Acts 2:13 records the reaction of some people in Jerusalem who heard the believers speaking in many languages and dismissed it as drunkenness. The verse shows that the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost did not win universal approval, and that mockery was one of the first responses to it. The words are spoken by unnamed onlookers in the crowd, and they are addressed to one another rather than to the apostles directly.
Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:13 (WEB)
What Acts 2:13 Means
The phrase “others, mocking” tells you that the crowd was not uniform. Some people were amazed and puzzled, as verse 12 describes, while others looked for an easy explanation and chose to ridicule. Mockery is a way of avoiding the question a miracle raises. Instead of asking whether God might be at work, these people reached for a cheap joke that required no further thought.
The accusation, “they are filled with new wine,” is a claim that the disciples were drunk. New wine was freshly fermented and could make people loud and unsteady, so the charge sounded plausible to some. The verse does not promise that God’s work will be instantly recognized or respected. It records that spiritual reality can be met with scorn, and it leaves the reader to see how Peter answers that scorn in the verses that follow.
The Context of Acts 2:13
Luke wrote Acts as a second volume to his Gospel, addressed to a man named Theophilus, and he describes the growth of the early church from Jerusalem outward. The audience in this scene is the crowd of Jewish pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, drawn from many nations. Verses 10 and 11 list those regions, which explains why each person heard the disciples speak in their own language.
Read in that setting, the mockery in verse 13 stands in sharp contrast to the amazement in verse 12. Verse 14 then begins Peter’s sermon, in which he directly answers the charge by pointing out that it is only the third hour of the day, too early for drunkenness. The verse is best understood as the hinge between wonder and explanation, showing the crowd divided before Peter speaks.
Key Phrases in Acts 2:13
Acts 2:12
They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
(WEB)
This verse comes just before the mockery and describes the amazement and puzzlement of the crowd. Reading it alongside verse 13 shows that the same event prompted both wonder and scorn, which helps you see the difference in the people’s responses.
Acts 2:14
But 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.
(WEB)
Here Peter stands up to answer the crowd and begins his sermon. Reading it after verse 13 shows how the apostles responded to ridicule with a clear, respectful explanation rather than with anger or retreat.
A Short Prayer From Acts 2:13
Lord, when I hear people dismiss what is good or true, help me respond with patience rather than contempt. Keep my heart open to learning what you are doing, even when it surprises me or looks foolish to others. Give me the courage of the early believers to keep speaking about what you have done, and let my words be honest and kind. Thank you that you are at work even when some people choose to mock. Amen.
