the Holy Spirit, filling the disciples; they spoke with the tongues of all nations.
SERMON 2291 301 repentance and forgiveness of sins to be preached in his name throughout all nations, with you beginning3 from Jerusalem (Lk 24:46-47). There we have the disciples both seeing Christ after the resurrection, and hearing the holy scrip¬ tures from his own mouth that this was what was going to happen. We here haven't seen Christ present in the flesh; but every day, when they are read, we hear the very scriptures by which they too were confirmed in their faith.
And what did he tell them from the scriptures? For repentance and forgive¬ ness of sins to be preached in his name throughout all nations, with you beginning from Jerusalem. The disciples couldn't see this; what they could see was Christ talking about the Church that was to be. And so when Christ said something they couldn't see, they believed him. They could see the head, they couldn't yet see the body; we can see the body, we believe about the head. They are two, husband and wife,4 head and body, Christ and the Church. He showed himself to the disciples, and promised them the Church; he has shown us the Church, and ordered us to believe about himself. The apostles saw one thing, they didn't see the other; and we too see one thing and don't see the other. Just as they, having the head there with them, believed about the body, so we, from having the body here with us, should believe about the head.
Or are we going to deny it? But truth cries out loud, and won't let us deny it. I mean, we can see the Church of Christ from the rising of the sun to its setting, praising the name of the Lord (Ps 113:3). With you beginning, he said, from Jerusalem. That's how it happened; because he said to them, Stay here in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high,5 because lam sending you from my Father what I have promised (Lk 24:49).
Jews who had killed Christ pricked to the heart at Pentecost, and repented on the spot.
So they came to drink in faith the blood they had shed in fury
3. And so, as they were staying in the city, on the day of Pentecost there came the Holy Spirit, filling the disciples; they spoke with the tongues of all nations. One person was speaking with the tongues of all nations, because the unity of the Church was going to come about in all nations.6 They were pricked to the heart at this miracle. The Jews who were listening, you see, were stunned, and believed; after all, they saw such a tremendous miracle performed by Peter in the name of the Christ whom they had killed with their own hands, and being pricked to the heart they repented on the spot.7 All their sins were forgiven them, even to the extent of the very deed being forgiven by which Christ had been slain. They were converted, I'm saying, even the very Jews who had shaken their heads in disbelief in front of the cross;8 now by believing they won the right to have Christ as their head, so that from then on their head wouldn't be shaken, because he is seated at the Father's right hand, and will not be moved for ever (Ps 112:6). He will never return to this life's miseries, never return to the cross, never return to death, but will continue in that state of real, true blessedness.
So they, who had killed Christ, heard and grieved; and the blood which they