1Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. 6When this sound was heard, the multitude came together and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. 7They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? 8How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabians—we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” 12They were all amazed and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. 15For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day. 16But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
17‘It will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will dream dreams.
18Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days,
I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the sky above,
and signs on the earth beneath:
blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood,
before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22“Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, 23him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; 24whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. 25For David says concerning him,
‘I saw the Lord always before my face,
for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
26Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced.
Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope,
27because you will not leave my soul in Hades,
neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.
28You made known to me the ways of life.
You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29“Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31he foreseeing this, spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul wasn’t left in Hades, and his flesh didn’t see decay. 32This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. 33Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you now see and hear. 34For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself,
‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand
35until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
36“Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40With many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. 42They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. 43Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44All who believed were together, and had all things in common. 45They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. 46Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.
The gospel according to Matthew has often been considered as a work that was written from a Jewish perspective and addressed to a Jewish audience, which is largely true. The initial verse connects Jesus as the son of David and Abraham, and the following genealogy that connects Jesus to these patriarchs gives us the first clue.
The listing of the genealogies, reference to fulfillments of Old Testament passages, and the mission of the disciples to the house of Israel in Matt 10, lends support to this thesis. Other tell-tale signs such as the use of the term "kingdom of heaven," rather than "kingdom of God," and the lone statement of Jesus, among the four gospels, which says "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" adds additional support. One finds in the Gospel more uses of "son of David" than the combined usage of the designation in the other gospels. Unlike Mark's gospel, which explains Jewish customs (e.g. Mark 7:2-4), Matthew gives various customs without any explanation (such as references to phylacteries and tassels (Matt 23:5), or the temple tax (Matt 17:24-27)).
It is like the primary focus of Matthew to explain to His Jewish readers, probably at Antioch, why the earthly Davidic reign did not begin with the coming of Jesus the Messiah, as the Jews had anticipated from Old Testament prophecies.
Yet, in spite of this obvious Jewish emphasis, Matthew also has an unusual Gentile focus. This is not unexpected since 1:1 introduces David the King and the patriarch Abraham, reflecting Yahweh's covenant with Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant is made up of three parts. First, it unconditionally guarantees that the land given to Abraham is conveyed to his physical descendants through Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Second, the kingdom rule of David and his posterity is confirmed, ultimately to be realized with the coming of Messiah Jesus, who will reign after His return to earth. Last of all is the promise that through this covenant the Gentiles would be blessed, what is often called the New Covenant.
After the introduction of the connection of Jesus the Messiah with King David and the patriarch Abraham, Matthew provides a genealogy from these two important ancestors of the Messiah Yeshua, which includes several Gentile women, namely Tamar, Ruth, and Bathsheba.
The introduction of several Gentile women into the genealogy is totally unexpected. The woman Tamar, in the story of Judah, is given first in 1:3. The woman of Jericho who protected the spies Joshua and Caleb was Rahab (1:5), who married Salmon; they were the parents of Boaz, who in turn was the man who married the Moabite woman, Ruth. They became the great-grandparents of David the King of Israel. Last of all is Bathsheba, married to Uriah the Hittite, and eventually became the mother of King Solomon, and finally ancestor of Mary the mother of Jesus, through Nathan son of David.
Another indication of his emphasis on the Gentile world is the coming of the Magi from Persia, found in chapter two of Matthew. It is uncertain what caused the Magi to pay attention to this mysterious star that led them to Jerusalem to worship the Jewish King of Kings.
Another example is that in Matthew's gospel (15:21-28) Jesus is approached by a Syro-Phoenician woman that asked for Him to heal her daughter who is demon-possessed. Due to her great faith (v 28), though she was not a Jew, to whom he said He was sent (v. 24), nonetheless He answered her prayer.
An important feature that is unique to Matthew is the statement by Jesus at Caesarea Philippi (Panias), in a Gentile area, that He was going to build His church (ἐκκλησία, ekklesia), a word that is never found in the other gospels. The reference to the church is found in Matthew 16 (founding of the new assembly of believers) and Matthew 18 (discipline of church members). This new body of believers began with the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, which anticipates the growth of the new fellowship of believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit and what becomes known as the body of Christ. This was a clear departure from the synagogue in Israel, as the believers in Jesus spread throughout the world.
Last of all is the Great Commission to the Gentile world in Matthew 28. Early in the book Jesus gives His disciples a commission to the house of Israel (Matthew 10, especially vv 5-6), specifically telling them not to go to the Gentiles, yet in Matthew 28:19-20 He commands them to go to the nations (ἔθνη), a common designation for the non-Jewish world. This may also help us to understand why the command to baptize these nations in the name of the Trinity, since the Gentiles had not been instructed regarding true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the places that baptism is mentioned in the Acts it is always in the name of Jesus, since the Jews or Jewish proselytes were already instructed regarding the Father and the Spirit from the Father. Identification with Jesus the Messiah was the focus.