prophets, the glorious times of deliverance, rest, refreshment, and joy which Messiah was to introduce, had come. Let us now attend to a few of the important lessons suggested.

1. We are reminded that it is strong faith, on the part of the disciples, in the name of Jesus, that works wonders. No one engaged in any way in the Master’s service can afford to be unmindful of this fact. To be faithless is to be helpless and useless, so far as spiritual matters are concerned. You can do nothing for your own or another’s welfare without faith. The faith of the humblest disciple may yet work wonders that will startle and amaze the world. Let this be the first inquiry in every work we undertake, “In whose name?”

2. The wise and true teacher always puts Jesus forward and hides self. How easy would it have been for these disciples to have secured for themselves the fame of that miracle! Is there not a profound lesson here for us all? Are we always careful to bring Jesus forward when our works of kindness and acts of faith turn the eyes of unbelievers toward us?

3. The true gospel-teacher tells men the truth, however severe or distasteful it may be. What a contrast between Peter’s method and that of not a few so-called teachers in our day!—men standing before the godless and guilty with cringing, shuffling, apologetic words and manner, aiming to excuse Moses and David and Isaiah, and all the inspired teachers, and prophets, and apostles, for their hard sayings against sin and sinners, “Oh, you know the race was not enlightened in the time of David”; or “Paul, being a Jew, could not, of course, get entirely rid of his Jewish ideas and prejudices.” Miserable gospel-tinkers!

4. The true gospel-teacher calls to repentance and faith, and offers pardon to the worst of sinners.

5. We learn to encourage, in every legitimate way, those to whom we preach the gospel.—T. J. McCrory.

Act_3:22. A Prophet like unto Moses.

I. Moses a prophetic type of Christ.—

1. In being of the same race with those he delivered.

2. In delivering his brethren from a state of captivity.

3. In acting as mediator between his brethren and Jehovah.

4. In promulgating a system of divine laws to his brethren.

5. In leading them through the wilderness towards the borders of Canaan.

II. Christ though an antitype of, yet greater than Moses.—

1. In being one with his brethren, yet of superior nature to them.

2. In delivering His brethren from a sadder than temporal bondage, and at a greater cost to himself than Moses incurred.

3. In being the mediator of a better covenant than that formed at Sinai.

4. In revealing to men not the laws only, but the grace and truth of Jehovah.

5. In conducting all who obey Him, not to the borders merely, but to the interior also of the Promised Land.

Moses and Christ. Related to each other as—

I. Prophecy and fulfilment.

II. Law and gospel.

III. Servant and Son.—Leonhard and Spiegel.

The World’s True Prophet.—The world needs a prophet—

1. Perfect, well-instructed, filled with true Wisdom

2. Authoritative, one who speaks, not from conjecture or in virtue of superior talent or position, but from authority, “as one having authority.”

3. Divine, a teacher sent direct from God. So must be the world’s true teacher. God has given us such an one; not for Israel only, but for the world. He has sent His Son as the world’s Prophet. He is all that is described in the passage before us.

I. He is of our brethren.

II. He is raised up to God.—Not self-called, nor man-called.

III. He is like unto Moses.

1. Because God speaks with Him face to face (Num_12:8; Deu_34:10).

2. Because. He is Mediator and Intercessor.

3. He is like unto Moses, because He is Israel’s King. Moses was the only prophet who was also king,—“he was king in Jeshurun,” he was Israel’s captain.

4. He is like unto Moses because He is a worker of miracles.

5. He is like Moses because He is Israel’s great Teacher.

6. He is like Moses because of His meekness.

7. He is like Moses because rejected of men. As Moses was rejected of his brethren (Act_7:35), so was Jesus despised and rejected of men.—H. Bonar, D.D.

Act_3:24. Christ in the Prophets.

I. His incarnation (Gen_3:15; Isa_9:6).

II. His humanity (Gen_3:15; Psa_89:19; Isa_11:1; Isa_32:2).

III. His divinity (Psa_2:6; Psa_110:1).

IV. His sufferings (Gen_3:15; Psa_20:6-9; Psa_69:7-9; Psalms 20-26; Isa_1:6; Isa_52:14; Isa_53:2-10; Zec_13:7).

V. His death (Isa_53:8; Dan_9:26; Zec_13:1).

VI. His resurrection (Psa_2:7; Psa_16:9-10).

VII. His ascension (Psa_24:7; Psa_68:18).

Act_3:25. The Abrahamic Covenant.

I. The parties.—God and Abraham.

II. The promise.—“In Thee and in Thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

1. A promise of salvation.

2. To all the families of the earth.

3. Through a descendant of Abraham.

III. The performance.—Seen in Christ.

1. A descendant of Abraham.

2. The Author of Salvation.

3. To as many as obey Him.

Lessons.—

1. That salvation is all of grace.

2. That it should be offered to all.

3. That the New Testament Church is a continuation and development of the Old.

Act_3:26. The Mission of Christ.

I. By whom He was sent.—God.

1. To whom He stood in the twofold relation of son and servant; and

2. By whom He was raised up first, by His incarnation, and secondly, at His Resurrection.

II. To whom He was sent.—

1. To the Jews, who were God’s ancient people, to whom pertained the adoption and the glory, etc. (Rom_9:4-5).

2. To the Gentiles, who, no less than the Jews, were included in the Abrahamic covenant.

III. For what He was sent.—For blessing.

1. Of a spiritual sort, the turning away of sinful men from their iniquities, which meant more than the turning away from them of (the consequences of) their iniquities.

2. To every one—i.e., who was willing to be blessed—this condition, though not expressed, being manifestly and necessarily implied, since no one can be turned from his iniquities without the concurrence of his will.

Lessons.—

1. The grace of God.

2. The power of Christ.

3. The responsibility of Man.

The Names of Christ.

I. Jesus, Joshua or Saviour, the personal name of Our Lord.

II. Christ, Messiah, His prophetic designation.

III. The son of God, indicating His relation to the first person in the Godhead.

IV. The servant of Jehovah, an official title expressive of His economical subordination to the Father.

V. The Holy and Righteous One, descriptive of His character as a man, and as servant of Jehovah.

VI. The Prince of Life, depicting Him as either the possessor or giver of life or as both.

VII. A prophet like unto Moses, setting forth the character of His work as mediatorial and legislative.

Act_3:12-26. Peter’s Threefold Testimony concerning Christ. As—

I. The substance of all miracles (Act_3:12-17).

II. The Redeemer of all souls (Act_3:18-21).

III. The accomplisher of all prophecies (Act_3:22-26).—Lisco.

The Speech of Peter may be regarded in four aspects:—

I. As showing the false method of looking at human affairs.—“As though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk.”

1. The visible is not the final.

2. Second causes do not explain life. There is a false method of looking at the results

(1) of preaching;

(2) of business;

(3) of thinking. The man who does not look beyond second causes lives in distraction—in chaos!

II. As showing the true method of regarding the most extraordinary events.—“God hath glorified His Son Jesus.” “Faith in His name hath made this man strong.” That is the sublime explanation of all recovery, all progress, all abiding strength and comfort. Forget God, and society in every phase and movement becomes a riddle without an answer; its happiness is but a lucky chance, its misery an unexpected cloud. Regard human life as controlled and blessed by the mediation of Jesus Christ, then:

1. There is discipline in every event,—design, meaning, however untoward and unmanageable the event.

2. A purpose of restoration runs through all human training.

III. As showing the only method of setting man right with God.—“Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” The men who worked Christian miracles spoke plain words about men’s souls. There is no ambiguity here! Are the old rousing words “repent,” “be converted,” being allowed to slip out of Christian teaching, and are we now trifling with the character and destiny of men?

1. Every man must repent, because every man has sinned.

2. Every man must be converted, because every man is in a false moral condition.

IV. As showing the sublime object of Jesus Christ’s Incarnation.—“To bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

1. Where iniquity is, there is no blessing.

2. Physical restoration is but the type of spiritual completeness. Two practical lessons arise out of the subject.

(1) It is not enough to wonder at the mighty works of God.

(2) God’s glory is ever identified with the well-being of man. “Restitution,” “refreshing,” “blessing.” Peter’s appeal rested upon a solid biblical basis—Moses, Samuel, all the prophets. God’s message is the summing up of all the voices of holy history.—J. Parker, D.D.

Act_3:25. Prophets and Sons of the Prophets.—Therefore whatsoever the prophets did you may do. God is as near to you as He ever was to them. He may inspire you for the work of the hour—to understand its problems and to fight its battles—just as He inspired them for the problems and battles of their day. God did not speak to men for the last time nineteen hundred years ago. Poetry was not buried in Tennyson’s grave, and, given the “eye to see,” we may have Raphaels and Murillos yet, who shall find their subjects in the romance of these commonplace days. Romance! Ay, life still teems with romance. And so here. We may be sons not only of the scientists and poets, of the critics and painters: we may be “sons of the prophets”; we may receive messages as direct as any message they ever received, and do work as distinctly divine as they ever did. That, then, is my subject—the prophet, the prophet of the present hour, of to-day.

I. England as well as Judæa has had its prophets; and it is of the English prophet I want to speak. The prophet has always been the same man, whether in England or in Judæa. The form which his work has taken may be different in England from what it was in Judæa, but it has been essentially the same work. And, to start with—

1. The prophet is, first of all, the good man; the witness for truth and righteousness; the witness, not by his genius, not by the work he is able to do, but by what he is. That in the Old Testament is always the sign that a man is a genuine prophet—his soul burnt with a passion for goodness, for purity, for religion. The prophet would sometimes be a herdsman, sometimes a statesman; but he was always a noble man. You have noticed that in the Old Testament story there were “schools of the prophets,” what we to-day would call theological colleges; but it did not follow that because a man had had a theological education he was a prophet. To-day there are “schools” of art, but every one who has been trained in the school is not an artist. The first thing the artist has often to do is to emancipate his own soul, and shake off every sign of the school. If a man have the soul of music in him the school may do him good; but the school cannot make him a musician. So there were “schools of the prophets,” which turned out a prophet now and then, but turned out many who were not prophets. They had gone through all the drill, were perfect masters of the technicalities of their calling; they had a high sense, I have no doubt, of what was due to their order, of the respect that ought to be paid to them; but the fire that burns in the prophet’s soul—the passion for truth, for goodness, for purity, the courage that would fight any battle for God—that burnt but feebly in them. They were no prophets. The prophet before everything was a good man, consumed with a passion for righteousness.

2. Then, secondly, the prophet was the man moved by what he saw and felt to act; to whom to do was the first necessity. Not only a man who understood the times, but who rose up to do the things which the times demanded; who not only saw, but who dared not be silent. Elijah the Tishbite was not the only man in Israel who saw the curse that Ahab was to the land. There were “seven thousand,” so we read, “who had not bowed the knee to Baal”; but he was the only man who dared to confront the man who had really troubled Israel. Three things in this respect make the prophet, and the man is never a prophet unless the three be in him. First, he has the “eye to see.” Nothing tortures you more than a man who tries to console you, but does not understand you; who imagines he is soothing you, when every word he utters cuts your soul until it bleeds. How many good people you have known who have been a terror to you! They wanted to help, but they did not know where the problems of life hurt you—good, tenderhearted souls, brimming over with concern and sympathy; but your soul shuts itself up, and you could die rather than talk of your difficulties to them. Others read you at their first glance; their first word proves that they have plumbed your soul’s deepest depths. Like the physician who has the “eye to see,” they lay their finger upon your soul and say, “Thou ailest here, and here.” Then, secondly, the prophet feels. What he sees moves him, haunts him, draws a veil of sadness over his face. Many who imagine they are sitting at the feet of Jesus are calmly indifferent to the sorrows and woes of the world. What do hosts who “sit down to the feast” in our churches every Sunday care for the heathen London over which you fret? The prophet is the moved man, the man who has made the sorrows and problems of his generation his own; the throes of his hour beat in him. Every shock of the French Revolution broke through Carlyle’s heart. Carlyle was not a spectator, but he tasted the bliss and the horrors of it. Carlyle in this also was a prophet. Once again: The prophet descries the remedy. He is the “seer.” But even that is not all. He is not prophet merely because he is “seer.” The prophet embodies his vision—works out what he sees.

3. The prophets are of many orders. I will mention a few. The great preachers. That goes without saying. England has had a noble line of them. No truth is established until it comes into the pulpit; the man who sets the hall-mark upon it and gives it currency is always the preacher. The great poets; and England has had a grand succession of them. We are only slowly getting to understand the poet’s mission. The poet is not the mere reciter of the deeds of the past, the mere romancist or troubadour, though we do not despise him. The world will never grow weary of Homer. Shakespeare has brightened hosts in every generation for three hundred years; broken the clouds of their despair and moodiness. Spring breaks wherever he comes. The great reformers—creators of new eras. And these are always the world’s great saints. Tyranny was buried in the grave of Charles. And the men that did it—Cromwell, Milton, Pym—did they no hard things? Nay, we cannot say that; stern times demand stern deeds, stern weapons. But these men were made out of the stuff of which prophets are made. And now—

II. You are in the succession of these prophets.—“Ye are the sons of the prophets.”

1. That is your incalculable advantage. There are truths which the prophets have established that will never need to be opened up again. That is a great gain. The law of gravitation has been settled for ever. We shall not need to discuss that again. So there are social, political, and religious battles that will never have to be fought again. We shall never need another Magna Charta. So also of the great questions of theology. The hideous doctrines which tortured our fathers, once swept out of the Church, will never re-invade it. And now you stand upon the threshold of life—“sons of the prophets.” What will you make of it? Solomon, when he came to build the temple, found all but everything ready to his hand. It was for Solomon to see that the temple should be worthy of the preparation that had been made for it. So you, who are just stepping out into life. The generations that have preceded you—I will venture to say, the generation that has immediately preceded you—has been hard at work; but we sometimes feel that we have been doing nothing but preparing material, making ready for YOU. And now it is for you to build. It is for you to determine the design into which the temple is to grow. Christian enthusiasm shall express itself. Will you remember this? “Ye are the sons of the prophets.”

2. It is more than an advantage—it is an inspiration. I know a man at the present moment whom I revere—a noble specimen of an English man of business. I have often found him busy studying the story of his own family, tracing the line back through father, grandfather, great-grandfather—honourable men of business every one of them. And when I have come upon him so engaged, he has said, “I often go over the story of my forefathers’ lives; I remind myself of what they were, for I must live to be worthy of them.” Young men and women, ministers’ children many of you, listen. I remind you of the homes in which you were nurtured. I would not be a rake, or an idler, or a spendthrift; I would be a man. I would not be frivolous, or shallow-souled and empty-headed, if I were you; I would be a godly woman. “Ye are the sons” and daughters “of the prophets.”

3. Once again: That you inherit these memories is a great responsibility. Will you forget who you are? You are Englishmen. The blood of Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon, is in you. You are Protestants. The hand of Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, John Rogers, is upon you. You are Puritans. Greenwood, Barrow, Penry, were your forefathers. That is the succession in which you stand. Shall your lives be small, narrow, wicked, mean? I leave you with one sentence: “Ye are the sons of the prophets.”—J. Morlais Jones.

Act_3:25-26. Israel beloved of God.—“To the Jew first”; “beginning at Jerusalem.” This was God’s order, and it is so still. The designations of honour, and the intimations of privilege as still possessed by the sons of Abraham (as given in these two verses), are worthy of notice.

I. They are the children of the prophets.

II. They are the children of the covenant.

III. They are they to whom God first sends His risen Son.—

1. God’s love to Israel. He looks down on them, yearns over them, pities them, says, “How shall I give thee up?”

2. God’s purpose concerning Israel. God’s desire that we should feel towards Israel as He does.—H. Bonar, D.D.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

3:17 Friends: Literally Brothers, which was a common way to address one another (13:15, 26, 38; Gen 27:29; Lev 10:6; 25:46; Num 20:3; Deut 1:28; 24:7; Josh 22:3-4; 2 Sam 2:26; Ezek 11:15). • in ignorance: Cp. Acts 17:30; 1 Tim 1:12-14. The Christian message challenges this ignorance and calls all people to respond in faith and repentance (Acts 2:38).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Act 3:17. Καὶ νῦν, and now) ועתה, a formula of transition from the past to the present.—ἀδελφοὶ, brethren) An appellation full of courtesy and compassion.—οἶδα, I know) Peter speaks to their heart, kindly. On this account he rather says, I know, than we know.—κατὰ ἄγνοιαν, through ignorance) ch. Act 13:27, “Because they knew Him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath they; thet have fulfilled them in condemning Him.”—ἄρχοντες, rulers) These were not present, but the people. Peter sets aside the prejudice of authority [viz. of the chief priests and rulers], and this again he does in a kindly manner.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act_3:17-18. Peter now pitches his address in a tone of heart-winning gentleness, setting forth the putting to death of Jesus (1) as a deed of ignorance (Act_3:17), and (2) as the necessary fulfilment of the divine counsel (Act_3:18).

καὶ νῦν] and now, i.e. et sic, itaque; so that νῦν is to be understood not with reference to time, but as: in this state of matters.[144] Comp. Xen. Anab. iv. 1. 19, and Kühner in loc. See also Act_7:34, Act_10:5, Act_22:16; Joh_2:2-8; 2Jn_1:5.

ἀδελφοί] familiar, winning. Chrys.: ΑὐΤῶΝ ΤᾺς ΨΥΧᾺς ΕὐΘΈΩς Τῇ ΤῶΝ ἈΔΕΛΦῶΝ ΠΡΟΣΗΓΟΡΊᾼ ΠΑΡΕΜΥΘΉΣΑΤΟ. Comp. on the other hand, Act_3:12 : ἌΝΔΡΕς ἸΣΡΑΗΛῖΑΙ.

ΚΑΤᾺ ἌΓΝΟΙΑΝ] unknowingly (Lev_22:14), since you had not recognised Him as the Messiah; spoken quite in the spirit of Jesus. See Luk_23:34; comp. Act_13:27. Hoc ait, ut spe veniae eos excitet, Pricaeus. Comp. also 1Pe_1:14. The opposite κατὰ πρόθεσιν, κατὰ προαίρεσιν.

ὭΣΠΕΡ ΚΑῚ ΟἹ ἌΡΧ. ὙΜῶΝ] namely, have acted ignorantly. Wolf (following the Peshito) refers the comparison merely to ἐπράξατε: scio vos ignorantia adductos, ut faceretis sicut duces vestri. But it would have been unwise if Peter, in order to gain the people, had not purposed to represent in the same mild light the act also of the Sanhedrists (ἄρχοντες), on whom the people depended. Comp. 1Co_2:8.

Act_3:18. But that could not but so happen, etc. Comp. Luk_24:44 ff.

πάντων τῶν προφητῶν] comp. Luk_24:27. The expression is neither to be explained as a hyperbole (Kuinoel) nor from the typical character of history (Olshausen), but from the point of view of fulfilment, in so far as the Messianic redemption, to which the divine prediction of all the prophets referred (comp. Act_10:43), has been realized by the sufferings and death of Jesus. Looking back from this standpoint of historical realization, it is with truth said: God has brought into fulfilment that which He declared beforehand by all the prophets, that His Messiah should suffer. On τ. Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, comp. Act_4:26; Luk_2:26; Luk_9:20; Rev_11:15; Rev_12:10.

ΟὝΤΩ] so, as it has happened, vers. 14, 15, 17.

[144] Since, in fact, only by this self-manifestation of the risen Christ must the true light concerning Him who was formerly rejected and put to death have dawned upon you; otherwise you could not have so treated Him.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 3:17 . καὶ νῦν : favourite formula of transition, cf. Act 7:35 , Act 10:5 , Act 20:25 , Act 22:16 , 1Jn 2:28 , 2Jn 1:5 . See Wendt and Page, in loco . Bengel describes it as “formula transeuntis a præterito ad præsens”. Blass, “i.e., quod attinet ad ea quæ nunc facienda sunt, Act 3:19 ”. ἀδελφοί : affectionate and conciliatory, cf. Act 3:12 , where he speaks more formally because more by way of reproof: “One of the marks of truth would be wanting without this accordance between the style and the changing mental moods of the speaker” (Hackett). κατὰ ἄγνοιαν : the same phrase occurs in LXX, Lev 22:14 ( cf. also Lev 5:18 , Ecc 5:5 ). On κατά in this usage, see Simcox, Language of the N. T. , p. 149, who doubts whether it is quite good Greek. It is used in Polybius, and Blass compares κατʼ ἀνάγκην (Philem., Act 3:14 ), which is found in Xen., Cyr. , iv., 3. Their guilt was less than if they had slain the Messiah κατὰ πρόθεσιν κατὰ προαίρεσιν , or ἐν χειρὶ ὑπερηφανίας , Num 15:30 , and therefore their hope of pardon was assured on their repentance ( cf. 1Pe 1:14 , ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ , and Psalms of Solomon , Act 18:5 , for the same phrase). St. Peter speaks in the spirit of his Master, Luk 23:34 . See instances in Wetstein of the antithesis of the two phrases κατʼ ἄγνοιαν and κατὰ πρόθεσιν ( προαίρεσιν ) in Polybius. οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν , cf. 1Co 2:8 . The guilt of the rulers was greater than that of the people, but even for their crime St. Peter finds a palliation in the fact that they did not recognise the Messiah, although he does not hold them guiltless for shutting their eyes to His holiness and innocence.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

It is best of all to receive Christ so soon as he is offered unto us: but such as have neglected so great a benefit through man’s weakness, have yet repentance for a means. As for the ignominy of the cross, we have to set against that, the decree and purpose of God, foretold by the Prophets, of Christ, how that first of all he should be crucified here upon earth, and then he should appear from heaven the judge and restorer of all things, that all believers might be saved, and all unbelievers utterly perish.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

And now, brethren--Our preacher, like his Master, "will not break the bruised reed." His heaviest charges are prompted by love, which now hastens to assuage the wounds it was necessary to inflict.

I wot--"know."

through ignorance ye did it--(See marginal references, Luk 23:34; Act 13:27; Act 26:9).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 17. I wot] οιδα, I know. Wot is from the Anglo-Saxon, [A.S.] to know; and hence wit, science or understanding.

Through ignorance ye did it] This is a very tender excuse for them; and one which seems to be necessary, in order to show them that their state was not utterly desperate; for if all that they did to Christ had been through absolute malice, (they well knowing who he was,) if any sin could be supposed to be unpardonable, it must have been theirs. Peter, foreseeing that they might be tempted thus to think, and consequently to despair of salvation, tells them that their offence was extenuated by their ignorance of the person they had tormented and crucified. And one must suppose that, had they been fully convinced that this Jesus was the only Messiah, they never would have crucified him; but they did not permit themselves to receive conviction on the subject.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. Because it was to be doubted, lest, being cast down with despair, they should refuse his doctrine, he doth a little lift them up. We must so temper our sermons that they may profit the hearers, for unless there be some hope of pardon left, the terror and fear of punishment doth harden men’s hearts with stubbornness; for that of David is true, That we fear the Lord when we perceive that he is unto us favorable, and easy to be pacified, (Psalm 130:4.) Thus doth Peter lessen the sin of his nation, because of their ignorance; for it had been impossible for them to have suffered and endured this conscience, if they had denied the Son of God, and delivered him to be slain, wittingly and willingly; and yet will he not flatter them, when as he saith that they did it through ignorance; but he doth only somewhat mitigate his speech, lest they should be overwhelmed and swallowed up of despair. Again, we must not so take the words as if the people did sin simply of ignorance, for under this there did lie hid hypocrisy; but as wickedness or ignorance doth abound, the action is named of the one or the other. This is, therefore, Peter’s meaning, that they did it rather through error and a blind zeal, than through any determined wickedness; but a question may be moved here, if ally man have offended wittingly and willingly, whether he shall surely fall into despair or not? I answer, that he doth not make mention in this place of all manner of sin; but only of the denying of Christ, and of the extinguishing of the grace of God, so much as in them did lie. If any man be desirous to know more concerning this, he may read the first chapter of the First Epistle to Timothy, (1 Timothy 1:13.)

As did also your rulers. First, this seemeth to be an improper comparison, for the scribes and the priests were carried headlong with a wonderful madness, and they were full of wicked unfaithfulness; but the perverse study and zeal of the law did prick forward the people. Again, the people were incensed against Christ, inasmuch as their rulers did provoke them thereunto. I answer, that they were not all of one mind, for without doubt many of them were like unto Paul, unto whom that doth truly appertain, which he writeth elsewhere of the princes and rulers of this world, if they had known the wisdom of God they would never have crucified the Lord of glory; therefore, he speaketh not generally of all the rulers; but if any of them be curable, them doth he invite to repentance.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(17) I wot that through ignorance ye did it.—The Rhemish is the only version which substitutes “I know” for the now obsolete “I wot.” St. Peter’s treatment of the relation of “ignorance” to “guilt” is in exact agreement with St. Paul’s, both in his judgment of his own past offences (1Ti_6:13) and in that which he passed on the Gentile world (Acts xvii 30). Men were ignorant where they might have known, if they had not allowed prejudice and passion to over-power the witness borne by reason and conscience. Their ignorance was not invincible, and therefore they needed to repent of what they had done in the times of that ignorance. But because it was ignorance, repentance was not impossible. Even the people and rulers of Israel, though their sin was greater, came within the range of the prayer, offered in the first instance for the Roman soldiers: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (See Note on Luk_23:34.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. I wot] This antiquated word is the present tense of the verb to wit (A. S. witan) = to know, and its past tense is I wist. Had I wist = had I known.

through ignorance] Ignorance has many degrees and can arise from many causes. The Jewish multitude were ignorant from want of teaching, their rulers from mental perverseness in looking only on one part of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Yet of both these it may be said that through ignorance (i.e. want of knowledge, however caused,) they crucified Jesus.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And now, brethren,.... He calls them brethren, because they were so according to the flesh; and to testify his cordial love and affection for them.

I wot, or "I know",

that through ignorance ye did it; delivered up Jesus into the hands of Pilate; denied him to be the Messiah before him; preferred a murderer to him, and put him to death.

As did also your rulers; the members of the sanhedrim, some of them; see Co1 2:8 for others of them knew him to be the Messiah, to be sent of God, by the miracles he did, and yet blasphemously ascribed them to Satan; and so sinning against light and knowledge, in such a malicious manner, sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost, to which ignorance is here opposed; and which did not excuse from sin: nor was it itself without sin; nor is it opposed to any sin, but to this now mentioned.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

Ver. 17. I wot that through ignorance] Peter excuseth not their fact, but thus far forth mitigateth it, that it was not the sin against the Holy Ghost, which can never be forgiven. This must be carefully cautioned, and the weak informed that they despair not. This irremissible sin is wilful blaspheming of God, and the work of his Spirit, out of revenge, Heb 10:29; a will to crucify Christ again.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And now, brethren - Though they had been guilty of a crime so enormous, yet Peter shows the tenderness of his heart in addressing them still as his brethren. He regarded them as of the same nation with himself; as having the same hopes, and as being entitled to the same privileges. The expression also shows that he was not disposed to exalt himself as being by nature more holy than they. This verse is a remarkable instance of tenderness in appealing to sinners. It would have been easy to have reproached them for their enormous crimes; but that was not the way to reach the heart. He had indeed stated and proved their wickedness. The object now was to bring them to repentance for it; and this was to be done by tenderness, kindness, and love. People are melted to contrition, not by reproaches, but by love.

I wot - I know; am well apprised of it. I know you will affirm it, and I admit that it was so. Still the enormous deed has been done. It cannot be recalled, and it cam not be innocent. It remains, therefore, that you should repent of it, and seek for pardon.

That through ignorance ... - Peter does not mean to affirm that they were innocent in having put him to death, for he had just proved the contrary, and he immediately proceeds to exhort them to repentance. But he means to say that their offence was mitigated by the fact that they were ignorant that he was the Messiah. The same thing the Saviour himself affirmed when dying, Luk 23:34; “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Compare Act 13:27; 1Co 2:8. The same thing the apostle Paul affirmed in relation to himself, as one of the reasons why he obtained pardon from the enormous crime of persecution, 1Ti 1:13. In cases like these, though crime might be mitigated, yet it was not taken entirely away. They were guilty of demanding that a man should be put to death who was declared innocent; they were urged on with ungovernable fury; they did it from contempt and malice; and the crime of murder remained, though they were ignorant that he was the Messiah. It is plainly implied that if they had put him to death knowing that he was the Messiah, and as the Messiah, there would have been no forgiveness. Compare Heb 10:26-29. Ignorance, therefore, is a circumstance which must always be taken into view in an estimate of crime. It is at the same time true that they had opportunity to know that he was the Messiah, but the mere fact that they were ignorant of it was still a mitigating circumstance in the estimate of their crime. There can be no doubt that the mass of the people had no fixed belief that he was the Messiah.

As did also your rulers - Compare 1Co 2:8, where the apostle says that none of the princes of this world knew the wisdom of the gospel, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. It is certain that the leading scribes and Pharisees were urged on by the most ungovernable fury and rage to put Jesus to death, even when they had abundant opportunity to know his true character. This was particularly the case with the high priest. But yet it was true that they did not believe that he was the Messiah. Their minds had been prejudiced. They had expected a prince and a conqueror. All their views of the Messiah were different from the character which Jesus manifested. And though they might have known that he was the Messiah; though he had given abundant proof of the fact, yet it is clear that they did not believe it. It is not credible that they would have put to death one whom they really believed to be the Christ. He was the hope, the only hope of their nation; and they would not have dared to imbrue their hands in the blood of him whom they really believed to be the illustrious personage so long promised and expected by their fathers. It was also probably true that no small part of the Sanhedrin was urged on by the zeal and fury of the chief priests. They had not courage to resist them; and yet they might not have entered heartily into this work of persecution and death. Compare Joh 7:50-53. The speech of Peter, however, is not intended to free them entirely from blame; nor should it be pressed to show that they were innocent. It is a mitigating circumstance thrown in to show them that there was still hope of mercy.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

You did it through ignorance, but such as could not excuse the chief of you. (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Lest the corrosive in Act 3:13-15 should pierce too far, to prevent despair in his auditors the apostle useth in this verse a lenitive, calling them yet brethren, though guilty of so great a mistake in their judgment, and fault in their practice.

Through ignorance ye did it; whatsoever they did against Christ, whom St. Peter preached, was out of a double error:

1. About the place of Christ’s birth, supposing him to have been born at Nazareth.

2. They were ignorant of the nature of his kingdom.

As did also your rulers; whose fault was the greater, as having seduced others, &c.; yet St. Peter opens a door of hope by repentance, even for them also.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. At the climax of the crime Peter skilfully and gently places the palliation.

Brethren—Descendants of the same our fathers, Act_3:13.

Wot—know.

Ignorance—How far excusable, see note on Luk_23:34. Repentance is not the child of despair; and so Peter softens his language in order to melt these hearts to a genial penitence. But if ignorance retained them within the scope of pardon, it is full time for them now to know, Act_2:36. A preached Gospel brings its new responsibilities, and under liabilities to deeper condemnation.

Also… rulers—Brought in to prepare the next remark. Christ’s death, both as a private and a state procedure, wrought through a common ignorance, was foreseen by God and interwoven into his divine plan.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In for through, A.V. I wot that in ignorance, etc. Mark the inimitable skill and tenderness with which he who had just wounded by his sharp rebuke now binds up the wound. All sternness and uncompromising severity before, he is all gentleness and indulgence now. They were only "men of Israel" in ver. 12, now they are "brethren." He has an excuse for their grievous sin. They did it in ignorance (comp. Luk_23:33; 1Ti_1:13) Only let them see their error and repent of what they had done, and their forgiveness was sure.

Vers. 17, 18. Man"s ruling and God"s overruling.

St. Peter admits that the rejection of Christ was done through ignorance, but he does not allow that this is a sufficient excuse. Ignorance has many degrees, and may arise from many causes. It may be willful. It may be a consequence of cherished prejudices, and then it is guilty ignorance. "The Jewish multitude were ignorant from want of teaching, their rulers from mental perverseness in looking only on one part of the prophecies concerning the Messiah." For the treatment of the relation of "ignorance" to "guilt," compare St. Paul"s teachings in Act_17:30; 1Ti_6:13. The point which St. Peter dwells on in these verses is, that in therejection and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, men appeared to act on their own will and to carry out their own plans; but the deeper fact was that they accomplished the Divine purposes and fulfilled the divinely given prophecies. Scripture writers do not discuss the harmony between Divine sovereignty and man"s free-will; but they show us man acting freely, and then draw aside the veil, and show us God"s purpose accomplished by that very action that seemed to be so free. And the explanation is this that all God"s plans are formed upon perfect consideration of all that will occur; and this includes the Divine knowledge of how men will act, in their free will, in particular circumstances. To him who knows man altogether, the precise way in which every man will act, under every set of possible circumstances, must be fully anticipated. On this we may further dwell, and gain some apprehension of the Divine order.

I MAN IS FREE TO ACT ON VARIOUS MOTIVES. He does act by motive. He may be moved by differing motives. He will act upon that which seems to be strongest. The strength of a motive greatly depends on the disposition and character which it urges. There appear to be a vast multitude of motives. Probably they could be greatly reduced by classification. The complexity and difficulty of knowing how a man will act in given circumstances does not arise from our inability to estimate his motives, but from our inability to judge how particular motives will influence him. We can tell by what considerations the Sadducees, Pharisees, and priests were moved to secure the death of Jesus. It is this acting of men on motive that gives moral character to their acts, and so brings on them the possibility of guilt.

II ALL HUMAN MOTIVES, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND CHARACTERS ARE KNOWN TO GOD. The circle of motives that can possibly appeal to man"s moral nature God completely spans. The precise circumstances under which motives urge in any given case, he fully knows and accurately weighs. The force which, under every set of circumstances, every motive will gain on every particular character and disposition, he perfectly estimates. And, though it is an almost impossible conception, we must conceive of God as looking down the long "stream of time," leaving his creatures free to act in all situations, and yet knowing beforehand the decision of every free will in every conceivable case. This is the marvel of the Divine foreknowledge.

III ALL DIVINE PLANS ARE FORMED UPON THIS PERFECT ESTIMATE. Especially apply to the redemptive plan. In view of what would happen, and what men would do, the plan of redemption in the slain Lamb was formed before the foundation of the world. Man worked out his own prejudice and passion in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, and God worked out his plan of saving the race by the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. That we might know of this overruling, the prophecies of Messiah were given. So we see how man"s guilt remains in his freedom to act on motive; and yet God"s purposes remain unchanged by all men"s willfulness, since the willfulness wan all foreknown and estimated. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And now, brethren -- a word full of courtesy and compassion, I know - He speaks to their heart, that through ignorance ye did it - which lessened, though it could not take away, the guilt. As did also your rulers - The prejudice lying from the authority of the chief priests and elders, he here removes, but with great tenderness. He does not call them our, but your rulers. For as the Jewish dispensation ceased at the death of Christ, consequently so did the authority of its rulers.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Observe here, 1. How careful the apostle was, not to drive these murtherers of Christ (and consequently the worst of men) to despair, but to draw them to repentance; in order to which,

1. He mitigates their sin, imputing it rather to ignorance and blind zeal, than to malice.

2. He is charitable as to impute it to the ignorance of the Pharisees their rulers also.

3. He calls them brethren, though guilty of so great a mistake in their judgment, and fault in their practice. Now brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

Learn hence, That God used the ignorance of some, and malice of others, for his own glorious ends, in accomplishing the fore-ordained and fore-told death of our Redeemer.

Observe, 2. St. Peter acquaints them, to keep them from despair, that God hath decreed the sufferings of Christ for man, and by his prophets fore-told them, who, as they spake by one Spirit, did all speak the same things, as if they had all spoken out of one mouth. So that what the Jews did, he tells them, was, though unknown to them, a fulfilling of ancient prophecies and promises for man’s redemption. Those things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath now fulfilled.

The death and sufferings of Christ, with all the circumstances relating thereunto were all ordained by God, and foretold by the prophets; which though it doth not excuse his murtherers from the guilt of a dreadful sin, yet may be improved as an argument to keep them from despair. What God before had shewed, he hath now fulfilled.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. Though, as Peter says, “The Jews blindly and ignorantly slew the Prince of Life,” yet they were awfully criminal in the sight of God because they had yielded to the lies of Satan and spontaneously turned away from the light.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17, 18. At this point in the discourse there is a marked change in Peter's tone and manner, which we can attribute to nothing else than some visible indication of the intense pain produced by what he had already said. He had made a most terrific onslaught upon them, and exposed their criminality in unsparing terms; but now, induced by some perceptible change in their countenances, he softens his style, and extenuates their fault. (17) " And now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. (18) But those things which God had before announced through the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath thus fulfilled. " That they acted in ignorance of the real character of Jesus was an extenuation of their crime, but it did not render them innocent; for the preceding remarks were intended to convict them of crime, and in his preceding discourse he charged that with wicked hands they had crucified and slain him. Peter assumes, what none of them could honestly deny, that it was by wicked motives they were impelled to the fatal deed.

In connection, with this assertion of their criminality, he states another fact hard to be reconciled with it in the philosophy of man, that, in the commission of this crime, God was fulfilling what he had declared through his prophets should be done. Once before, in speaking of this same event, Peter had brought these two apparently conflicting facts, the sovereignty of God, and the free agency of man, into juxtaposition, when he said, "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and with wicked hands have crucified and slain." That God had predetermined the death of Jesus can not be denied without contradicting both the prophets and the apostles; and that they acted wickedly in doing what God had determined should be done, Peter affirms, and three thousand of them on Pentecost, with many more on this occasion, admitted it. If any man can frame a theory by which to philosophically reconcile these two facts, we will assent to it, if we can understand it; but unless both facts, unaltered have a place in the theory, we must reject it. We reject every man who denies either of the facts; but while he admits them both, we will not dispute with him about the theory upon which he attempts to reconcile them. This much, fidelity to the word of God on the one hand, and brotherly kindness on the other hand, demand of us. In the mean time, it is better to follow Peter's example. He lays the two facts side by side, appealing to the prophets for the proof of one, and to the consciences of men for the proof of the other, and there he leaves them, seeming not to realize that he had involved himself in the slightest difficulty. It is folly to attempt to climb where we are certain of a fall.

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. I wot. I know. It was in ignorance of the majestic personality of Jesus that they slew him. Their rulers, ignorant also, might have known better had they not blinded themselves by prejudice. God “had foreshown all these things by the prophets,” even that Christ should suffer. See Isaiah, chapter 53; Dan. 9:26.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Now

Here Peter shifts the audience's attention from the lame man and continues to talk to them directly.

you acted in ignorance

Possible meanings are 1) that the people did not know that Jesus was the Messiah or 2) that the people did not understand the significance of what they were doing.

God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets

When the prophets spoke, it was as though God himself was speaking because he told them what to say. AT: "God foretold by telling all of the prophets what to speak"

God foretold

"God spoke about ahead of time" or "God told about before they happened"

the mouth of all the prophets

Here the word "mouth" refers to the words that the prophets spoke and wrote down. AT: "the words of all the prophets" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

brother

rule

God

prophet

Christ

fulfill

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

17. κατὰ ἄγνοιαν, through ignorance. Ignorance has many degrees and may arise from many causes. The Jewish multitude were ignorant from want of teaching, their rulers from mental perverseness in looking only on one part of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Yet of both of these it may be said that through ignorance (i.e. want of knowledge, however caused) they crucified Jesus. Compare the words of Chrysostom, ἀλλ’ δμως δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν ἀρνήσασθαι καὶ μεταγνῶναι ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγεννημένοις· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀπολογίαν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν συντίθησιν εὐπρόσωπον, καὶ λέγει· ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἀθῷον ἀνηρεῖτε, ᾔδειτε· ὅτι δὲ τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς, ἵσως ἠγνοεῖτε. καὶ ἐντεῦθεν οὐκ αὐτοὺς μόνους ἀφίησιν ἐγκλημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τῶν κακῶν ἀρχιτέκτονας.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17.] νῦν introducing a new consideration: see 2Th 2:6. Here it softens the severer charge of ver. 14: sometimes it intensifies, as ch. 22:16; 1Jn 2:28: especially with ἰδού, ch. 13:11; 20:22. No meaning such as ‘now that the real Messiahship of Him whom ye have slain is come to light’ (Meyer) is admissible.

ἀδελφοί, still softening his tone, and reminding them of their oneness of blood and covenant with the speaker.

κατὰ ἄγνοιαν] There need be no difficulty in the application of the ἄγνοια to even the rulers of the Jews. It admits of all degrees—from the unlearned, who were implicitly led by others, and hated Him because others did,—up to the most learned of the scribes, who knew and rightly interpreted the Messianic prophecies, but from moral blindness, or perverted expectations, did not recognize them in our Lord. Even Caiaphas himself, of whom apparently this could least be said, may be brought under it in some measure: even he could hardly have delivered over Jesus to Pilate with the full consciousness that He was the Messiah, and that he himself was accomplishing prophecy by so doing. Some degree of ἄγνοια there must have been in them all.

The interpretation (Wolf) ‘ye did, as your rulers (did),’ is of course inadmissible, being contrary to the usage of the words: πράσσειν ὥσπερ καί can never mean to imitate, but ἐπράξατε must refer to a definite act (understood), and ὥσπερ καί must take up another subject of ἐπράξατε.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.