Gleaning from the Past (2)

I was listening to a radio program not long ago. One of the panelists, a politician said something which caught my attention. He said, “As a party [political party] if we do not allow our history to teach us, we will suffer what happened to us again.” In talking about that, he had a particular incident to which he was referring. He argued that as a party, they have history. He gave a gist of their history which he spoke with some sense of pride. Nonetheless, he knew what bad choices did to them by sending them into opposition. It was for this reason that he made the above assertion that if his party does not allow their history to teach them, they will suffer greatly. If a political party in Ghana which is less than 200 years knows the importance of its history, then it communicates to all Christians that the 2000 and so years of our history must be cherished, highly esteemed, and sought-after by all professing Christians.

On the day of Pentecost, people from all over the world had come to Jerusalem to commemorate this feast. They were celebrating the deliverance of God in Egypt. Both native and Hellenistic Jews were there together with proselytes and Godfearers.  The native Jews were Jews who were living in Palestine or the Holy Land while Hellenistic Jews were Jews who were in the Diaspora and even used the Septuagint (a translation of the Old Testament into Greek) as the main text. On the other hand, both proselytes and Godfearers were Gentiles, but what differentiated these two groups is, the proselytes had subscribed to Judaism and had become a Jew because they were circumcised, but the Godfearer did not allow themselves to be converted fully to Judaism but did practice obedience to the Law of God.

All these categories of people were in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 Christians who were in the upper room. After Peter had preached the first resurrection sermon, he said to these religious people, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40NIV). Knowing the background to this sermon of Peter is very crucial. Peter was not addressing “ungodly people.” He was addressing his fellow countrymen. These people were very religious, and have developed a tradition over the years. Even the Gentiles among them have either converted fully to Judaism or are practicing Judaism in obeying the Law of God. However, Peter knew that these people needed saving. “Save yourselves” is the phrase given to these religious people. The people understood it clearly. It was that generation that crucified the Lord of Glory in the name of their religion without knowing. Even when He has been raised from the dead, instead of repenting and turning to God in sorrow, some went to pay a bribe to cover up so that the truth about the resurrection might be hindered forever. A person may profess to be religious but without the gospel, he or she will persist in the acts of “this corrupt generation.”

The people who remained in Jerusalem devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, but those who came from afar for the celebration went back to their various towns and cities. Some historians have even suggested that the church in Rome was established by persons who returned from Jerusalem after Peter’s preaching. This, therefore, suggests that in the city of Judea, the gospel spread. And this was how the story of Jesus changed the narratives of many hundreds and thousands of lives in this city for it was written about the Judean church that God added to their number every day. This can happen in our day if we will also speak to the religious folks who know nothing about the crucified and risen Lord. They profess to be religious, but they are foreigners to the gospel. As Peter called them out and declared the truth in boldness, if we do likewise in our communities, many a person’s life would be saved. The gospel will spread in our communities if we also follow the apostle Peter in saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone).

Michael Yaw Tano

tanomichael65@gmail.com

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