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"And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews, and in
Jerusalem, Whom they (the Jews) slew and hanged on a tree."
We are not trying to absolve the Gentile world from the blame they deserve for their
part in crucifying our Lord. Indeed, we cannot do that because Acts 4: 27 states:
"For a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, Whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together."
Certainly they all played their part in the rejection of the Son of God but Scripture
records that Pilate was "willing to release Jesus" (Luke 23: 20). It was the Jews who
"cried, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him" (Luke 23: 21). But more than that! Worse
than that, they also said:
"His blood be on us, and on our children" (Matt. 27: 25).
Did they know what they were saying? Did they know what they were doing? No!
Acts 3: 17 tells us that they did it in ignorance and from the cross, as His garments were
being parted, the ever-gracious One, the ever-forgiving One prayed:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23: 24).
They didn't know what they were doing so He prayed for their forgiveness and that
prayer was answered. The all-powerful, resurrected Christ told the disciples:
"That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24: 27).
As a corporate body, for their corporate sin, the nation had been forgiven. Now
repentance and remission of sins were available to the individual members of Israel but
did the disciples obey Christ's command of Luke 24: 47? Yes! Acts 3: 19 records
Peter's plea to the "men of Israel" (verse 12):
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3: 19).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter had said:
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins" (Acts 2: 38).
But to whom was Peter speaking?
"They were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under
heaven" (Acts 2: 5).
Acts 2: 9, 10, 11 lists the nations from where the Jews had come. These are lists not
of Gentiles but of "Jews and Proselytes" (Acts 2: 10). The occasion was the feast of
Pentecost which would not have attracted Gentiles to Jerusalem . . . . . but Jews would
have been there in their thousands. Thus the book of Acts opens with Jews in abundance
and the first Gentile, Cornelius, does not appear until chapter 10: and the next Gentile