Acts 2:12-13 12And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others, mocking, were saying, “They have become full of sweet new wine.”
The crowd’s reception of the now boisterous proclamers of God’s mighty deeds was mixed. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and praising God in ways that amazed the crowd, but they were also perplexed (diēporoun, a word found only in Luke’s writing) by or at a loss about what they heard. Obviously, something significant was happening in order for ordinary Galileans to be speaking in the many languages represented by the gathered diaspora Jews. They heard and saw a miracle, but they needed someone to tell them what it meant, which is what Peter does in the next passage.
Other people gave a different response, typical of skeptics. They thought the disciples were drunk on sweet new wine, which would have tasted good but would require quite a bit to become drunk. Basically, they were saying that the disciples had really overindulged and were making fools of themselves.
The disciples received the same types of responses Jesus did. Many people were fascinated by Jesus but did not understand him. They saw great miracles and heard the best teaching. They were attracted to him but needed clarity and understanding to their growing faith. Others, however, saw and heard the same things but rejected him and called him crazy and demon-possessed. We cannot do much about the scoffers except not to let them discourage us from bringing the good news to those who are curious and want deeper explanation to what they see and hear in us.
For older posts, click here.
