Acts 3:21

"and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before,"

Key Reflection

In Acts 3:21, Peter quotes from the writings of Moses to affirm that God would raise up a prophet like Moses, specifically pointing to Jesus as this Messiah. This prophecy underscores the continuity between the Law and the Prophets with the fulfillment in Christ, emphasizing that Jesus was appointed by God for the benefit of his people, aligning with the long-standing promises and expectations found in the Hebrew Scriptures.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 21. Whom the heaven must receive. The common belief of the Jews was, that the Messiah would reign on the earth for ever, Joh 12:34. On this account they would object that Jesus could not be the Messiah, and hence it became so important for the apostles to establish the fact that he had ascended to heaven. The evidence which they adduced was the fact that they saw him ascend, Ac 1:9. The meaning of the expression, "whom the heaven MUST receive," is that it was fit or proper dei that he should ascend. One reason of that fitness or propriety he himself stated in Joh 16:7; comp. Joh 17:2.

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