Acts 3:18

Prophets. See Luke 24:25-27. As in Acts 1:16; 2:23, here also Peter stresses the fact that OT prophets foretold Christ’s work. The purpose of all Scripture is to set forth the plan for the salvation of men through Christ’s redemptive suffering. From the first gospel promise (Gen. 3:15) there has been a continuing thread of testimony through the OT pointing to the vicarious atonement through Jesus Christ. Particularly significant among Messianic OT scriptures are Ps. 22:18 (see Matt. 27:35); Dan. 9:26; Zech. 11:13 (see Matt. 27:9, 10); Isa. 53.

That Christ should suffer. As far as is known the Jews never applied Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant to the Messiah. The doctrine of a suffering Messiah was quite at variance with the views of the Jews current in the apostolic age, and was hardly understood even by Christ’s disciples until after His resurrection. Peter himself protested when Christ laid starkly before His disciples the sufferings He would endure, and was severely rebuked for his reluctance to accept the prospect (Matt. 16:21-23). The present passage reveals a remarkable change in Peter’s understanding. Now he affirms that Christ’s sufferings had been in accord with the divine plan. Doubtless this illumination had come to the apostles through Jesus’ teaching after the resurrection (see Luke 24:44-48) and through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Peter later demonstrated again his understanding of this fundamental doctrine as he wrote of the sin-bearing Saviour (1 Peter 2:23, 24).

So fulfilled. These words mark the climax of Peter’s argument and the basis for his appeal to repentance. The force of his logic lay in the fact that he was preaching fulfilled prophecy.