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Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized.
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As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’
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“Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us!
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The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath.
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They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.
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“When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.
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And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.
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“And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors,
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and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ’
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For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’