Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)

The Ear And The Heart

When the apostles were preaching to the crowd in Jerusalem, they were speaking to a group of people who were devoted to God. Jerusalem was filled with worshippers attending the Feast of Pentecost or Feast of Harvest. Pentecost was one of the three annual pilgrimage feasts every male was required to travel to Jerusalem for. Jesus had told the eleven to return to Jerusalem and wait for the power from on high to come. Providentially planned, Pentecost was on the first day of the week, the day Christ rose from the dead.

The coming of the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the twelve apostles created quite a stir among the people. Hearing the sound of the rushing wind, devout men from every nation who were dwelling in Jerusalem came together to hear the Galileans speak in their own languages. Many were amazed, and some perplexed, seeking to understand what it could mean. Others mocked, suggesting the apostles were drunk. Peter, standing up with the eleven, began to explain the meaning of the series of events, showing how Joel, the prophet, had foreseen the events of the day. The apostle said that Jesus of Nazareth, killed seven weeks earlier, was the Christ, the Son of God. Peter proved his explanation by looking at the life of Jesus, the testimony of the prophet David, and the conclusion that the crucified Jesus was both Lord and Christ.

As Peter was speaking, the crowd listened intently. It is uncertain how many people were gathered to hear the apostles speak. There were likely thousands of people. Luke will confirm that three thousand responded to the words of the apostles, but many did not accept the teaching of God. One thing everyone had in common in the audience was they were all hearing what the apostles were preaching in their own language. No one could excuse themselves that they could not hear the word of the Lord. God had provided, through the Holy Spirit, for the apostles to speak in the exact languages of the nations represented that day. Everyone listened to the message with their ears.

The distance between the ear and the heart is minimal, and yet, so often, it is separated by an eternity. God designed the body in a perfect union when He bookended the spiritual heart with two ears. The heart is metaphorically used for the mind, located directly between both ears. It can be suggested God gave everyone two ears to listen more intently. As the apostles testified and exhorted the crowd to save themselves, the hearts of three thousand souls responded. They heard what everyone else heard, but they heard something deeper. There were the mockers in the crowd who thought the men speaking were drunk. The three thousand realized what Peter was saying was true.

When three thousand people listened to the gospel’s message, their hearts were pricked, cut, pierced, and moved by the power of conviction. There were no arguments or debates. They asked the apostles what needed to be done to avert the wrath of God for killing His Son. There was no doubt they needed to be saved. First, the ear heard the message, and then the heart reacted. The three thousand did not wait for a more convenient time to sort things out. There was no delay in how they responded to what they heard because their hearts burned within them. It took the ears and the heart to bring three thousand people to the power of the gospel.

After Peter and the eleven exhorted the crowd with more preaching, the feet of three thousand people took action. What began with the ears and the hearts became the action of the feet to obey what Peter said. The apostle told the three thousand to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Those who responded did something few people do today. They obeyed without arguing. Why? They heard the gospel, and their hearts accepted the word as truth. Then, they did exactly what God told them to do without debate or discussion.

The world needs ears that are open to the word of God and hearts receptive to the teaching of Jesus. There is no doubt what the Bible teaches about salvation. People hear the gospel’s message, but their hearts are not pierced. When their hearts fail, their feet fail. The plea of God is to open your ears and accept in your heart the gospel of Jesus Christ so that you can act upon what you have heard to have your sins washed away in the blood of Jesus. Hearing alone will not save you. Believing alone will not save you. Peter told them to repent and be baptized. They heard it. Their hearts believed it. Three thousand people became children of God that day. What are you hearing? Do you believe the word of God? Are you ready to accept without question what God expects of you? Check your ears and your heart.