Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)

Lord And Christ

Jesus of Nazareth was despised by the Jewish leadership, and because of their envy of Him, they succeeded in having an innocent man killed by the authority of the Roman government. The actions of the Jews and Pilate adjudicated guilt to Jews and Gentiles for the murder of the Son of God. After Jesus died, His enemies went to bed satisfied they had ended the threat of the man from Nazareth. They heard the stories a few days later the body of Jesus could not be found and that many had seen Jesus alive. Knowing they had witnessed Jesus die on the cross persuaded them not to be overly concerned about a resurrected man.

Seven weeks after Jesus was killed, the feast of Pentecost engulfed Jerusalem with travelers worldwide. Multitudes filled the city streets as the Feast of Harvest celebrated the fruits of the harvest. Every male was required to travel to Jerusalem during the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Pentecost is taken from the fifty days from the first sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the end of harvest. The crucifixion of Jesus was not a coincidence of human wisdom but the fulfillment of a divine plan. Jesus knew He would be crucified. He knew He would suffer much and then die. The death of Jesus was planned before time began. God knew His Son would be crucified.

The death of Jesus was accomplished because of the hatred of men toward God, but it was the act of love from God to sinful man that established two important needs of humanity. Because of sin, man needs a Lord and a King. It is not possible in human wisdom to save himself from the sinful state he finds himself in. History is filled with the blackened bones of those who tried to live apart from God. The nature of man demands a king, and Jesus became Lord and King when he died on the cross. Peter tells the Jews gathered in Jerusalem the Jesus they had killed was now the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God made that Jesus – whom they had crucified – Lord. Salvation could only be found in subjection to King Jesus.

Jesus was not only Lord, but He was the promised Messiah, the Christ. For centuries, the Hebrew writers spoke about the coming Messiah who would turn the people’s hearts to God. Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise, and they had killed their longed-for Messiah. Everything about Jesus fulfilled the promise God made to Abraham. He had told them He was the Christ and proved He was the Son of God through His teachings and miracles. As they reflected on the life of Jesus, they realized everything Peter was saying was true. Jesus was the Messiah. God had allowed men to kill Jesus so that He could become Lord and Christ.

Three thousand Jews believed Jesus to be Lord and Christ and were baptized for the remission of their sins. The path of salvation remains the same today. It begins believing Jesus’ death was the plan of God in the beginning, and the story of Jesus proves Him to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. There can be no salvation without submitting oneself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and embracing the Messianic promises of Jesus, proving Him to be God’s Son. God made Jesus Lord and Christ so that we could find hope. Jesus reigns at the right hand of God today over His Kingdom, the church. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.