How does Acts 2:15 address accusations of drunkenness? Full Text “These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only the third hour of the day!” (Acts 2:15) Immediate Narrative Setting Pentecost morning in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-13): a rushing wind, “tongues as of fire,” and 120 Galilean believers speaking the languages of the dispersed Jewish pilgrims. Some respond with awe; others mock: “They are filled with new wine” (v. 13). Peter rises, backed by the Eleven, and begins his first public defense of the gospel. Verse 15 is his opening rebuttal. “Third Hour” and Jewish Festal Sobriety • “Third hour” (Greek trítē hōra) = about 9 a.m. Jewish days began at sunrise (~6 a.m.). • Pentecost (Shavuot) required worshipers to appear at the temple for the morning whole-burnt offering (Leviticus 23:15-21). Until that sacrifice and its accompanying drink offering were completed, pious Jews fasted from both food and wine (cf. Mishnah Pesachim 10:1; Josephus, Antiquities 3.249). • Rabbinic commentary (b. Shabbath 9b) confirms that “one may not taste anything until after the morning prayers.” Thus Peter implicitly appeals to a shared cultural expectation: devout pilgrims would not break festal fast with alcohol before worship was finished. Old Testament Echoes of False Accusation Hannah was wrongly accused of drunkenness while praying fervently (1 Samuel 1:14-16). Peter’s audience, steeped in Scripture, would recognize a similar misjudgment and be primed to reconsider. Rhetorical Strategy of Peter 1. Denial based on common-sense evidence (time of day). 2. Redirection to prophetic fulfilment (Joel 2:28-32, vv. 16-21). 3. Presentation of Christ’s resurrection (vv. 22-36) as the explanatory core. This mirrors classical forensic argument: refute the slander, supply the true cause, then press the main thesis. Scripture’s Broader Call to Sobriety Peter’s stance aligns with: • Isaiah 5:11; • Ephesians 5:18 — “Do not get drunk on wine… instead, be filled with the Spirit”; • 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 — “Since we belong to the day, let us be sober.” The Holy Spirit’s filling is contrasted with intoxication throughout Scripture; Acts 2 visually inaugurates that contrast. Practical Application Believers today may face similar ridicule when the Spirit moves. Peter models calm, reasoned defense: point to observable facts, then steer the discussion to God’s redemptive act in Christ. Summary Acts 2:15 neutralizes the drunkenness accusation by appealing to communal knowledge of festal fasting, the impossibility of early-morning intoxication, and Scriptural precedent. The verse serves as the gateway for Peter’s Spirit-empowered sermon, demonstrating that the phenomenon is not alcohol-induced confusion but the promised outpouring of God’s Spirit in the risen Messiah. |
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