And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying to one another, What meaneth this? Acts 2:12
Our text marks a crossroads in the history of the world. For the first time in history, the Gospel was being preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, and what an impact it made! Those who heard those early preachers in the streets and marketplaces of old Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost were hearing the ‘Glorious Glad Tidings’ in their own languages. It had two very powerful but conflicting effects on those listeners: amazement and doubt.
The amazement was partly because of the ability of the preachers to spread their messages in whatever languages the hearers understood. This was miraculous indeed! But the amazement was also because of the message that these men were preaching, that Jesus Christ Who had died upon the cross was raised from the dead and that His death and resurrection were for the salvation of sinners. No such message had ever been proclaimed before. it was an amazing message.
But this great event was also accompanied by doubt. Although people could hear the Gospel in their native tongue, some of them were unable to accept what was being said. They had come to Jerusalem for a religious event, and what they were hearing was far outside of anything they could have expected to encounter. They had come to tell God about all that they would do for Him, and the message that all the work God required was completed at Calvary didn’t fit into their plans. The report of the resurrection was just too much for them to accept. They doubted whether any of it was true or whether any of it applied to them.
Sadly, these same two reactions to the Gospel are met today. A few are amazed, and believe. The majority doubt, and reject.
But there was a rich harvest of souls that day. In reality, there will be a rich harvest of souls today, too. Regardless of the antagonism and apathy that we encounter, God will still have us preach the Gospel, because some will believe. -Jim MacIntosh